Thread: Hitting pets

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  1. #1
    The Lightbringer Violent's Avatar
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    Hitting pets

    Do you hit your pet? With a weapon (of sorts) or any other means?

    Let me pose another question if I may.. As it is against the law (in most lands) to hit your child..
    Do you think it should be the same for pets?

    I personally believe it should.. If you can't hit your child, you shouldn't be able to hit your puppy, cat, or what have you.

    The entire point to hit is to cause pain, correct? To show another being that certain behaviour will not be tolerated.

    Now, if the whole reason why it's against the law (in most places) to hit your child, I assume is because it causes pain. (physical, emotional, w/e)

    Pets feel pain.. We know this to be a fact. So why, (to the best of my knowledge) is it legally "okay" to say, spank a pet once, or smack them in the nose with a rolled up newspaper?
    <~$~("The truth, is limitless in its range. If you drop a 'T' and look at it in reverse, it could hurt.")~$~> L.F.

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  2. #2
    Hitting your children shouldn't be unlawful.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Gephyrophobia View Post
    Hitting your children shouldn't be unlawful.
    Even if you beat them to a pulp?

    So why, (to the best of my knowledge) is it legally "okay" to say, spank a pet once, or smack them in the nose with a rolled up newspaper?
    Because animals do not have the same rights under the law as humans do?

  4. #4
    Making a pet feel "sad" about their actions is more or less necessary to train them, since things can't really be explained to them. A smack on the nose or something similar seems perfectly fine, as long as it's sufficiently rare.

    Actually striking out of anger, with intent to cause pain - that's childish at best, and certainly immoral.

  5. #5
    The Lightbringer Violent's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zorkuus View Post
    Even if you beat them to a pulp?
    I'm sure he means within reason.. At least I hope he does.
    <~$~("The truth, is limitless in its range. If you drop a 'T' and look at it in reverse, it could hurt.")~$~> L.F.

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  6. #6
    Violence isn't for me, I prefer keeping punishment to restrictions and scolding.

  7. #7
    The Lightbringer Violent's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral View Post

    Actually striking out of anger, with intent to cause pain - that's childish at best, and certainly immoral.
    I like your style.
    <~$~("The truth, is limitless in its range. If you drop a 'T' and look at it in reverse, it could hurt.")~$~> L.F.

    <~$~("The most hopelessly stupid man is he who is not aware he is wise.")~$~> I.A.

  8. #8
    There is nothing wrong with the reasonable use of physical punishment, i.e. being spanked on the butt with a belt/switch/paddle enough to deter you from doing whatever it was that got you in trouble to begin with. When I was young and did something I knew was wrong and got caught I got spanked. It was never hard enough to leave welts or bruises, but it hurt enough to make me think twice about what I had done.

    That said, people who just hit their children to hit their children should be thrown into a box and left for dead. I have no pity for anything that happens to someone who beats people weaker than them just because it makes them feel powerful.

  9. #9
    Hitting an Animal to "teach" them something is pretty stupid because well, its an Animal. Chances are if you hit a pretty decent sized dog too much one day its going to turn around and rip you or someone elses face off.

  10. #10
    On the training thing, my own experience was that a shake of the head, a stern look, and saying, "that's a bad dog" covered about 98% of circumstances. Dogs, as a general rule, do not like to feel that they've displeased their humans.

  11. #11
    If my cats does something bad i flick them on the nose.

  12. #12
    The Lightbringer Violent's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zorkuus View Post
    Even if you beat them to a pulp?


    Because animals do not have the same rights under the law as humans do?
    Do rights or lack there of, make it "the right thing to do" ?

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    Honorary PvM "Mod" Darsithis's Avatar
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    Never. You teach your dog to be afraid of you, whatever they did, and your hand. It's a terrible thing to do.

