[idlewild]

Originally Posted by Heavenly Jumper

An Alpha dog will bite to reprimand/conrol her pack. If I am the alpha of mine, do I not have the same right? (Not snarky, just wondering genuinely)

Yes HJ, you have it entirely right there IMO.

When we first got our dog, Oreo, he was a year old and my little brother was 4. Oreo thought that he was higher in the pecking order than my brother. One day my brother and Oreo were sitting at my mother's feet. My brother went to hug Oreo, well thinking he was higher than my brother Oreo tried to snap at and bite my brother. My mom, seeing it immediately smacked Oreo a good one across the nose and sent him outside with another spanking. In other words she told Oreo in no uncertain terms "I am the Alpha dog, you will not touch my pup!" She didn't hurt our dog, but she put him in his place. Even since then he has never so much as thought about being aggressive towards humans. He is now 11 years old and one of the best dogs I know.

When used appropriately, physical punishment has it's place.

[imjustjoking22]

Originally Posted by Remali

Never ever hit a dog. Period. What good does that accomplish? The dog has no idea what that means. Just scares the dog, and may hurt the dog.....using force, like hitting a dog, is not a training tool, it's abuse.

If you think about it, it's pretty dumb that we would think that completely non-physical punishments/rewards would work better on a dog...

Have you EVER seen an alpha dog tell another one that it was out of line with a firm "no!" ?

I agree with the others- physical punishment has it's place.

For example, when walking my roommate's dog, she tried to jump into the cab of a truck after another dog. I yanked her to the ground and gave her a firm spank. This was an appropriate punishment for her VERY undesired and dangerous behavior.

Originally Posted by Rumonek

My puppy bit me too hard last night so I bit him back lol... he hasn't bit me since

Actually, if you are playing with a puppy and it bites you you should simply yelp loudly (or a loud OW! works too) and turn your back on the puppy and ignore it for a little while.

This is how puppies learn in a pack what is considered playing and what is "too hard".

If you bite them back, you risk them thinking that it is just a further continuation of play.

[Jenje!]

What if you bite them really hard?

I kid, I kid. I only really bite children.

[Heavenly Jumper]

Originally Posted by Jenje!

[/i]I kid, I kid. I only really bite children.

My mother told me she broke that biting habit with me when I was little by biting me back. You aren't the only one!

[Rumonek]

Ok guys... I was joking and being serious about biting at the same time! lol. My puppy didn't bite-bite and he wasn't playing... he was licking me and is clumsy with his mouth so I bit him back lol. I broke my horse's biting habit that way too... he bit me when he was a colt and I turned around and bit him right on the neck. He took off and hasn't even TRIED to bite me since lol.

My mom broke my biting habit by biting me back until I cried too HJ! lol

p.s. I know about the "yelping". If they start to do something that hurts, I whine, and it freaks them out so they stop

[Tankstar]

Well I just plain dont agree with it. there is many other ways to teach a dog you are alpha then smacking/hitting/biting

[Narmowen]

Originally Posted by Rumonek

Ok guys... I was joking and being serious about biting at the same time! lol. My puppy didn't bite-bite and he wasn't playing... he was licking me and is clumsy with his mouth so I bit him back lol. I broke my horse's biting habit that way too... he bit me when he was a colt and I turned around and bit him right on the neck. He took off and hasn't even TRIED to bite me since lol.

My mom broke my biting habit by biting me back until I cried too HJ! lol

p.s. I know about the "yelping". If they start to do something that hurts, I whine, and it freaks them out so they stop

My puppy bit me a bit too hard on the neck one day (usually just little nibbles, but this one HURT), so I tapped his nose and yelled "OW". He hasn't done that since.

[JumpingBean]

Originally Posted by Jenje!

What if you bite them really hard?

I kid, I kid. I only really bite children.

I just snorted my tea up my nose.

Anyway, I smack my dogs when appropriate. I smack my horses. If I ever had kids -- unlikely -- I'd smack them too.

Shannon, I think Batgirl will settle in just fine as an indoor/outdoor. I got a lot of flak for my Sheltie being an exclusively outdoor dog. He's been just fine and will stay outside until I get my own place next year and let him in.

[PaintedRocket]

Originally Posted by Tankstar

Well I just plain dont agree with it. there is many other ways to teach a dog you are alpha then smacking/hitting/biting

That's fine that you don't agree with it. I don't agree with a lot of things in life but that's life for ya.

Yes, there are many other ways but this is included in "ways".. and it works for many people. I'd rather be smacked than bitten..

My mom used to bite me back when I bit.. yeah but it didn't clear me of that habbit.. I'm still a fan of biting

[Tankstar]

Originally Posted by PaintedRocket

That's fine that you don't agree with it. I don't agree with a lot of things in life but that's life for ya.

Yes, there are many other ways but this is included in "ways".. and it works for many people. I'd rather be smacked than bitten..

My mom used to bite me back when I bit.. yeah but it didn't clear me of that habbit.. I'm still a fan of biting

I guess I just dont agree with it due to perosnal reasons. thats life I guess. and if one doesnt find abusing (IMO) their kids or dogs, well so be it. they wont listen to me