# Hitting puppies



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Even before I got Mauser we played *Whack a Dog* at our house. The whacked was an empty paper towel tube. The dogs are used to the game. Whack a Roo, Whack a Winnie and so on.

The other day I gave Mauz an empty platic soda bottle to play with. He was bashing it all over the house. I picked it up and started gently playing Whack a Mauz.

He LOVED it!! Got him all worked up. 

Is this counter-productive in any way? I assumed since he liked it we could play the game with no problems.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

Lauri I get my pups use to be wacked with things like you do. If it is done properly (ie game) then I don't see a problem. Actually I think it helps in some ways. Actually I think if you are going to do SchH with him it makes dogs less touch sensitive. You know some dogs if you pet to hard or tap their ribs to hard they seem sensitive, none of mine are even little sweetie DeeDee.

Val


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Oh yeah, we play "Whack a dog". Empty paper towel rolls and plastic bottles are constant entertainment around our place.









They love it! Kaiser especially gets excited when I change the empty paper towel roll for a new one, looking for a couple whacks and to get to carry it around a bit and chew it up before it goes in the trash. 

I can't say for sure if it helps with sensitivity or anything else, but so long as it's a fun game and there are no bad experiences, there's no harm done either.


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## Sherush (Jan 12, 2008)

God I had almost had a heart failure when I read "Hitting Puppies" I was ready to give somebody my first blast here.......







and also hitting the "Notify" button too

Yes I do this with Jesse too gets him riled up and in full play mode.


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

I play Whack-a-Dog with my dogs too, from the time they're puppies, and they DO love it! I chant "beat the puppy, beat the puppy" in a silly voice and they get so excited. I know it sounds terrible .. *L* .. but if you saw me do it (and heard it) you would be able to tell that it's a silly game and not something serious.

I like my dogs to grow up knowing that they can be handled and thumped on and it can be FUN. I've never had a dog too sensitive for this game, but then again that may be because I tend not to choose sensitive dogs. Even my chows love it! We have the "Beat the Puppy" game (and I often use empty plastic pop bottles, or empty paper towel rolls, or even a leather whip left over from my horse days) and also "Get the Sock" game where I smack the dogs with the sock and they try to grab it .. *L* .. YES, I DO have socks with holes in them, but we have so much fun!

Khana (Chow) will actually come to me and ask for the "Beat the Puppy" game. She loves it when I smack her all over her back with the whip and when I stop, she'll turn around and stick her head back under the whip in hopes I'll start again. Of course, I'm not hitting hard enough to hurt, but she likes it harder than I would want to be hit! Must help to have a good thick covering of fur.

So if your dog enjoys the game, I think it's a good toughening exercise and will help your dog understand the difference between true pain and play pain (if that makes sense).

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## Branca's Mom (Mar 26, 2003)

Oh, yea, whack whack whack, thump thump thump the dog is a great game that brings about a lot of excitement around here!


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## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

Yep...we play "beat that puppy" too. Empty plastic bottles seems to be the most exciting thing but anything will work for my dogs. Great game, get's all my dogs going..


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

We play Beagle Bongos and the Camper Conga. 

Thump Thump Thump!


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

I go a step further and I play "kick the dog". When we are playing tug of war with a tug toy or with the ball on a string I often kick the sides of Diabla, sometimes not that gently. She loves it, she fights harder and when she wins she comes more quickly to keep playing, I think because there is a greater sense of satisfaction of winning the prize after the "beating".


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I thought I was the only one who does this... My Ginger LOVED to be thumped hard on the sides or muzzle (with my hands) which was great considered when I first rescued her she was terrified of raised hands and after some work she would wag her tail and smile at them instead... Sometimes I would bump her sides with a tube (like for wrapping paper) and I think this was helpful when we started doing carting training, she had no fear of the cart poles (some dogs spook when the poles bump their sides.)
My terrier preferred to be 'kicked', I swear that dog had a foot fetish, he loved feet!


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## Superpup (Jun 7, 2007)

Yep we hit puppies here too... Brandie LOVES tugging games and gets more fired up by a couple of "kicks" on her sides or a hit on her side. In SchH she does this in almost each session and it has really built her confidence (like she needs any more confidence LOL).
We did this with Cody also and he likes it too.


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

This is such a funny thread .. *LOL*

I just remembered that I used to rev Trick up for agility runs by using a piece of flexible rubber hose. I would bring it out and she'd go crazy - I'd smack her and she'd be trying to grab it. It would get her so "up" that she'd fly through a course.

One of the gals I train with was so impressed by this that she decided her next dog would be a herding breed (she had labs and a pug, all with obedience/agility titles). So she decided on a malinois, and now she's learning a whole different style of dealing with dogs! She'd never had a dog with such high energy and drive. She loves that she can play rough with him.

I've done the "kicking" too (I call it "booting") as I'm playing tug. For me it works better if I'm sitting down since I'm not as strong as I used to be. I boot the dog with the side of one foot and then the other foot and encourage them to pull harder and more ferociously (within reason for my girls). 

