Hitting Animals- A sin?

[FAH]

Today the family dog ran off and wouldn’t come back when he was called,when I eventually caught him I struck him to punish. Obviously I didn’t do this for fun but rather to punish him but is it a sin to hit animals to punish them?

 

[John_Carlton]

Scientific data with which I am acquainted believes that animals (with any sense of reason, obviosuly you can’t punish a goldfish or a chicken for disobediance) should be punished within thirty seconds of committing an infringement. If you were acting with your cosncience in attempting to prevent the animal from future harm than it is most likely not a sin, perhaps not the best disciplinary method, but not a sin. Hope that helps.

God bless,

 

[PattiDay]

Some people will say there is no sin in hitting an animal, but I think it is dependent on your state of mind. Did you lash out viciously in frustration and anger and give him a really good one?

Dogs, like small children, misbehave without real malice and without understanding of the consequences of their actions. You can overcome them by striking them so that they fear you (and when next given the chance to escape, will only run farther away) or you can train them to understand that you are (alpha dog) in charge and they must obey.

I’m not saying that you beat your animal or your children, I’m just saying to think about it.

 

[Theophorus]

Today the family dog ran off and wouldn’t come back when he was called,when I eventually caught him I struck him to punish. Obviously I didn’t do this for fun but rather to punish him but is it a sin to hit animals to punish them?

I don’t think so. As long as the intention was to correct the dogs behaviour (i.e punish him for wrong doing) rather than for your own enjoyment then I don’t see how it would be.

God Bless

 

[Catholic90]

Today the family dog ran off and wouldn’t come back when he was called,when I eventually caught him I struck him to punish. Obviously I didn’t do this for fun but rather to punish him but is it a sin to hit animals to punish them?

That is a horrible way to train animals!

Think about it…you are calling an animal to COME to you, and when you finally get it, you STRIKE it. Why in the world would it come to you next time, knowing it may get struck? Animals cannot think logically “Oh, if I listen to come, I won’t get struck.” What they know is “When he comes to me, I get struck, so I will keep away from him.”

I strongly suggest you take your dog to a trainer OR give up your animals.

No animal should ever be struck. Ever.

 

[Catholic90]

I don’t think so. As long as the intention was to correct the dogs behaviour (i.e punish him for wrong doing) rather than for your own enjoyment then I don’t see how it would be.

God Bless

You don’t “punish” animals. Animals cannot think logically. They respond to positive reinforcement. (or negative reinforcement - if you continue to hit the dog, do not be surprise if it suddenly decides to bite you in self defense).

OP, take the dog to a trainer or give it up.

There are no bad animals, only bad owners.

 

[michelleds]

I agree that your state of mind determines whether this is a sin. However, dogs don’t get discipline like humans. the understand “correction”–what a mother dog or alpha dog would do, but not “this is the consequence for bad behavior”. A better option would actually be to give the dog a treat for coming to you, even if bad behavior preceeded the good. Reward the behavior you want and you’ll have a better companion.

 

[FAH]

I agree that your state of mind determines whether this is a sin. However, dogs don’t get discipline like humans. the understand “correction”–what a mother dog or alpha dog would do, but not “this is the consequence for bad behavior”. A better option would actually be to give the dog a treat for coming to you, even if bad behavior preceeded the good. Reward the behavior you want and you’ll have a better companion.

Agreed. I think I only hit him out of anger after I had to run to catch up with him. More the sin of anger I feel.

 

[Catholic90]

Agreed. I think I only hit him out of anger after I had to run to catch up with him. More the sin of anger I feel.

This is where we as humans have to be smarter than the animals…once we catch them (and believe me, I’ve had to chase a dog or two), instead of showing the anger, we should be soooo excited and happy to be with it - praise it over and over and give it a treat so it thinks, “Wow, this game of chase was fun, but when he gets me, I get treats!”

We may feel anger at animals, but we must never strike out at our pets in anger.

If the anger at pets cannot be controlled, the pets should be given up.

 

[PJM]

=FAH;7869075]Today the family dog ran off and wouldn’t come back when he was called,when I eventually caught him I struck him to punish. Obviously I didn’t do this for fun but rather to punish him but is it a sin to hit animals to punish them?

