spanking the puppy

Question
Hi
I have a questions regarding spanking puppies. Please I would really like an answer that will convince my husband that spanking a puppy is not the right thing to do. We come from a culture that taught us obviously that spanking dogs is an acceptable behavior. However, I am very sensitive and i KNOW that spanking them does no good and on top of that I can't stand it when I see it. Hs is a great guy and he loves this dog (11 weeks Boston Terrier) to death. He is just convinced that this is the right thing to do. We have him for 4 weeks and even though he is almost housebroken , accidents happen and sometimes he will go in the house. How can I convince him that he should stop and that this is not the right thing to do? We've read in different books that spanking is not an option, for some reason he still believes that because he is an animal, fear will teach him better not to go in the house. Thank you and I appreciate your time.

Respectfully,
Ana

Answer
Hi Ana,

I am sorry that you are made uncomfortable by your spouse spanking the dog, and you are correct that spanking will NOT teach the puppy anything about housetraining.  More likely, it might make the dog 'hand shy' and could even be the cause of aggression or fear in the dog at some point.  Does you husband only spank the dog for housebreaking issues, or in other situations as well?

If your husband has read in books written by professionals that spanking is not only ineffective as a training tool for housebreaking (or any other behaviour), and can even cause worse issues, than I don't think that by 'this' professional (myself) saying that it is ineffective and wrong that he will listen.  

If your spouse uses his hands to make a point to an animal, perhaps there is some other type of professional that may be able to convince him that this is not the thing to do.  As one instance, you might want to contact your local humane society (like the SPCA or ASPCA) and ask what professional there might be willing to have a talk with your spouse that might convince him to treat your puppy in a different and more effective and humane manner.

I am very sorry to hear that you are having this issue and wish you the best of luck.

Best regards,
Madeline