My Dog Is Scared Of Me Because I Beat Him; How To Fix?

My Dog Is Scared Of Me Because I Beat Him; How To Fix? 

As lovely as they are, our dogs try to test our patience from time to time. They misbehave and do naughty things, and at a particular point, we crack. Then, we might give them a good hit or two.

But being dog lovers, we start regretting immediately. Of course, by then, most of the damage is done, and you’ll be left thinking, my dog is scared of me because I beat him. 

Are you worried about thinking my dog is scared of me because I beat him, too? You need to start getting closer to your dog to fix this gradually. Play with him, pet him, go for walks, and spend time with the canine, but most importantly, refrain from hitting your doggo again.

Sometimes we give our dogs a tap on the back when they do something bad. We do it out of love; to stop him from getting into a habit of misbehaving. But some people hit their pets due to personal problems that stress them. 

Hitting your pet once, on the spur of the moment, can be justified. Your dog will get caught off guard and show signs of being scared of you.

And if you’re now regretting that my dog is scared of me because I beat him, I can help get your dog’s love and trust back. But, if you are doing this habitually, then I won’t be able to help you in one way or another. 

First things first, hitting your dog is very bad. These animals can’t talk or express their feelings. They depend on us to care for them, love and protect them.

And if the same person they looked up to for protection is beating them continuously, they’ll ultimately lose faith in you and will never trust you again. If that’s the case, you better change because what you do is animal abuse.

Do Dogs Forgive You If You Hit Them?

The biggest question is whether dogs forgive you if you hit them. Yes, dogs forgive their best friend if he hits them, but you should prove yourself worthy of your pet’s trust.

You don’t want him to obey you out of fear. Therefore, you need to regain his trust so that you can have your best friend back. 

Some dogs are easier to pull back while others hold hard grudges. The doggo might even bark at you a couple of times, yet if you don’t hit the dog habitually, the canine will be yours again.

So for the pet parents around the world who are sad, thinking, my dog is scared of me because I beat him, your canine will eventually forgive you. But don’t forget to show him lots of love and affection.

How Do You Make Your Dog Not Scared Of You After You Hit Him?

Hitting your dog may convey that you’re untrustworthy and unpredictable. And it could create a lasting effect on the pet’s mind.

They don’t understand what they did to make you punish them. But, what gets highlighted in your pet’s eye is that you’re hurting him. 

So let’s see how you can do damage control now. 

  • Give Your Pet Some Space 

When you’re dealing with a fearful doggo, you should have patience. Don’t crowd him and force him to interact with you.

It would scare your pet even more, so give him some space and let him calm down first. During that time, be very cautious of how you behave around your pet and your actions because he’ll be closely monitoring you. 

  • When Approaching, Be Calm And Very Gentle 

Using raised voices or harsh words could cause even more damage to the relationship between you and the dog.

Instead, move calmly around the pet and don’t make eye contact until you’re sure you can. Then, interact with your pet again and ensure you don’t hit the canine again. 

  • Create A Schedule That You Follow Every Day 

After the pet is calmed and can somewhat easily move around you, you may slowly start interacting with him again.

Create a routine; make time to play with him, show your love daily, and make sure you’re the person who’s always feeding him. Your dog might bark at you, but his trust will improve with time.

  • Use Positive Reinforcement 

Positive reinforcement stops all the punishments you use when the dog does something bad. Instead, you will focus more on rewarding the pet every time he does something good.

Thereby the dog has something to be proud of when you reward him as well; it’s good for your relationship as well.

  • Seek Help

Suppose you have tried all the above yet failed miserably to regain your dog’s old self. Then without being sad anymore, thinking my dog is scared of me because I beat him, go and seek help.

Reach out to a professional and experienced dog trainer to do the deal for you. They will be able to spot issues that you don’t see and tip you on how to resolve them.

How Do I Fix My Dog Being Scared Of Me After I Beat Him?

First and foremost, stop. Stop beating your pet just because he did something bad. They don’t understand the difference between good and bad. They’ll do anything that interests them.

Therefore instead of beating your canine, opt for much more sustainable methods of training. 

One such method is positive reinforcement, where you highlight and praise your dog when he did something good. For example, use something tasty to give him as a treat. Therefore, he’ll make it a habit to be good to receive a tasty treat. 

It’s not impossible to reverse your dog’s fear when you beat him. To do that, use all your extra time to spend time with him by doing things that you both enjoy, such as going out for a calm stroll, cycling with your pet, playing treat and retreat, per fetch and pet him as much as possible saying how much you love him. 

Stop being miserable thinking my dog is scared of me because I beat him, and start acting in a way to show your dog that he can trust you again.

It might take just a few hours to get your pet back, while sometimes, it might take weeks. But, if you have the patience, your pet will start acting normal around you and trust you again.

Let us know how your plan went in getting your pet back. And we hope after following our blog, you will stop thinking my dog is scared of me because I beat him and start taking necessary steps to mend the relationship.

So comment down below your story. We’ll see you next time with another article. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner.

Author

  • Dominic Parker

    Dominic P. is a dog behavioral researcher who graduated from the University of Surrey and holds BVMsi (Hons) in Veterinary Medicine and Science. He has been around dogs since childhood and has unconditional love for dogs. It makes him become a researcher instead of practicing as a veterinarian. Dominic enjoys his work and likes to share his findings with dog parents to give them a better understanding of dogs’ behaviors.

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