Punishing Your Puppy
You can never expect your puppy to think like a human, so it is important for you to think like a dog. A very good book on on this subject is called “Think Dog” by the late John Fisher (just click on any book in the Amazon banner at the top of this page and enter Think Dog in the search area).
When puppies annoy the bitch she will use eye contact and facial expression first. The youngster will carry on the unwanted behavior then the mother will give out a low growl which will increase in volume with a show of teeth. If this is not enough to produce the desired result the bitch will to all intense and purposes fly in at the youngster. This is not a full blown attack. Far from it. It is dress rehearsal for the pup, conditioning him for life later on. No contact is made, although from the resulting noise (mainly from the puppy) one could be excused for thinking that the litter had been reduced by one pup.
It is interesting to note that the bitch will immediately console the puppy and start to lick it all over. This behavior is observed every time the youngster steps out of line.
From this we can learn that the puppy has been taught by the bitch the correction and reward. Correction…Growl (our voice NO) then the moment the behavior stops Reward…the Lick (we simply stroke the pups head). Now what we are doing is copying the mother. This way the puppy is never fearful of us.
It is cruel to punish a dog for anything after the act. In other words, if you come home and find a mess, destruction, etc., then ignore this. Your puppy, or indeed your dog, will never understand he has done wrong. To come home and shout will make any dog put his tail between his legs and cower or shy away. Many owners will say “You see, he knows he has done wrong”. He does not know anything other than the human has arrived back at the den and is aggressive.
So, practice commitment and firmness, but kindness.
And as part of your commitment to your furry friend, when dinner time rolls around be sure to feed him or her Life’s Abundance all natural pet food. They will appreciate it and may live longer, happier lives because of your caring.
