Do you punish your pets when they act up?

When your pet acts up, do you let it get away with what it did, or do you punish it? I mean I've seen so many people let their pets get away with so many things, they dont even get scolded. I personally put mt pets in time out, people say I'm harsh but how else will they learn?? What do you do?Do you punish your pets when they act up?Yes, I do punish them.



And I do hit them. (Okay, I'm ready for the "thumbs down," but "hit" is not a synonym for "beat.") Whenever my animals do something wrong, I give them a swat on their behinds and tell them "no." They understand, and they learn. I don't like hitting my pets, but it is their punishment for bad behavior. Raising a pet is like raising a child.



In today's society, people treat their pets like children. And today's children are brats, because they spoil them and give them whatever they want. I see the same thing being passed on to their animals.



But, really, look around--there are so many misbehaved dogs, mostly small dogs. Everything a small dog does is "cute," so they get away with so much more. A Pit Bull bites you, the dog gets put down and the owner is sued. A Chihuahua bites you, and their owner says, "No puddy wuddy!", pets them, and hands you a bandage.



I once brought my German Shepherd mix to a social place with other dogs and their owners. A small dog bit him on the nose when he passed by, and her owner just turned around, looked at me, and shrugged!



We need people to stop living in a dream world and actually take responsibility for their pets.Do you punish your pets when they act up?
Yes, I won't feed my fish for a few days if they give me the silent treatment.Do you punish your pets when they act up?Never had a pet so noDo you punish your pets when they act up?
well mine usually don't.





=)Do you punish your pets when they act up?you are write they need to associate bad with what they did or else they wont learn
i never had a pet, but if i did i would never punish itDo you punish your pets when they act up?
Yes, but I try to even it out by giving them lots of positive reinforcement when they do things right. Positive reinforcement is usually a more effective and enjoyable way to handle a pet's behavior.
if my cat is miss behaved i will yell at her and i wont sleep with her for a night....Do you punish your pets when they act up?
I don't punish my cat at all. She never gets into trouble.
when my dog poops in the house, i rub his nose in it and put him outside, he is much better now. when he jumps on people i smack him on the nose, he doesn't do it anymore.
i have two cockatiels and its hard to punish them, so instead when they do something good i reward them, like if they are quiet and dont screech all day then they get to go outside, or if just one is screeching then just one gets to come out. and if they've been good all week then they get grapenuts, haha they love them!
Hi there,

Well personally I punish my pets when they act up,pee on the floor or what have you. I feel that if i do not punish them they will continue to do bad things and it will get worse.
you are right. I give mine a time out too. if she is not listening, or she eats something she shouldn't. if she has an accident on the floor she gets tide up at the door. with no toys. for 15 minutes. dogs are like kids. I do not believe in spanking my dog, just time outs work fine. but if they get sick in the house, they don't get punished because getting sick is out of there control.
yes i never really hit my dog but when he,s driving me nuts i lift my hand and chase him if i have to after he,s growled at me he usually cowers under the table i find the threat enough
I don't punish animals, because there's no way of knowing whether or not they understand what they're being punished for. Its not about letting it get away with anything in my mind, more about part and parcel of the responsibility of owning a pet. I guess its about training the animal the best you can and rewarding good behaviour if they do have bad habits.
I NEVER physically punish my pets for doing something wrong but i do the whole "Bad dog!" thing and i give them a cold shoulder for a while but that's it.
If I catch him in the act of doing something wrong I give a correction.



I do not punish



If I just come home and discover that I left a sock on the floor and he chewed it I do not attempt to correct him because I do not think he would understand that he was in trouble for something he did an hour before.
Once. I caught my huge dog on the sofa and chased him off and spanked him with a slipper.



It's the same thing with kids, if you teach them positive things then you don't have to punish them too much. Accentuate the good things and the dog if it loves you and wants your affection it will do good things to get your love.
I have 2 cats and I do punish them by won't give them food for 1 day and sometimes yell at them, I do that so that my pets would be disciplined so for me, it works because my cats are now well-behaved........
You have to be diligent, you have to catch them in the act or else they lose their action and all your doing is venting frustration. Never hit your animal, you can't love an animal with the same hand you love them with. Tone of voice is important. Don't just say no, animals know more than one word, say NO COUNTER, NO TOILET. Designate a naughty spot for your dog to sit for a few moments, doesn't work with cats. With dogs you need to remember that they remember bad things you do to them but not the bad things they do unless you correct the behavior instantly. If you say it once and the dog doesn't obey get up from your chair and walk over to the dog calmly and make it obey gently. With dogs you want a companion not a fearful animal. HUG



Remember, you're the boss, not them, instill that early and you;ll have a friend for life.
I do discipline them. Pets are capable of learning but since they don't really understand language sometimes disciple is necessary. Eventually they learn to adhere to the desired behavior. All I have to do is yell at my dog now and she will drop her head and sulk as if expecting punishment. Eventually I removed the punishment and the verbal disaproval is enough.
I yell at them and tell them no, but when they look at me with their puppy eyes, its all over. Then I forgive them for pooping in my bed, and rolling in it....lol
Keep up the good work.Never struck the animal. So do not pay attention to what they say. Keep up the good work,
Yes I train my pets to follow instructions.



Many people are actually afraid of their pets so they do nothing regarding undesired behaviors.
Punishment is not time-out or scolding.



You are doing the right thing. A mammal pet wants your love and approval. If you do not approve, a scolding and/or time out is fine.



Punishment - inflicting fear or pain on an animal is cruel and they only learn to fear the one who punishes.
well i have 4 dogs. They are all sweet things but the one is a 3 year old black lab who is so happy go lucky and loves to play ball. and the oldest dog is about 11 he is a brittany who likes to sleep all day. when we first got the black lab the brittany always beat up on him so he would be put in a kennal cage.Now it is the other way a round. We never hit are dogs we only put them in the cage. and they get very upset when they have to go in.So yes i think it is ok to punish them to a point.
i think it's fine to discipline a pet in this manner. i too give my pets time outs. my dog has to lay down till i tell him it's okay to get up and my cat has to stay out of the kitchen. they both know when i mean business and now that they have learned they don't have to be disciplined as often.

animals need to know who's the leader in a household or they become unruly.

good for you for loving your animals enough to not let them be nuisances.
you should reward them when they are good and they will do less bad things
Yes. I don't hit them or anything, though. If they do something bad, I'd put my dogs in the cage for 30 minutes, and when I unlock the cage, they always come up to me giving me kisses on the cheek and they always learn their lesson. I don't give them treats, as well. If my guinea pigs fight, I seperate them both. I have two cages, anyway, so I'd usually keep one guinea pig in it's current cage and the other in another. If my cats do something bad, I keep them inside for a while. If people don't scold their animals if they do a bad thing, they won't learn from right to wrong. I know a lot of people who are afraid to do this because they're pets are so 'cute' or 'vicious,' but that's no excuse.
Yes I do, you are right. Pets need to know what thay can or can not do.