Quote:
Originally Posted by akaJenT
I think they understand being flipped on their backs and growled at when they misbehave. It's what commonly happens in nature, they easily understand it and remember it and it doesn't hurt them in the slightest.
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I don't think that's true.
In nature, animals very rarely get involved in real physical fights because of the risk of injury (which is a death sentence). 99% of observed fight behavior is posturing - which means that one animal voluntarily goes to ground to submit to the other's superior strength. When one animal physically throws the other down, it is preparing to kill it.
By grabbing your dog and throwing it to the ground, you are initiating the equivalent of (what would be) a fight to the death.
I know someone who has had 3 rescue dogs and all of them have developed severe aggression because of these methods.
This person was very loving towards their dogs in other respects and the dogs were treated like family - given great amounts of exercise, positive social interaction, and structure.
Over the course of their lives, two of them began to show some aggressive behavior towards other dogs and one began showing aggression to people. This aggression was corrected with alpha rolls and growling/shouting.
The dog who was human-aggressive has since been euthanized for attacking and biting 2 people.
The larger of the dogs who was dog-aggressive (the smaller is a chihuahua mix and not corrected as often) has lost any of the warning signs that would normally pre-curse and attack. It is very scary to watch. One minute she is happily sitting next to you, the next she lunges and grabs the other by the neck (pinning him down) snarling while the boy screams. There are absolutely no warning signs. None.
In addition, they have both also started showing some aggression to people.
If the dogs understood why they were being corrected, it would have stopped the behavior.
Dogs know that we are not dogs. They do not treat us like other dogs - and we wouldn't want them to.