Will My Dog Forgive Me For Hitting Him? Fast Methods & Tips

Will My Dog Forgive Me For Hitting Him? Fast Methods & Tips

If you have experience raising a dog, you might know that dogs can be obedient fellas, also mischievous brats. Imagine a situation where you get frustrated with your pet dog for doing something troublesome.

How would you respond to it? Perhaps you will yell or even hit them if it raises your temper. Is it a good thing to hit your dog? Will they attack you? Hold a grudge against you? or will they forgive you? Through this article, we will be addressing this concern. 

So, will my dog forgive me for hitting him? There isn’t a precise answer to this question. Dogs adore their masters, but if you hit them for some reason, they will respond negatively in most cases. Dogs are intelligent and socialized animals, yet, their emotional capacity differs from humans. Sometimes your dog could forgive you though you hit them; this entirely depends on your dog’s mentality, how you hit them and how you handle the situation afterward.

Moreover, keep constantly hitting your dog or hitting them harshly with anger; they will not easily forgive you. However, there are certain times when your dog might forgive you. Despite that, keep in your mind hitting your dog is something you should never do.

Some dogs could be a handful to take care of. If your dog keeps acting unacceptably, you might want to teach them a lesson, but hitting is never a good solution.

Dogs are loyal and trustworthy animals yet also very short-tempered. Hitting them could make them furious towards you.

Depending on how strong the bond between you and the dog may be, they will not hold a grudge, but their behavior will most probably change as a consequence. 

Do dogs forgive when you hit them?

As mentioned in the beginning, one cannot accurately say whether a dog will forgive you if you hit them. Therefore it is essential to focus on all the possibilities.

Dogs are humans’ best friends because they have an incredible bond. Dogs prefer being loved by humans, and when they receive love and care, they develop strong emotions toward their human families.

Under such conditions, if you hit a dog for some reason, they might get sad, anxious, or hostile, but if you wisely handle the situation, perhaps it could change their mind to forgive you. However, this is just one possible aspect. Therefore you cannot always rely on it. 

Contrary to that, if we observe this issue from a more rational point of view, the mentality of dogs is not as developed as humans; hence they might not have the capability to forgive you for hitting them. In other words, a dog might not understand why you hit them.

If you constantly hit a dog, it impacts them in different ways. Sometimes they will be aggressive toward you; also, some could get phobias or even be traumatized from what happened. Therefore they will not tend to forgive you. 

Do dogs remember being beaten?

Dogs might not be as intelligent as humans, but they have a good memory. Hitting is a form of abuse that could hurt a dog both physically and emotionally. The unpleasant experience they face will likely make them remember it time and again.

As explained in the previous section, if you give a small smack to the dog for doing something wrong but comfort them right after and avoid doing it again, it might not impact the dog massively. The dog will eventually forget the situation based on how you handle it. 

However, this will change if you keep mistreating the dog over and over again. If you beat a dog brutally, even if it is just one time, it will probably impact the dog for a long time.

As a result, this often traumatizes the dog. When they see you or the object you hit them with, the dog will act in fear because the past trauma they faced will keep echoing in the back of their mind.

Will my dog forgive me for hitting him?

If you read up to this point, I believe now you understand how a dog would respond if you hit them. Dogs are loyal mates, but they are different from humans, so you can’t be sure if they will forgive you if you hit them.

No animal would like to get abused by humans, especially your pet dog. If you have a dog at home, it automatically becomes a part of your family. Hitting them can directly impact their behavior; as already discussed, the dog could get aggressive, scared, or stressed.

If you are smart enough to handle the situation and make sure it will not happen again, the dog may forgive you. However, if you are a responsible and caring dog owner, you will not hit the dog in the first place. 

How do I apologize to my dog after hitting?

A dog can bring so much joy to your family, but raising a dog comes with plenty of responsibilities. Even though they are domestic animals, owners should take appropriate actions from the beginning to ensure that the dog is well socialized and well-behaved.

If you completely ignore training your pet dog, it is not surprising to see them turning into mischievous and ill-mannered. Having a stubborn dog could possibly make you angry at them.

There are also times though you train them well still your dog is somewhat naughty, but you can’t complain because they are animals at the end of the day.

You might not intend to hit the dog, it could be themselves that made you react that way, but afterward, you will keep worrying about it.

Also, you might want to apologize to them. Would a dog accept an apology? If so, how can you do that? Here are some ways that you can say sorry to your dog.

  • Use a soft voice 

If you accidentally hit your dog and want to apologize, one of the best ways to do it is to talk to them in a soft and soothing voice.

It is hard to say if a dog exactly understands what you try to communicate to them, but a gentle voice can reduce the tension and calm them down. 

  • Do not touch the dog soon after hitting them

Do not attempt to touch or pet them soon after because sometimes dogs could be aggressive if you hit them.

If you try to hug them immediately after hitting the dog, it will feel more suspicious and threatened by you. Therefore start with words and body language, and have patience till the right time arrives to pet them.

  • Give attention

When you hit your dog for any reason, it will upset them. To cheer up their mood and to make sure they accept the apology, you have to put some reasonable effort into it.

Giving attention doesn’t mean being clingy to the dog because if you overdo things, that could also have adverse outcomes.

But actions you take to comfort the dog, be consistent on those actions so that the dog feels that you care about them. 

  • Avoid giving treats 

Bribing your dog with treats will not be a smart way to apologize. Dogs love to have treats, but they should get treats only as a reward for their excellent behavior.

It is not correct if you think giving them some dog treats would make them feel better. Giving treats is often used as a positive reinforcement method; giving them treats after hitting the dog will make them confused and suspicious. 

How do you get a dog to trust you after hitting?

Intentionally or not, once you hit your dog, they will have a negative or wrong outlook towards you, and it will break their trust in you.

Dogs love their masters because they trust them, but once they get hit by you, they will no longer trust you, and to win that trust back, you have to work smartly and patiently. 

Once you hit a dog, you don’t exactly know what is going on in their mind. They could be angry, scared, or even both. Therefore you have to be very patient to approach the dog.

Don’t rush to comfort them. Give them some personal space to calm their nerves. Commence with talking to the dog, speak gently to them, and convince them that you are worried about what happened.

Observe their reaction; if the dog seems pretty calm, you can slowly pet them, but still, do not try to be too intimate with the dog. The best and most crucial advice is to take things slow yet consistent. 

Final Thoughts 

Dogs usually develop strong feelings toward their family. If, for some reason, they get mistreated by the family, it could negatively impact the dog.

No dog owner would want to hit their beloved pet, but there can be occasions where you tend to beat them. Whether it happened intentionally or not, you might wonder will the dog forgive you.

The bottom line is according to your dog’s mentality and what sort of a bond you have with the dog, they might forgive you, but this could also end up wrong.

Once again, remind, on an end note, that hitting your dog is something you should never do. I hope you found this article helpful. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts about our four-legged furry friends. 

Author

  • Sofia Williams

    Sofia W. is a professional dog trainer who completed Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA and CPDT-KSA) certifications. Also, she has completed the Pet Nutrition Coach Certification. Sofia is interested in creating nutritious food formulas for dogs to give them a longer and healthier life. She believes food and training are a collective combination of a healthy dog. So, she is with us to share her expertise and knowledge with other dog parents.

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