To keep this schutzhund related, Trick tested on bitework at a seminar once when she was two years old, and I'd always played these kinds of games with her. But since she'd had two years of obedience, the guy told everyone that she wouldn't do it. He was sure I had shut her down even though I told him that I was a highly motivational trainer. And when she went for the sleeve he was surprised, and then a bit unnerved when I nearly dropped the leash .. *L* .. I can still remember him yelling "don't let her go! don't let her go!". 

Her "whacking" games paid off, as did the positive training. She would have loved bitework, I think. The judge that was there gave me **** for having had her spayed. He said "people shouldn't be spaying the good ones!". It never crossed my mind to keep her intact since I never wanted to breed GSDs.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Grimm don't need no steenkin' REVVIN UP LOL!!







But during tuggy-play, enthusiastic (yet gentle) side-thumps make him happy, happy, HAPPY as we play tuggy. He's like, "OH yeah... OHHH yeah! Arrriiighhhht!" His sides seem to be somewhat touch-insensitive during this... I think it is the SOUND that delights him more than anything.









The funny thing is, from the get-go, he has NEVER acted as though he was "being hit." He acted like "Yeah! YEAHHHH!!!" It brings out the "happy enthusiasm" in him... as if it were ever hidden LOL!









I think in part because I am always gentle with him, this is a THRILL. He totally gets it that this side-thumping indicates a wild-n-wacky fun GAME... and he looooves it!







That first thump always makes him grin-grin-grin.


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## Lynn_P (Mar 17, 2004)

LMAO.. well I'm definitely a member of pooch punch, whack the pup, and they love it. They especially love push the pup ~ I push them and run like ****.


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## Deejays_Owner (Oct 5, 2005)

What a great thread!!

Little Ray will whack herself, with her ball on a rope!!
She jumps & bunks & gets real verbal, what a nut.
Have to be careful with whacking her, as she tends to still come after your arm or hand.
She gets this spark in her eye, and you know that you are about to get nailed.

Funny last night she was up on the couch, I came into the room.
Stared her down, she came flying of the couch & grabbed a stuffed animal.
Then she jumped up and pushed on me, we played a little tug & I gave her a few
whacks on the her side. You guessed it she looked me in the eye, then nails my hand.
I push the stuffed animal back at her with my other hand, telling her easy while I hide
my now bloody hand behind my back so my wife does not see it.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I spank all my dogs. They love it, especially Coke! When I get home the first thing he does is swing his butt at me until I rub him down and spank him. We also play this game where he runs really fast in circles in the yard while I stand in one spot and everytime he passes me I spank his butt and he runs faster.


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## luanne (May 27, 2004)

ha ha ha ha...Whack a dog! We do this as well but never realized the game had a name! 

Hunter likes butt rubbings and little spankings but Gracie likes it when we are outside and she runs full speed at you only to side step at the last minute and dare you to 'get' her. That really gets her going. We do this before we start doing agility practice.

Lu


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

Oh I forgot to say earlier...... Want to see happy dogs around my house bring out the yard stick. Yea Yea mom's going to whack me, they think it is a great game.


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## JasperLoki (Sep 25, 2005)

I take a paper towel roll and howl into it, or breath into their ears, and they start to flayl all around/and /or howl when I howl









I try all day long to be a strong/stable







pack leader...

Then in 5 minutes, it goes straight to ****









I assume they must think I am a few fries short of a happy meal (LOL, regardless of this behavior)


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

OMG Jack-- the talking out of a paper towel roll thing.. drives Grimm BANANAS!! He answers back, getting all wiggly-bouncy: "YuuUUuuUUuuu!! YuuuUuuUuu!! Haahhr! Hahhhr!! Hahhhrr!"


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

And then there's "Pinch Bum!!" Screech that as your fingers nab Grimmi's muscle-y beefcake posterior, and he shrieeeks with delight, grinning, whirling, and racing about-- waiting for you to catch him again!! Doing that gutteral panting laughter "Haaahhr! Haaaahhrr!"


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

I guess I have always been a 'thumper'. I don't really do it as a game, but I do give love thumps. 
I used to have a cat that liked to be 'beat'. I once saw my roommate beating on the cat like he was bongo drums. I jumped down his throat for 'beating my cat'. He proved to me that my cat liked it by starting, then stopping and the cat gave him that "why are you stopping?" look.


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## Annikas Mom (Jun 10, 2004)

Whack the pup and kick the dog are favorite games here also. In fact, when playing tug if I don't do either they will body slam me for their whack or kick, LOL!! My showline male loves to run through the house and then run by me for a good whack on his butt before tearing off for another round. Paper towel rolls, small and large plastic bottles are the favs around here!! I do think it is great for building confidence and drive, it is part of getting ready for obedience for us...


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

Brian, my shepherds do the "beat themselves silly" game with the kong on a rope - and I KNOW that has to hurt when it swings around and smacks them! But they love it.

Sophia - I love the bongo drum game with my younger chow! Different parts of her body have different sounds, so I can do a whole rhythmic bongo performance .. *L* .. we often do this at the end of a movie or TV program, when the credits are running and the music is playing. Khana does that "hey, why'd you stop??" look, too. She especially likes it when I bongo drum all up and down her back.