No more so than punishing ones kids

Prov.13: 24 “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

NO SIN id done for discipline and with REASONABLE force.

God Bless,
Pat

 

[Catholic90]

No more so than punishing ones kids

Prov.13: 24 “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

NO SIN id done for discipline and with REASONABLE force.

God Bless,
Pat

Hope you don’t have kids or animals. That verse is taken out of context way too many times. You do not discipline animals by hitting them. What is so difficult to understand about this? (I always thought humans were more intelligent than animals, but this thread is proving otherwise).

 

[Theophorus]

This is where we as humans have to be smarter than the animals…once we catch them (and believe me, I’ve had to chase a dog or two), instead of showing the anger, we should be soooo excited and happy to be with it - praise it over and over and give it a treat so it thinks, “Wow, this game of chase was fun, but when he gets me, I get treats!”

We may feel anger at animals, but we must never strike out at our pets in anger.

If the anger at pets cannot be controlled, the pets should be given up.

I agree that we should never hit animals in anger. But what your suggesting is rewarding the dog for running away and not coming back when told to. Why should that behaviour be re-enforced and rewarded? surely it will only lead to further problems.

 

[PJM]

=Catholic90;7869496]Hope you don’t have kids or animals. That verse is taken out of context way too many times. You do not discipline animals by hitting them. What is so difficult to understand about this? (I always thought humans were more intelligent than animals, but this thread is proving otherwise).

Thank yo for saring your own views.

Corporal punishment is Biblical; take for example the World-wide Flood and Noah; and Sodom and Gomorrah. And No, these are not fables.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

***2223 Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery - the preconditions of all true freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the “material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones.” Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children. By knowing how to acknowledge their own failings to their children, parents will be better able to guide and correct them:

He who loves his son will not spare the rod. . . . He who disciplines his son will profit by him.

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. ***

God Bless, Pat

 

[Warrior1979]

It depends. “Hitting” is often taken as “beating,” which shouldn’t be done. However, the use of some type of force or pain might be appropriate when used as a form of communication that the animal understands.

 

[3DOCTORS]

Some people will say there is no sin in hitting an animal, but I think it is dependent on your state of mind. Did you lash out viciously in frustration and anger and give him a really good one?

Dogs, like small children, misbehave without real malice and without understanding of the consequences of their actions. You can overcome them by striking them so that they fear you (and when next given the chance to escape, will only run farther away) or you can train them to understand that you are (alpha dog) in charge and they must obey.

I’m not saying that you beat your animal or your children, I’m just saying to think about it.

This is really effective - enroll in an obedience class with your dog and you will learn a lot. You will learn how to correct them in the way that “speaks their language.”

I have pets and sometimes I’ve gotten frustrated with them and done a few things I’m not proud of. But I felt so guilty that I apologized, made amends to the animal, and made up my mind to overcome that fault. I didn’t want to destroy the love and trust she had in me and the good times we enjoyed when I was petting her and playing with her. :bighanky:

What helped me was praying to St. Francis the patron of animals to both help the animal and me behave better. It works! Now I am able to have a sense of humor. I might take the “serious” voice (but not yelling) if my current animals are doing something naughty or dangerous but I don’t lose my temper anymore.

Animals are incredibly forgiving - and also vulnerable. We owe it to them as good stewards of God’s creation to not be cruel or harsh with them. But sometimes we do have to discipline them for their sakes to prevent them from a dangerous habit or situation. We have to remain calm which isn’t easy to do in a time when we have to act quickly. Having a plan ahead of time is a good insurance against acting rashly.

IMO, I think the OP meant well and got some replies which were well-meaning but a bit overzealous. It sounds to me like the OP is trying to be a good pet owner, so I don’t see where he or she should give up his/her pet(s).

We all make mistakes, it’s what we do about them, and the OP sought advice in order to learn. A cruel person would not do that. A cruel person would be self-satisfied and stubborn, lacking in humility or remorse. They would not be examining their motives and trying to learn from experience.

So OP - ask your dog for forgiveness, pray to St. Francis, get some dog training help, work on your temper if necessary, and forgive yourself and emphasize the positives of your relationship with your dog.

