Dogs are extremely sensitive animals. Though many dog owners think that their words are what elicit responses from their pets, the truth is that in most cases the dog is reacting to body language and tone of voice. Dogs understand commands of course, but they are much more sensitive to more primordial forms of communications. If a correction for a small mistake is too intense, the dog’s reaction may be too extreme. The tone and body language must conform to the misbehavior. Too many overzealous corrections lead to insensitivity and will be less effective against true bad behavior.

A dog owner who makes a habit of beating a dog each time a pile of feces is encountered where it shouldn’t be should not be surprised when the dog cringes when a random pile of poo is encountered. Physical punishment of any kind should be limited to the most severe behavioral problems. Even then, the punishment should never actually hurt the dog. Beating a dog with a belt, leash or other object is uncalled for. This will not correct the undesired behavior and will lead to future behavior problems. Any owner who finds themselves so upset by their dog’s behavior should probably rethink their suitability to dog ownership. There truly are no bad dogs; only bad owners.

Owners who overcorrect or make corrections after the fact are developing mistrust in the dog. Future corrections are useless. The dog is so concerned about what is going to happen that they totally forget what caused the correction. In essence, it serves no purpose. A good example is when you come home after work and find a three hour old pile of feces on the floor. If your first response is to beat the dog, you are teaching him to fear and dread your arrival from work. Is this what you really want? Dogs are smart animals, but they have a hard time associating past behavior with present punishment. All dog corrections must be immediate. Even just a few minutes after the fact the correction looses its relevance.

Fortunately for the over passionate owners, the dog is also very forgiving of the occasional uncalled for outburst. A few minutes later and the indiscretion is forgotten. This is only true to a certain point. Too many of these little slips and the dog will start to see the pattern.

Don’t overestimate your dog’s ability to interpret messages. They are great animals and very intelligent, but they don’t speak our language. Learn how to communicate with your dog. You can’t expect him to learn English but you should be smart enough to learn a few things about dog communications. The most important thing is consistency. The dog will react to natural body language, but can quickly learn the difference between your actions as long as you don’t change things on him. Dogs are great interpreters of human behavior, but they also can’t read your mind. Make your demands clear. Make your corrections timely. And don’t expect more than he can possibly deliver.