Public Punishment Events

[MyDogBitz]

I had to take my pup to the vet tonight for a surprise visit. He scratched his eye pretty good, and I have no idea how. (He's fine) Anyway, he's generally pretty good at the vets office. A bit excitable but nothing crazy.

Anyway, as the vet started the initial examination, Bomber growled and rolled his lip. I punished this immediately. "NO" leash pop. "NO" leash pop. "DO NOT DO THAT" leash pop. "Bad" two finger wrap on the nose. He immediately straightened up.

He was as well behaved as could be expected for the rest of the ordeal (he needed his eye flushed and wasn't happy about it but he was fine.) He was also social and happy with the vet afterwards. When we got home I reconciled with him and its a total non-event.

Don't be bashful. A fair and contingent punishment can be one of the best things you could ever do for your dog. Aggression to handling that I deem necessary is a zero tolerance issue in my book.

I am open to reasonable opinions on why you might be against punishment in this scenario, punishment for detrimental behavior, or just punishment in general.

 

[Andre]

I’m glad to hear Bomber’s okay and that it was nothing major.

Sometimes dogs just need a reminder about manners, especially younger ones. It’s no different than reminding a kid not to talk back to their teacher.

You handled it well, your actions were clear and he understood the message.

How did the vet react? I’ve seen so many people misinterpret simple dog corrections in a negative way.