Why punishing a dog for growling is a colossal mistake
Nobody likes it when a dog growls at him.
Unfortunately, we rarely consider where the unsuitable (in our opinion) behaviour comes from. Instead, we immediately take action: we use punishment to teach the dog not to growl at us.
Have you ever wondered why a dog growls and what he wants to achieve by that?
Unfortunately, most of my clients stopped at statements like "the dog won't growl at me" or "I don't want / I don't agree to him growling at me!"
I understand that it's not cool. Nobody likes to be growled at him. We feel uncomfortable then, regardless of whether a dog, an official, a parent or a neighbour growls at us.
I strongly encourage you to think about a few points:
Why does the dog growl at you?
What does the dog want to achieve by growling at you?
What do you want your relationship with your dog to look like? Is the dog your subordinate/robot or friend? Do you focus on absolute obedience, or are your dog's feelings important to you?
What will be the consequences of our actions? ... Read More
