Dogs are not always well behaved, however, scolding a dog is not an effective solution to stop it from carrying out behavior that we do not like. This is because most behavioral problems are directly related to deficiencies in basic care.
Does your dog engage in inappropriate behavior? Don't you know how to act when he ignores you? Don't know what to do when it breaks everything? All these situations are more common than you think and many people are going through the same thing.
Keep reading this article on our site and find out if it's bad to scold dogs and what o how we should act when they misbehave.
Scolding the dog in certain circumstances is a serious mistake
Understanding the dog's natural behavior and communication is not always easy, especially if our best friend has done something wrong and we are angry. However, his expressions, the sounds and the position he adopts can reveal a lot about what he is trying to tell us:
For example, if a dog growlsit is alerting us and indicating to leave him alone, that he is having a hard time and not He wants us to continue with what we are doing. In these cases, scolding the dog can be counterproductive since we are telling him that growling is bad and that he should bite directly. Find out why your dog is growling before you scold him. Something similar happens when they show their teeth and squint their eyes, the meaning is very similar to that of the growl: don't bother me.
Another circumstance in which we should never scold a dog is when we notice any of the behavioral problems common in dogs. Separation anxiety (we come home to find everything broken and chewed up, the dog barking incessantly, etc.), fears and phobias and other behaviors that are not positive and normal should be evaluated by a professional. Scold a dog with behavior problems will cause stress and nervousness, thus making the problem he already has worse
If you see your dog with his ears down, his tail between his legs or trying to run away, you are giving him a very hard time and that he is afraid of you. Do not continue with this technique.
Likewise, we must not forget that hitting a dog is considered animal abuse. You must treat him as you would your own child: going to the specialist if you observe any problem related to his he alth or behavior and trying to understand him through positivity and comfort. If you don't value eliminating punishment from your daily life, it's better not to have an animal as noble as a dog by your side.
How should we act when faced with bad behavior?
If your dog regularly misbehaves you should consider going to a specialist such as a dog educator, trainer or ethologist (veterinarian specialized in canine behavior). By observing their behavior and learning about the dog's habits and care, the ethologist will be able to offer you a diagnosis and some guidelines to follow in the face of negative behaviors.
Reviewing the 5 freedoms of animal welfare can be a small orientation when it comes to knowing whether or not we are complying with the essential care for the dog. For example, the lack of walks can lead to the appearance of nervousness and destructive behaviors, while a dog that lives outdoors or spends too much time alone can feel abandoned and therefore can begin to generate repetitive and destructive behaviors to get our attention in some way. mode.
When we surprise our dog with a behavior that is not ideal we should try to turn it around and redirect his behaviorto one that we like For example, if our dog chews all our furniture, we will quickly approach him with a toy or teether and praise him when he chews on it. If our dog urinates in the house, we will not scold him: we will anticipate when he is going to urinate the next time and we will anticipate events by going down the street quickly. There we will congratulate you effusively so that you remember where to do it.
As you have seen, we are basing all dog training on positive reinforcement Why? It is the method used by canine educators and ethologists all over the world since it does not lead to a worsening of behavioral problems and has a great advantage: it helps the dog to understand better. In addition, it strengthens your relationship and generates a role of good behavior=reward, which will help us improve all the aspects that we want to work with him.
The constant practice of obedience, patience, positive reinforcement, respect and sincere affection towards the animal will help us to achieve a better relationship and therefore to work appropriately on the problems that may arisewithout the use of punishment.
And how are you going to train your dog? Is it bad for you to scold dogs? Comment and share your opinion with other users so that they can know all the points of view.
