I spanked my dog this morning... (labs, bite, vets, toy)
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Dogs keep doing what works for them. If jumping on you at 6:30 gets you up, it reinforces that behavior. Not that you are doing anything wrong but in your dog's mind everything is great. Take away the reward (you getting up) and you likely can change his behavior. A little work now pays off in the long run. You may want to try completely ignoring him when he tries to wake you up. Only after he settles down and is quiet and still, then you get up.
You're doing the wrong thing, you know it. Listen it's a lousy thing to do. No one here can stop you, so why did you post? Maybe to get at least some one or however many people to agree with you? I mean, honestly, isn't that why you posted?
Now, serious question ahead: Knowing, at the very least supposing, you are wrong. What should be your punishment for your impatient response? The same as you did to this dog? It might teach you a lesson.
Completely serious question.
So, is that right? Would it be the right thing to do to you?
Why does it matter if the dog was in the bedroom? The specific room has no baring on the dog's actions.
As far as the nails go perhaps the appointment to get nails trimmed had not happened yet.
It can take a couple days to get into the vet sometimes.
Haha! As a dachshund owner I totally understand the dachshund in the bed and the claws lol. Like op, my dachshund gets her nails done at the vet every month, but they have a strong instinct to dig. They were bred to dig down underground to chase away badgers and other smaller burrowing animals. So when they dig, they dig hard. Mine hasn't ever done it to me, but I imagine it would hurt. And dachshunds are lap dogs (and whiners! And stubborn!) mine is always in my lap if I'm on the couch and she sleeps with me in bed. If I didn't let her she'd keep me up all night.
Dogs keep doing what works for them. If jumping on you at 6:30 gets you up, it reinforces that behavior. Not that you are doing anything wrong but in your dog's mind everything is great. Take away the reward (you getting up) and you likely can change his behavior. A little work now pays off in the long run. You may want to try completely ignoring him when he tries to wake you up. Only after he settles down and is quiet and still, then you get up.
<sigh> Sometimes people get so wound up. I picked this post to quote because it comes closest to saying what I want to add.
Getting down to brass tacks. Dogs are creature of the moment - they live in the "now". Absolutely. Your dog loves to see you and get your attention - as you know. And, it expresses that love by trying to get you to awake and give it a pat or two, . . .or three. Just how they are.
I do not agree with those who say that any negative reinforcement is verbotten. Maybe I'm just the poorer trainer, but frankly, trying to do EVERYTHING the positive way just doesn't always get results. Sometimes I have to use something negative. I limit those occasions, and I work hard to use absolutely no more force than is necessary to see a result.
Just today, I was working with my dogs on pulling on leash. There are times when their attention simply goes outward to things that are not me, and not walking politely and nicely. Like other dogs walking past. Or deer in the field (or other game animals, e.g. turkeys, skunks, whatever). Or just some particularly attractive smell. You know, even if I was handing out treats like they were candy, I would loose the dog's attention at some point, and they will pull on the leash. As much as I would like to, I simply find that I can not always be the dog's central attention. I cen get that behavior for short periods of time only.
Two of the dogs I'm working are good. One is a B-, the other an A. The third usually gets a B-, until he sees or smells something, then he is an F. I've tried positive re-focusing, and I can not get it to work. Maybe I'm just not a good trainer. But, I CAN use an old-fashioned negative reinforcement to work. It is slow, but it eventually gets results. Using positive methods just doesn't resolve things for me.
So I am on the side that says: "Go positive, until you have to go negative". A minor swat, here or there? Is nothing in the scheme of things.
I have a dachshund too and they are different! He doesn't like grass either, what is it with these dogs! Loads of character though. When mine won't stop barking I use a rolled up magazine and slam it on whatever piece of furniture is close to him. The sharp noise gets his attention and he stops.
That is funny! I had no idea that there were other dogs that hated walking in the grass. And yes to the personality! They are great dogs. We were recently at a dachshund festival and it was so fun to see hundreds of dachshunds in one location. They had a weiner dog race and all of the dogs watching the races from the bleachers were barking as the dogs ran the races. It was so funny, like they were cheering for their favorite to win. LOL!
I assure you all this was not a hard spank, no more that an adult dog would swat a puppy, and I was not angry, only firm. He is not used to me raising my voice, so a little goes a long way. I like the squirt bottle idea. His foster mother used this method. I will have it ready for tomorrow.
It was not an urgent potty issue, since he does this EVERY day, and takes his sweet time outside peeing.
He has never, ever nipped anyone, very non aggressive.
You are not an adult dog; you are an adult human who should be able to ask for assistance resolving a problem behavior before it gets to the point where you feel the need to hit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LBTRS
Animals use "physical force" in the pack, why do people get so outraged when the pack leader is human and does exactly what the animal understands?