I think these animals are training all of US to be more aggressive! *LOL*

Darlene - oh, the ZOOMIES!! Chows are famous for that. All of my chows have done the "zoom by and try to grab" game and it's so funny to watch them tuck their butts and scoot past you as fast as they can. Their tails come unrolled when they play that game! My shepherds do a similar game by it's not nearly as frenzied as the chows for some reason. 

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: IliamnasQuestBrian, my shepherds do the "beat themselves silly" game with the kong on a rope - and I KNOW that has to hurt when it swings around and smacks them! But they love it.


Same here. It HAS to hurt.. they've left welts and bruises on our shins when we've gotten in the way, and a few dents in the drywall on the walls too. But doesn't seem to bother them a bit, they just shake harder!


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## Deejays_Owner (Oct 5, 2005)

Chris

I was telling Shannon she needs to have a cue word for her to come back
and play tug with her when she is off beating herself up. 

Funny Shannon tells me the other night that she is bring it back on the word "free".
She has been using "free" as a release word, went she brings the ball out.

Melanie

You can see her here doing it.... Raven Jr 6 months


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

Hmmmm, zoomies. I call it "Run, Run, Run". It is his reward for staying still for grooming. We go in the back yard. I can move side-to-side, he runs by me and I try to whack him as he runs by. He can't go on the pool decking which gives about 15 feet width. I swear that he lets me whack him, because when he wants to, he can run by me one foot away and I still can't touch him.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

And here I was worried that everyone would flame me for "abusing" my dogs.


Eh hem ... Hi, my name is Lauri and I'm a Whack a Dog'r.










Glad to know I'm not the only one that has dogs that love being "abused".







And I also use the tubes for trumpting and making howling noises. Drives the dogs nutso!!


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Quote:
> Brian, my shepherds do the "beat themselves silly" game with the kong on a rope - and I KNOW that has to hurt when it swings around and smacks them! But they love it.


I KNOW!!!!









Tonight I was playing Frozen Chuck It with the dogs. Camper runs up and throws his body in front of the ball all the time to knock it down and stop it. (He'd make a great NHL goalie.) 

Dh came home early today and was standing on the other side of the yard and watching. And







I accidentally hit him with a frozen tennis ball. Frozen dog slobber. Mmmm! 

It was way across the yard so it had slowed down quite a bit, right? Nevertheless, he yelled "Ouch!" and developed had a welt on his back where it hit him. . 

All I could do was







and say "Camper never complains when the balls hit HIM!"


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Both my dogs LOVE the "smack your pooch game"! Cody even does it himself when he hears another dog or person on the other side of the fence, he'll grab his huge jolly ball and shakes it so hard that a couple of times he has passed out for a few seconds. Also when he shakes it from side to side, he smacks himself, I guess he's revving himself up for a finally!







Pretty funny when you watch him! Isa also LOVES a few good whacks on her. When I'm doing obedience and she has done a good job, I'll smack the crud out of her on her sides and she just gets even more amped up and wants to please me more so that she''ll get more of those whacks! Such silly dogs.








And YAY for zoomies! Cody just LOVES to do it when everyone is quiet and settled in and all of a sudden Cody starts racing back and forth in the house like a mad man. I swear he does this on purpose!


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

This is a great example of Cody's self inflicting pain. Such an awkward dog I mean come on, it HAS to hurt!


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## JasperLoki (Sep 25, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: BrightelfOMG Jack-- the talking out of a paper towel roll thing.. drives Grimm BANANAS!! He answers back, getting all wiggly-bouncy: "YuuUUuuUUuuu!! YuuuUuuUuu!! Haahhr! Hahhhr!! Hahhhrr!"


LOL, I guess it runs in the family







Loki decided to help out the dw with wrapping presents, he decided to remove some paper tubes (for wrapping paper) and run around the house with these long tubes (and Jasper hot on his trail









I am learning more about a working dog each and every half second


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: IliamnasQuestI play Whack-a-Dog with my dogs too, from the time they're puppies, and they DO love it! I chant "beat the puppy, beat the puppy" in a silly voice and they get so excited.


HA!! I LOVE this!! I may have to borrow it from you.

Ohhh, Mauzer!!! Beat the puppy. Beat the puppy! Beat The Puppy!! BEAT THE PUPPY!!!


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## IliamnasQuest (Aug 24, 2005)

Lauri, I use "get that puppy!" to tell my dogs to go chase each other, too - Khana loves it and she races out to jump on whoever's closest. I was just outside in the snow with the girls, telling them "go get the puppy!" so that they'd run and play while I was trying to take photos. I also say "BITE that puppy!" to Khana, who loves to grab onto those long German shepherd tails. I must sound like a crazy dog person to my neighbors .. *L*

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: IliamnasQuestBrian, my shepherds do the "beat themselves silly" game with the kong on a rope - and I KNOW that has to hurt when it swings around and smacks them! But they love it.


I KNOW it hurts like "H3LL"! I have been on the receiving end of Siren "killing" and beating herself silly with her Chuck-it on a rope. That and she occasionally lets go and it flies over and whacks ME.


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