Raising Puppies

Problem Behavior - What Not to Do

So what if you decide that your puppy has a problem behavior? If you want to stop your puppy from doing something you don't like, do not:

Knee her in the chest
Scruff shake her
Spank her
Flip her upside down or "alpha roll" her
Yell at her

If you use physical means to try to change your puppy's behavior, she may interpret your action as part of her game, so the behavior will actually get worse instead of better. (Have you ever seen two puppies or dogs playing together? They can play pretty roughly.) Or she won't engage in the problem behavior anymore because you frightened her. This will work great for you, but what about everyone else in your family? Can your five-year-old son effectively knee your puppy in the chest? Can your grandparents spank your puppy hard enough? You want your puppy to listen to everyone in the family, not just the person who is strongest.

Sometimes, using harsh methods to discipline a puppy can seriously backfire. If you frighten your dog enough, she may feel that she has to defend herself. This doesn't mean that she's stubborn or defying youshe's just frightened. For example, let's say your