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This is a question which crops up a lot, and the answer can be safely given as 'never'.

Here's why...

Many people get frustrated when trying to teach their dog, or at their dog's bad behavior.
They may see other owners who have dogs that seem positively scared of their owners, and always immediately do as they are told.
For a new owner it can be confusing, and a temptation is there to think that these other dogs must be getting hit as part of their training.

The truth is you should never have to hit your dog.
There are several reasons for this, and the first most obvious one is that it is abuse.
The argument that it's necessary for training is complete nonsense, and only used by people who either don't know any better, or simply want to abuse their dog.

If you use hitting as a punishment, even if it is at the moment of bad behavior, the dog will not associate the hit with the behavior, it will simply associate the hit with you.
If you think that having your dog be scared of you is the right way to go, then you need to pass your dog on to a shelter immediately,

Punishment for dogs always works best when it is used in the same approach that's used for training - a combination of reward for good behavior, and withdrawal of treats.attention for bad behavior. Neither of these require physical hitting.

As part of training, you may think that you need to show who is boss.
That may be true, but you will rarely need to hit a dog to show who is in charge
At most you can give it tap under the chin, as this is what the leader would do in a pack of dogs.

Remember, hitting your dog is abuse. The dog will associate the hit with you, and become fearful of you - it is no way to be a responsible dog owner, you should never hit your dog.

Dogs Worldwide.com - This article by Julie Ramsey of www.ohmydogsupplies.com check for current specials on ceramic dog bowls online

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