Man’s best friend is adorable but sometimes aggravating. Whatever the provocation, almost every owner has yelled at their dog at some point; this may leave you wondering, do dogs get over things easily?
The good news is that your dog will forgive the occasional outburst. However, studies show that habitual yelling can cause psychological damage and harm your relationship with your dog.
If you sometimes lose your temper with your dog when they misbehave, keep reading for information and tips for handling your pet’s misbehavior and your reactions.
The Effects of Yelling at Your Dog
You love your dog and hate yelling at them, so losing your temper will leave you feeling guilty. But what will it do to your dog? Researchers say constant yelling at your dog will cause emotional trauma and should not be a part of your dog’s training and can cause these unwanted results:
Stress
Yelling at a dog to train them is an aversion method not recommended by experts. Scientists say yelling at your dog increases cortisol levels, a stress hormone. Stress in dogs can cause digestive problems, anxiety, aggression, or isolation, among other health problems.
Confusion
Dogs pay close attention to the tone of your voice, so when you are yelling, your dog may be confused and not understand why you are yelling. Your dog may have misbehaved hours ago and won’t connect your yelling to its past misbehavior. Reactions to yelling can range from barking in an attempt to match your tone or cowering.
Undermines Training
Your dog doesn’t understand much of what you say to them, so your pet is likely not learning anything when you yell. Yelling makes training attempts more difficult since angry outbursts are unpleasant for your pet.
Encourages Bad Behavior
When you yell at your dog regularly for misbehaving, it provides negative reinforcement for misdeeds. If your pet never gets positive reinforcement or rewards for good behavior, why should it want to change its behavior to please you? Offer praise and rewards, and you will find your pet motivated to learn.
Sneaky Behavior
Yelling at your dog when you see them chewing on a shoe may not stop your dog from this or other bad behaviors. Your angry yelling will make your dog hide its bad behavior from you by sneaking around.
Mistrust
Constant yelling at your dog will make them mistrust you; they will constantly be on edge when you’re around. Your pet won’t trust your behavior since you yell sometimes and might be apprehensive about being with you.
How To Stop Yelling at Your Dog
If you constantly yell at your dog, you should find ways to stop. Your angry outbursts are not healthy for you or your dog (or for you). These strategies will help you adjust your behavior and your dog’s, resulting in fewer angry outbursts at your pet.
Stay Calm
Your anger over your pet’s misdeeds is more about how you handle stress than how your pet behaves. Stop for a moment and calm down before talking to your dog calmly. Count to 10 if you have to, or take a deep breath.
Ignore Your Dog
That may sound like you’re excusing your dog’s bad behavior, but dogs crave attention. When your dog misbehaves, ignore it and don’t play with them for a while. When your dog quits misbehaving and starts doing something you like, give them your attention and praise. Soon your dog will realize that good behavior has benefits.
Learn Training Techniques
Yelling at your dog isn’t an effective training technique, but positive reinforcement through praise, attention, and treats, is. Games, clickers, and toys also are effective in helping your dog learn better habits. Here’s a video on the basics of dog training using a clicker.
Stop the Bad Behavior
Online and in-person dog training programs will result in a pet with fewer bad habits and misdeeds, giving you fewer reasons to yell at your dog. Professional training for your dog and you will result in more pleasure as a pet owner and less yelling.
So, Is it Bad To Yell at Your Dog?
Rather than worrying over whether your dog will get over you yelling at them, why not avoid shouting at your dog? While dogs are resilient, forgiving pets, yelling at your dog can result in stress and anxiety. Yelling is scary for your pet and isn’t a productive way to train them. By learning to control your temper and train your dog through encouragement, praise, and rewards, you’ll find that pet ownership will include less yelling and more fun.
