When we (myself, my 3 children and 2 of their friends) were in the park today, we were happily playing frisbee throwing with each other and our puppy, and this man came walking up the hill with his black labrador. I'm no expert on dog ages, but this looked like a full grown dog. The dog was on a lead and every time the dog even glanced at us the man hit the dog on the face with a rolled up newspaper, and most often he hit the dog 3 or 4 times and they were whacks, not just taps. I realised that the poor dog was being struck because he was looking at us, so I called the children and the puppy together and we just stood still so that the dog might stop looking at us and the man might stop hitting him, but then Nellie ran over to them and jumped up and the man hit her and then his own dog. I said "Ahhh" rather loudly, and he looked at me and said smiling "It's ok, it doesn't hurt him", to which I replied and said that "Actually it probably does hurt him, but more than that it's going to make him very nervous and scared" and my 9yo son told the man that he thought he was being very mean to the dog.

We came home feeling really quite upset and angry. I was also cross that he'd struck Nellie but could accept that because she had jumped up at him and he didn't know what she was like, so I'd accept him 'defending' himself, but what do you all think about someone hitting their dog around the face with a rolled up newspaper? Is that something that is deemed acceptable in doggy training circles? What would you say if you saw this happening? (we may well encounter this again as it was in our local park where we go daily).

Thanks
Josilou

Hi
Giving the man the benefit of the doubt..maybe he has a dog that has been very aggressive to either people ,dogs or both and is now trying to train that this is not acceptable behaviour.
As for smacking your dog, maybe he did this to warn it away in case his dog attacked...he should have explained and I would have asked ??
If your dog runs up to anyone whilst off lead I'm afraid you are always the one in trouble..the dangerous dogs act says that if your dog frightens anyone in the least even if it is friendly ..you can be prosecuted ( well words to that effect anyway )
Not a nice thing to happen to you or your friendly dog but that's how it is.
As for paper smacking ..it's what some dog owners do..though not very hard.
Tracey

Tracey

Thanks for your reply. As I said in my post, whilst I didn't like it, I didn't really object to him smacking my dog (5 month old puppy) because I understood why he might do it, plus she has to learn not to jump up at people too. It was him smacking his own dog just for looking at us that seemed so harsh, and he was not tapping the dogs face, he was hitting him hard enough that if I'd hit him with a paper that hard he'd have cowered with his hand over his head protecting himself.

I hear what you're saying about the dog possibly being aggressive, but the man was hitting the dog even before he got to us. My 9yo found it really upsetting to see.

Jo

josilou
I can imagine it was quite a distressing time for you and your family, I wouldn't have liked to see it either, but me being me I would have said ' if you don't mind me asking ..why are you whacking your dog like that?'
He might have been rude or may have given you a reason :)
The only reason I can think of is that the dog was aggressive or over active and nearly pulled the man over when he tried to walk him.
The dog would have seen you well before he got to you and maybe that's when he starts the growling..or the pulling and it's the only way the man can control him. Very harsh way I know but better than him attacking or pulling his owner over.
I hate anyone that abuses animals...I REALLY DO
Tracey

If I see the man again, I'll ask him why he does it. I should have done so. He continued to smack the dog this way after they'd gone past us - to me it looked as though he was doing it to try and get the dog to walk next to him and not look at anything else. This guy was about 60 and if the dog had really tried to get away from him, he could have.
Jo

You have no objection to him hitting your pup yet you told him quite clearly that hitting his own dog is likely to make it nervous and scared
What impression is likely to be left on your own pup at only 5 months old? You find it acceptable that total strangers dole out physical punishment to your dog!!!!????
I think it's your head that wants the crack with the rolled up newspaper!
Lara

Lara

Despite your childish insult I'm going to reply to you anyway. I did try to explain but perhaps you haven't read my posts properly or have misunderstood. It wasn't that I had 'no objection' to him hitting my pup - of course it made me angry - however, I could accept his reasoning for doing that - she was jumping up all over him and ignored my command to come to me. I regarded her jumping over him as being my fault for not teaching her properly yet to stop jumping up at people, which was why I came here for advice.

The way he was hitting his own dog seemed completely without reason and I will definitely question him further if I see him again.

<I didn't really object to him smacking my dog (5 month old puppy) because I understood why he might do it, plus she has to learn not to jump up at people too.> :(
Your words Jo not mine!

