Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 1/18/2008

Question
QUESTION: whenever my pug gets in trouble and i swat his behind he growls and trys to bite me what can i do? he is normally a very well behaveied dog..he is 16months

ANSWER: Hi, Lecia,

Thanks for the question.

I don't know what sort of "trouble" the little guy is getting into that would cause you to feel the need to spank him, but my suggestion would be to stop doing it. He doesn't like it, and he doesn't learn anything from it except maybe that you're a little scary and dangerous. (Dogs normally only bite as a form of self-protection, or fear.)

If you could give me an idea of the kinds of things he does that you think he should be spanked for I can give you alternative methods of resolving those behavioral problems. But the simplest way to get him to stop acting aggressively toward you is for you stop acting aggressively toward HIM.

Here's a link to an article I wrote that, among other things, explains the fallacy behind the idea that dogs can learn how to behave by being scolded, spanked, or punished by their owners: http://tinyurl.com/2q2esp

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need more info.

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: when he pee's in the house i rub is nose in it and tap his behind and tell him NO that is when he growls at me and try's to bite..also when our other dog does not want to be bothered with i tell him NO and the other day my daughter inlaw barely tap his butt and he bite her..what can i do?other than that he is a very loving pug.also can you tell me if male pugs go into heat and if they do for how long?

Answer
Hi again.

Males do not go into heat.

It's better to use some kind of distraction to keep him from bothering the other dog. What I'd do is give him something to play with, a toy or a bone. Hopefully that will keep him occupied.

If he makes mistakes in the house, try not to scold or punish him for it. It'll only make him more nervous and less able to control his bladder when the urge comes on him. You really can't keep spanking him (which he views as an attack) and not expect him to defend himself. There may be other issues going on that make him defensive, but the swats on the butt aren't helping with the housebreaking, and they're only going to cause him to bite more.

You say he's a loving dog, and I'm sure that's true. But he's also a dog, which means he needs lots of exercise and play time. Generally speaking, the more opportunity a dog has to play in a safe and fun way, the happier and better behaved he's going to be overall.

I hope this helps. By the way, why did you ask if male dogs go into heat?

LCK