 

[Catholic90]

I agree that we should never hit animals in anger. But what your suggesting is rewarding the dog for running away and not coming back when told to. Why should that behaviour be re-enforced and rewarded? surely it will only lead to further problems.

Nope, you clearly do not understand training animals. You are not rewarding the animal for running away; instead, you are rewarding the animal for being next to you when you do catch up to it. If you have a dog, PLEASE take a training class. For your dog’s sake.

Educate yourself on animal behavior.

 

[Rence]

Today the family dog ran off and wouldn’t come back when he was called,when I eventually caught him I struck him to punish. Obviously I didn’t do this for fun but rather to punish him but is it a sin to hit animals to punish them?

Well, first of all, dogs are not people. They do not think like people. They learn behaviors by association in reverse of humans. If you hit your dog after catching him, he will associate hitting (not only with your hands - instead of petting and patting) with coming back to you. He will not associate hitting with NOT coming back to you. You can tell a child that if they don’t come to you now, they will get a time out, and they will associate the time out with not coming back…not so for dogs.

So after you catch him, use the time coming back home to count to 100 or something to calm down. And if he came back to you on his own when you caught him, you should praise him for coming back, as hard as it is. Why? because you want him to come when called. Think about how one trains a puppy to come. The lesson ends with praise or a treat being given when they come. Yes, you stood on your ear to make him come, but in his dog-mind, he did come in the end. Remember, he’s a dog, not a people. You’re not rewarding him for giving you a wild-goose chase, you’re rewarding him for coming when called. And of course, if you caught him (rather than him finally coming back to you on his own) don’t do anything. Say “come” and start walking with him in tow. Just ignore him on the way back home. He won’t know why you’re disciplining him anyway.

I picture this: the dog ran off, and you’re chasing him, which being a dog, will make him run more because they like to run and chase. Sorry, but if you chase, he’ll keep running. He’s a dog. Then you’re probably screaming at him, so that when it’s no longer a game, he’s scared to come back. Then either 1) he finally came to you, and you punished him for coming back to you (in his dog-mind, that’s the translation to what happened) and will hesitate to come when called, especially if he thinks you’re mad at him, or 2) you caught him because you caught up to him, and then hit him, so that in his dog mind, when you catch him, he will be punished, so he will not want you to catch him again and will work harder to not let you catch him again.

I suggest learning how to correct bad behaviors in dogs. It’s really easy to do, and it will make you and him happier. The Monks of New Skete have really good teaching tools:

amazon.com/How-Your-Dogs-Best-Friend/dp/0316610003/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1305400545&sr=8-2

or

amazon.com/Art-Raising-Puppy-Revised/dp/0316083275/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305400545&sr=8-1

That said, you probably committed the sin of anger… I’d say it’s more of a sin to not learn how to fix the problem.

 

[Rence]

This is where we as humans have to be smarter than the animals…once we catch them (and believe me, I’ve had to chase a dog or two), instead of showing the anger, we should be soooo excited and happy to be with it - praise it over and over and give it a treat so it thinks, “Wow, this game of chase was fun, but when he gets me, I get treats!” .

Yup!

One day when I lived in the city, someone left the gate to our yard open, and my dog ran out to the sidewalk which lead to a high-traffic street. I was scared to death that he would run out into the street and get hit by a car. I knew that if I started chasing him, he would run. So I called him and ran in the opposite direction, and he turned around and chased ME…and I was able to snatch him and lead him back to the yard. I put a paddlock on our gate that day…

 

[michelleds]

Yup!

One day when I lived in the city, someone left the gate to our yard open, and my dog ran out to the sidewalk which lead to a high-traffic street. I was scared to death that he would run out into the street and get hit by a car. I knew that if I started chasing him, he would run. So I called him and ran in the opposite direction, and he turned around and chased ME…and I was able to snatch him and lead him back to the yard. I put a paddlock on our gate that day…

awesome Rence, that’s exactly the right thing to do!! In response to some of the posts above, I want to reiterate that dogs are not kids. they do not connect A + B + C = D (I run away, he chases me, I finally go back = I get biscuits when I get back),

I’ve been training dogs for awhile now, I have 2 dogs that I trained and competed with in Agility (the obstacle course competitions for dogs). I can absolutely tell you that dogs will respond very well to positive training.