Do you punish your pet?

Some people have been known to cause grievous injuries to their pets as a form of punishment. Sometimes these injuries are fatal. I have observed many people throwing projectiles at pets or hitting them as punishment. Some in as far as denying the unwitting and hapless animal food. Many are the times I have protested to pet owners with minimal success. Granted, pets make mistakes like most of us are won't to do and are hardly in the know in most cases. Do you punish your pet? How do you do it?

Naw, in my case there is nothing really causing physical harm as far as the punishment for pets goes.

Once upon a time, one of my fish was getting aggressive with some new fish I just added to my community aquarium. The usual passive fish suddenly got territorial and all bossy while his species "should not be" too aggressive. To avoid causing possible injury to other fish, I had to relocate him to a different tank for "reeducation". After a few hours alone in the smaller fish tank, I moved him back to the main aquarium. He became a lot less aggressive.

Well, my case is quite different since it's just a fish. As for smarter pets such as dogs and cats, they are just like little children. I do not believe in any physical punishment should be done to either pets or kids. There are always better ways to make them understand what is acceptable and what is not.

I couldn't ever "punish" my dog. Abusing your animals is something that I've never understood and I never will. It's okay to train your pets but if you'd ever kick or hit your animals, that's just unacceptable.

I've seen many horses get hit as a punishment in the stables and I can't do anything else than to feel grossed out by that. People really think it's okay to show they're superior to animals that can't really fight back. I get it that horses are way larger and they can actually harm you - but as long as a person doesn't get seriously hurt by an event that an animal causes, I really don't see it a necessary thing for a person to do. Animals have feelings too, that's what we should always remember.

@ heavymetalkilos,

Punishment does not have to come as physical harm. You do not have to beat your dog or starve him. Just like dealing with some naughty kids, there are smart ways to educate them to behave. In my opinion, you can teach your dog a lesson by taking away his favorite toys, or skip a special treat or two. There is no real harm done in such case.

Of course we'd like to avoid any kind of punishment unless it is absolutely necessary. You just can't ignore it when for example your dog repeatedly bit your guests, or if your cat continuously to pee in your bed. Something has to be done to teach them not to do certain things. It is up to you to come up with a non-violent way to solve the problem peacefully. If you ignore the bad behavior instead, in my opinion it is not good for anyone including the dog himself. For the greater good, some form of harmless punishment is needed. Be creative.

There is a tremendous difference between disciplining your pet and abusing it. However, depending on the person, punishment can either be discipline or it can be abusive when done by inconsiderate and uncompassionate people.
Our pets do need to be trained, and usually, a positive reward system works much better than discipline or punishment, just like it works better with children. Even praising your pet for good actions is better than scolding them for bad ones.

Take housebreaking as an example.
Many dogs who are scolded or punished for weting on the floor simply become more devious about the action; but they do not stop doing it.
A much better plan is that when they go to the bathroom outside (where you want them to go) then, you praise them repeatedly, every time they go in the correct place.
Soon, whenever they go outside, they will hurry to go to the bathroom, just so that they can hear that happy reward praise.
Since they have then gone outside, they are far less likely to go in the house again.

Sometimes, even the most well trained and well behaved animals might have to be punished, but more often than not, verbal punishment should be enough.

I've never had to resort to physical actions to punish my pets, as even though sometimes they might do something wrong, the first thing I train them is to respect the sound if my voice, and in a way make them understand that I'm their master, rather than they can do whatever they want.

Punishment is one way of teaching discipline to the dog. The usual punishment is the (soft) slap on the butt to call the attention of the misbehaving dog. And when a mischief is committed, we either tie the dog in a leash or place it in a cage for 1 hour. That would teach the dog to realize of his misdemeanor.

We don't have the heart to spank our dogs. Besides, hurting the dog would only make it more stubborn or mischievous. Worse, it may learn how to bite when he is punished by physical harm.

I would get mad at my Clio because when she was a puppy, she used to eat her own poop which she outgrew anyway. I don't punish her at all because I don't think she would get the concept. Dogs do things out of instinct and if they're bored enough, get ready for the consequences. Dog trainers don't punish dogs for not getting a trick right but instead rewards them with treats so that the dogs would realize that for them to get a treat, they need to do what they're told. This is one concept that even some humans deliberately don't follow.

Yes, I've punished my pets. For the most part, it's either a spank on the hind quarters or a tap on the nose. I wouldn't take a bat to a dog but you do need to discipline your dog. I've dealt with pets who've never had their bad habits corrected by their owners and they tend to have alpha mindsets. This lets the pet think it's okay for it to bark and bite anyone they want. There is a difference between punishing and beating an animal. If you are hitting your pet because you're in a bad mood or with an object, it's abuse. If you are stopping you pet from begging by tapping their nose or spank a dog for growling, then it is corrective punishment. As long as it's not excessive, then it is fine. If you are lucky to have a pet that doesn't need the physical punishment to correct it, that's great but some pets are simply stubborn. Ideally, a good pet won't need correcting constantly once trained. I know with my dogs, that there is a period of a couple months while training for a habit or trying to get rid of a habit where I needed to spank them to make them stop. After that, they usually don't need corrected once it's a habit. But a guy friend of mine has never had to physically punish his dogs because they see him as alpha, the command in his tone is enough to get them to behave. Even my dogs, at their most hyper, would listen to him when he visits.

I do corrections with my dogs. When I catch them in the act of, let's say, burrowing under the pillow when they're not allowed, I confront them right away. I give them this energy as if I'm angry and I would say "No" using a deep voice. They would usually get what I mean by that. After that, I wouldn't play with them for a while. I would then get back to them in a couple of minutes. But I never, ever, do physical punishment.