Many dogs become afraid when the master's correction is too offensive. For a correction to be effectual and convey precise information to the dog, it must fit the misbehavior. A dog that is teething and nips does not need, and will not understand, a correction fit for the dog who has just bitten someone because the person's hand touched his meal dish. Wrongful violent corrections will slow down the dog from developing an outgoing, happy and companion personality.



The dog owner who finds a pile of feces left by the 1 year old dog and reacts by beating the dog with a belt until he cringes has only taught the animal to be very afraid and mistrusting in his master's presence when feces are on the ground. Belt beatings and physical harm to a dog only produces fear and mistrust. Violent treatment of any living entity is cruel, and not to be accepted. If any dog behavior, perhaps other than a purposeful act of hostility, can cause enough anger in a dog owner to result in a brutal beating, then ownership of a dog should be reevaluated and professional advice sought. A trusting relationship will not develop if the dog owner is an abusive environment.

Moreover, a dog may also learn to distrust an owner who delivers premature corrections or discipline. A correction must occur immediately following the misbehavior or during the act of a bad behavior. The dog will not link a correction with the bad behavior if the correction happens several minutes after the occasion. The dog who was brutally beaten after the owner came home to a dried up mess on the floor associated the punishment with the owner coming home rather than the mishap on the floor. The will dog associate punishment, and praise, with the last action that happened before to the consequence. A correction must happen during or right after the behavior for the dog to be able to link the punishment with the undesirable action. In contrast, if the dog owner should accidentally lose control of their temper in the relationship, a dog is a forgiving animal. Depending upon how bad the temper tantrum was, the dog may actually forget and forgive.

Communication problems also transpire when the dog owner credits the dog with too much ability to understand messages. This type of owner expects the dog, regularly without the dog receiving formal training, to involuntarily know what or what not to do. When the dog does not respond as expected, the dog owner becomes enraged and punishes the dog. The dog owner who truly believes the dog understands which behaviors are bad neglects to train their dog right from wrong. A dog, who regardless of the owner's claims cannot read his owner's mind nor does he know what behaviors merit the punishment or how to keep away from a reprimand, and therefore becomes mistrustful and perplexed.

Learn more about your dog. And train your dog so it will know right from wrong.