I too have used "force" of a small swat to correct my dogs from barking like crazy when they see something out the front window. They would just ignore me when I told them "no". I eventually started yelling to try to get them to stop...I finally said "this is crazy" and walked over and gave them both a swat on the butt and they stopped immediately.
The alpha dog (pack leader) would nip, growl or even attack them if they did something the pack leader didn't like. I'm not talking about beating the dog, just a swat to get their attention when they are ignoring my commands to stop.
You did nothing wrong OP.
When dogs correct other dogs it is a swift precise, and well-timed. Humans are not able to correct dogs to the same effect.
Please dispose of the entire notion you have of "alpha" pack leader concepts. The example you used is incorrect. Any dog can correct another dog for annoying or bad behavior. Your use of "alpha" here is not relevant- and is also reflects an incorrect understanding of the term "alpha".
We are - at least ostensibly- the humans with big brains who are purportedly able to problem solve, do research, ask for assistance; when we act out in anger we are not using our brains, and we are not teaching our dogs anything.
As someone else said, your dog is simply happy to see you in the morning. If you don't like the way he expresses his happiness, then teach him another behavior or modify the existing behavior. Teach him what you want him to do; punishing with a swat on his backside didn't provide him with any information about what you want him to do.
When he behaves this way, and you respond by getting up, then you are reinforcing that behavior. Your dog does this because it gets you up in the morning; if you don't want him doing it, then either get up a few minutes earlier before he starts the annoying routine- to get him out of the habit of doing it, and immediately ask for a behavior- maybe an extended down, then release him to go outside.
Alternately, stay in bed through your dog's attempt to get you up, and then get up only once he has calmed himself- keep things low-key, get up, ask for behavior- maybe a sit or down, then release to go outside.
Hitting a dog is being a lazy owner for two reasons: 1-you aren't willing to put in either the time or commitment to learn what you need to do to resolve the issue, you are looking for a quick fix, but you are simply masking this behavior, and 2- why would you wait until you are so annoyed with a behavior that the only option you see is the use of force-
Tell yourself what you want to justify what you did, but then you also must accept responsibility for any fallout, and you must also accept that you weren't willing to do the work needed to find a workable solution that didn't involve force.
Why does it matter if the dog was in the bedroom? The specific room has no baring on the dog's actions.
As far as the nails go perhaps the appointment to get nails trimmed had not happened yet.
It can take a couple days to get into the vet sometimes.
Actually, it has everything to do with the problem, isn't it? He had access to the bedroom where she was sleeping? My dogs sleeps with me in my bedroom but there are 2 rules: not on the bed and not jumping on me to wake me up. My dogs would wake me up by nudging their noses against my arm. If they were behaving in any way unacceptable while I'm trying to sleep (and I really like my sleep), they would be locked out of the bedroom.
Back to OP's original question about whatour thoughts are, I think there were easier and more efficient ways to train her dog than to resort to the minor spank. I don't think the spanking traumatized the pup but the frustration would be less if the problem was addressed sooner using other methods. For example, crate training the dog to sleep in his crate at night. Another example is what I suggested, if he acts in a manner that is unacceptable, unless the dog trying to tell her he needs to potty, then remove him. Dogs are smart and they will learn quickly what they should or shouldn't do anymore if they want to remain inside the bedroom.
^^^^^^^^^
All of this is merely your biased opinion based on assumed knowledge from the few details written by the OP, since you nor anyone else was there to see the incident all opinions posted to date are simply assumptions that may or may not be true.
However, it is your choice to believe what you think you know.
...and it worked. I feel bad though.
We are not yellers or spankers, with kids or animals, but today I got tired of "polite suggestions" for behavior not working.
Every morning when our dachshund, Freddie, thinks it is time to get up (6:30 or so) he starts going bat**** crazy. By this I mean he starts jumping on me in a crazy manner, and i tend to get scratched from his claws. Any other time of day or night, he is an angel, and has no behavior problems at all. Once I get out of bed, he becomes docile again.
So this morning I loudly scolded him and smacked his bottom, and he stopped the behavior instantly. I wonder if he will do it again tomorrow? If he does, I intend to do the same thing again until he stops doing it.
What do all you dog owners think this behavior is about? I am thinking that it is something that puppies do ...scrambling over the other puppies in the morning to get to their mom. Our dog is 3, and I am definitely "the mommy". He was a rescue, so not sure what his first years were like.
He's telling you he needs to go outside and potty.
It's not that hard.
My 14 year old dog jumps on my legs in her hurry for me to get the leash on her and the door open.
I wouldn't dream of spanking her for letting me know her bladder is full.
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