    If you pet misbehaves you need to be stern and then withhold treats, food, and fun from them for a short period. For us, we put our dogs in their crates for 15 minutes and close the door so they're alone. It makes it clear that if they want to enjoy the fun of the house, of us, and treats, they need to behave.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral View Post
    On the training thing, my own experience was that a shake of the head, a stern look, and saying, "that's a bad dog" covered about 98% of circumstances. Dogs, as a general rule, do not like to feel that they've displeased their humans.
    This is very true.. I've often noticed a very ashamed or possibly remorseful look on my puppies face when she does something I don't like and I let her know I didn't like that..

    On the other hand, I've also been told, half of the things that I think are going on in my dog's mind is just a projection of what I want to see.
    in her. To make her "more human" I suppose.. But I don't believe that, I think they have emotions that run just as deep as ours.

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    Uh it's not illegal to hit your children in the US so I have no idea where you got the notion it is. Sure you can't beat them but you sure can discipline them. As far as animals go I have never hit my pets as I know they generally don't know why you are hitting them. Kids know why they are being disciplined .

  16. #16
    I don't see it as any different than a kid. There's nothing wrong with swatting a kid's rear when he's done something wrong to let him know not to do it again, when words don't cut it. I've never heard of this being illegal. It's the same with pets, just give a safe but firm swat, causing just enough pain to get the point across. That's not abuse, at all. Actual abuse, however, is just as disgusting when done to a pet as it is when done to a kid in my eyes. There's no excuse for it.

  17. #17
    The Lightbringer Violent's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Darsithis View Post
    Never. You teach your dog to be afraid of you, whatever they did, and your hand. It's a terrible thing to do.

    If you pet misbehaves you need to be stern and then withhold treats, food, and fun from them for a short period. For us, we put our dogs in their crates for 15 minutes and close the door so they're alone. It makes it clear that if they want to enjoy the fun of the house, of us, and treats, they need to behave.
    I've also found this to be a pretty effective method.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Violent View Post
    This is very true.. I've often noticed a very ashamed or possibly remorseful look on my puppies face when she does something I don't like and I let her know I didn't like that..

    On the other hand, I've also been told, half of the things that I think are going on in my dog's mind is just a projection of what I want to see.
    in her. To make her "more human" I suppose.. But I don't believe that, I think they have emotions that run just as deep as ours.
    Yeah, I'm cautious to not over-anthropomorphize, since I know dogs don't have exactly the same emotions we do. Still, shame or remorse is really, really clear. Like, completely unmistakable. I suppose in the case of dogs, there's probably some pack submissive element to those things too, but the head down, sad attempts to nuzzle up seem pretty clear to me.

    My kitties, on the hand, don't seem to give much of a damn about my opinion of their behavior.

  19. #19
    Pets don't understand the punishment a way a person can, even a child. If shaming your pet does not work it is likely never going to learn. It can learn to fear you through hitting them but that's about it. Dogs actually understand shame, and that is what your focus should be on.

    If they make any sort of mess you hold them in front of the mess and use your mad/angry voice. Combine that with positive reinforcement for their good behavior. Cats on the other hand just don't care. Again you can teach them to fear you like any other animal but that's not the route you should ever take.

    With cats the most you can try is to discourage their behavior with things they don't like. Like lining your counters with foil to teach them not to jump on them and putting hot sauce on things you don't want them to chew on like cables. A water spray bottle can work but again it only really works on fear. They learn to fear the bottle but that fear only works if you are around with the bottle in hand.

    At most a small smack if they are doing or about to do something dangerous is about all that you should ever do. They just don't understand physical punishment the same way a person can. Even with kids there should be a limit. I think physical discipline for kids is needed, just look at how each generation is physically punished less and less and each generation is getting worse. Kids did not mouth off to adults in the 1950's because the adults would smack them back then.
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  20. #20
    Treat an animal with violence and at some point they will return the favor. Most ppl that hit/abuse animals are sad ppl that are taking out their issues with themselves on a weaker creature or one foolish enough to care about them and for a sort time wont fight back. With animals or ppl if violence is your go to solution then you are the problem not the other person or pet.
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