Thank you for your explanation.
1. My fiance, Matt, has never had a pet in his life. I have always had pets, dogs, cats, fish, etc. so, of course, I wanted another with him. We talked and talked and finally we decided we should get a Yorkie, since he has terrible allergies.
So - I strongly feel that this action comes from him not knowing what to do around dogs/puppies - not knowing it is wrong.
He absolutely adores Chloe! He likes her so much, he plays with her all the time, she sleeps on his lap, sits on his lap while chewing a bully stick, etc. They are good buddies!
I'm sorry but to say that this is a "reality check" for the future for me is absolutely absurd. Alluding to him being an abuser is beyond far fetched and completely out of line. No, I am not ignoring any warning signs, because there definitely aren't any thank you very much!
Matt has never had a pet, he doesn't know that giving the pet a spank is wrong.
I have to make this very clear - Matt never spanks Chloe hard, it is never in an abusing way and he is never angry - he is always very calm - he just feels that it is necessary for her to learn not to do such things. I suppose this may be placed on the same level as spanking your children, although they are a lot larger. Some people feel it is wrong, some people don't. We are a loving family, and intend to give Chloe all the love she wants!
My intentions for this thread were to find out what others do about their dogs getting into things, sorry if I didn't make that clear. I don't leave things out on purpose, but she is sneaky and finds her way into things that she shouldn't!
Also, you use the word "strike", which sounds very harsh. He never "strikes" Chloe, but gives her a soft spank. And I do not believe that everybody knows that dogs shouldn't be spanked - but people do learn! That is what this forum is for... learning!