Why You Shouldn’t Scold Your Pet

• June 26, 2020
• Fizzion Clean

Scolding or yelling at your pet when they misbehave might seem the appropriate way to get them to behave appropriately, but it has the opposite effect. At first, this would seem to be the best way of dealing with the situation. Nonetheless, yelling at your pet as they commit mistakes is not a successful way to discipline them. If it’s disruptive biting, peeing anywhere, or jumping unnecessarily, your response shouldn’t be to scold the pet. The issue with scolding your pet is that you don’t really educate your pet much, and you may also develop some type of long-term behavioral issues with your pet. There are indeed many better and more effective ways to teach your pet rather than just start yelling at them.

· Fear
Think of it this way, when parents yell at their kid, the kid gets scared of them, and they fear making the same mistake again. And while this is a somewhat effective technique for children, it doesn’t seem to be working for pets! Although some pets may tolerate rough handling, most pets will start to develop more issues, such as servile urination. Some pets become vulnerable and stop tolerating any kind of behavior. They get overwhelmed with anxiety, and do not realize the positive conduct that you want them to follow instead of the harmful actions that you scolded them for!

· They’re Not as Understanding
Scolding is something that we have grown used to doing with other beings. Even though it doesn’t make people feel better, if it’s targeted at us, we can learn from our mistakes. But your pet will not have the ability to reason, and that’s something people seem to forget, so scolding doesn’t have the same influence on them. Even if you yell at your pet to stop a certain behavior, your pet may stop that behavior, but only for a short time! Since you’re not teaching them to do something like sit down, that exact behavior is likely to happen again. Rather than shouting at your pets for performing anything unpleasant, instruct them the actions you want them to follow instead.

· They Just Want Attention
For certain pets, any attention from their trainer is safer than being neglected. Behaviors such as stealing things from the dining table that make you chase them across the apartment, climbing up to get the attention that ends up with you shouting in neglect. Dogs bark because they’re upset, and you encourage the barking by yelling at them to be silent are also both things that indicate that your attention-seeking pet is getting some sort of attention they desire from you. Instead of yelling, you have to find out what exactly the cause of this behavior is and then resolve it.

· They’re Confused
If you come back home to a hole created in your lawn, your first impulse may be to scold your dog for it. The challenge with this strategy is that your dog is not going to associate punishment with the crime. Yeah, your dog is going to send you the best relaxing postures as you yell at them hunched back, tailed covered, eyes downcast, yet at that moment, your dog is responding to your frustration. It’s not “shame” or admission of misconduct, your dog’s action is simply an effort to relax you.

Although it may be tough to avoid scolding your dog once you’ve already fallen into the habit, altering your behavior would be rewarded. You will establish a closer relationship with your pet!