Lara , I think that you misunderstood what was said in the initial post. Lara has explained clearly what she meant in a very nice reply to you :)

Melody

I see you have posted your problem on this jumping up on another thread. I don't read all the threads - sometimes there's not enough hours in the day :) but I can appreciate that you are now at the end of your tether if you are considering rehoming!
Here is a method you may wish to consider. I'll explain why!
Call your pup to you and encourage her to jump up at you. When she does catch hold of front legs just behind her paws and hold her up gently but firmly. Speak to her encouragingly while you are holding her up and pretend that you are playing a nice game with her.
Hold her like this until she has had enough and attempts to pull away to get down. This may be almost straight away or take a couple of minutes. Now tighten your grip so that she can't get down and hold her firmly but keep speaking to her like you are encouraging her up. Don't hurt her!
The stakes have changed now - she is no longer in control - you are!
When she starts to struggle hold her until she is frantic but still speak kindly to her. She may bite your hands to try to get away so put on some thick gloves! You are not cross and you enjoy this jumping up game and you don't want her to go. When she's besider herself then let her go but sound disappointed that you can't carry on the game!
Now jumping up at you has changed from being a fun experience to being a horrible one which she doesn't enjoy although you appear to as you are encouraging her to do it. This makes HER think that SHE doesn't want to do it anymore - not YOU not wanting her to do it so her not doing it for YOU. It's reversed her thinking - and you are still her friend as she doesn't associate any 'punishment' as she might if you were cross with her!
I only needed to use that method twice on my bitch when she was in her lunatic stage and she changed from using me as a springboard to bouncing around me without putting her paws on me.
Lara x

Yes Lara, my words - did you read all of them? They included ...

<<because I understood why he might do it,>>

I'm sorry that you fail to read that bit.

Jo

Well that makes it all right then doesn't it! :(

Lara

No, it doesn't make it alright that he did it, but I could understand *why* he did it.

Jo

Sounds quit mean to me, IMHO. I've heard of taps on the behind with a newspaper, but never hard whacks on the face, as you've implied he was doing. And if he's an aggressive dog (rare for labs, but can still happen), I would think that hitting it would be the very worst thing he could do.

Sammy

I think it would have been quite a ridiculous way of discipline if the dog was aggressive towards people because in my inexperienced opinion, the dog would learn that a person with a raised hand was possibly about to strike him. The dog didn't look at all aggressive, not that you can always tell, but nothing about his manner suggested anything threatening at all, and when my pup ran over to him, he looked at her with curiosity, nothing more.

<sigh>
Jo

Your talking about a newspaper....i saw a man today PUNCH HIS DOG IN THE FACE as I was driving past !!!!!
My stomach hasn't been the same since. It happened so fast, and I just couldnt believe what I saw seeing. By the time I turned to car around, he was gone. LUCKY ******, thats all I can say!!!

oh josh you'll have to get a faster car and get them next time
and give them one from me.
Tracey

it'd be my pleasure!!!

I think to hit any dog in the face whether it be a hand or a newspaper is a really good way to make your dog head shy. As a trainer at my local dog club if i saw any form of physical punishment handed out by any member i'm afraid i would have to step in . I'ts one of our rules and the said member would be warned and if the rule was ignored they would be asked to leave if i witnessed it whilst out walking i'm also the type of person to step in there is no need to treat any animal that way .The way i'v been taught is to train with a firm but kind hand.

I think you are absolutely right to be upset about this, especially too as it upset your children. I'm not really talking about the rights and wrongs of punishmetn with newspapers, I know people do it but they usually use the paper once and that is "their way".

To continually hit a dog hard in the face, even when walking away, as you have described, is total abuse - it doesn't matter what the owner says to you to excuse himself, he is a bully and a fool. Quite possibly getting off on the fact that he can "do" this" to his dog

I once knew a woman with 2 Labs - she was bullied by her husband, and in turn she constantly smacked her 2 dogs who were the most depressed looking Labs I have ever seen. They had to stay by her side all the time, any slight sign of tail wagging, wanting to play etc the dogs got whacked - no sense behind it :( except in her mind. I tried to intervene but she couldn't listen.

It is possible that the man is very misinformed, but you are right in your assessment of the situation IMO. This really shouldn't be allowed to go on, but I'm not sure how it can be stopped :(

RE your dog, if the dog seemed friendly (which i suspect she was) then he had no reason to hit her. If anyone hit my dog I would explode - even if his dog is aggressive, all he has to do is call out to you to get your dog away. And he is obviously not scared of dogs.

As others have suggested, maybe try to talk to him and see what is behind it, perhaps try to suggest something else?

Lindsay