I have to say, my father (bless his heart) has always raised his dogs like your father. For the most part he has always had very large dogs and sure they do love him and want to be around him but they also know that if they do something wrong they are gonna get it. Love my father but his dogs do fear him and I know for one that is not how I want my dogs to live.
I remember one time years ago, I was only in about the third grade. My father had a GSD who would get "spanked" when she would have an accident. We were in the car one day headed to a dog training class and she had to go, she must have had an upset tummy because it was horrid smelling and runny. She had the accident in the floorboard of the car and then before we knew what was happening she jumped right out the open window on a busy street with the car moving! Now that is fear! Thank God she managed not to get hit by a car and he got her back unharmed. He felt so bad of course she didn't get in trouble but at that moment after she did what she couldn't help she was afraid of the spanking that would come. My father in no way "abused" her but did use physical punishment and the dog had a great fear of him at times. I am not sure how you can feel making a dog fear you is a good thing.
There are better ways. Sure you may be succeeding in making her an obedient dog (at times) but if you say she doesn't fear her physical punishment then I would say you are living with your head in the clouds.
You also made another comment about comparing ourselves with a canine, just rang through in my head as you saying "it's just a dog" Nope not what you said exactly but that was the way I heard it. Your "dog" has feelings and fears just like a human and in my eyes even worse as they don't understand why a lot of things happen where a human will understand and can process it better.
All of that said, just how big is your Yorkie? I have to wonder if you realize that a magazine is probably the same size as her/him and so obviously not an appropriate thing to use if you still insisted on this physical punishment. My father right or wrong used a few pages out of the newspaper for a full grown GSD, big difference.
No one is trying to be mean or start anything with you but just try to make you realize there are better ways to accomplish what you are trying to do. Please rethink your ways. No, just because it is an old way of thinking does not make it wrong (there other things about it that make it wrong) but does that mean that if there is new evidence that a new way works better you can't evolve with the times and explore the new ways? |