Will my dog forgive my dad after hitting him (unacceptably too hard)?

Question

Here's the thing. My dad, and my dog are super close. It sounds crazy, but my dog is my dad's best friend, and visa-versa. Well, today my parents were out at dinner, and I tried to take my dogs food from him (Big mistake, I understand,.), and he growled at me, so I smacked his butt. Well, he turns around and growls at me, showing his teeth, and to be honest, that scared the living hell out of me, as he's a biiig 5 year old german shepherd. I was so shaken, and afraid he would bite my arm off or something, I ran into my room to call my mom because it scared me so much. When my parents came home, my dad was so furious with our dog (My dad has a horrible temper..), and he took a broomstick, and hit him upside the head so hard.. my dad hit him, and it broke one of my dogs back-side teeth... my dad has never done this before, and I can't believe he did. This was unacceptable, and the dog didn't deserve this. My dad understands what he did was horrible, and he's been walking around saying "I hurt somebody I love. How could I do that?"
Well, when both my dad and I went to see my do afterwards, the dog started slowly wagging his tail, and looking at my dad almost as if to say "I'm sorry." and he bent his head down, and crawled over to my dad.. we have another dog as well, and when we brought her in, they played almost as normal as they always do.. the only difference is, my dog has been a little less playful with my dad.. see, our other dog started barking and my dad yells "No!" and our german shepherd starts running from my dad almost.. I'm scared that he's not going to forgive my dad, and I love the relationship those two have. I don't want anything to happen to that. Please tell me he didn't ruin it? Will my dog forgive him? Please say he will..
♥
Also, please PLEASE PLEASE don't tell me how wrong it was that my dad did this, or even that we shouldn't have our dog or whatever. We love that dog, he's our whole world, and I don't want anything to happen to him. My dad has NEVER done this before, and I can't believe he did.. he UNDERSTANDS how wrong it was, and I promise you it's something that will never happen again. Just help me solve what I'm trying to solve. Thank you. ♥

Answer 1

Actually, I'd kill an animal over my child. I don't believe your father did anything wrong. That dog obviously put up a challenge in his pack for power struggle as alpha male, and he needed that challenge to be squashed. I've been attacked by dogs before over the stupidest crap. Just over simple moods they were in, and I'm telling you; If that happened to my 5 year old, I would not lose sleep over putting it down.



But yes, it will forgive.



To all the people out there who disagree with me: It doesn't change anything. I'm not one of those people who put animal rights above human life. I'm also not one of those people who will come home from work and discover my child had been mauled by the family dog. I love dogs, but I love my son more. And I doubt an animal crazed, tree hugging activist is capable of understanding that.

Answer 2

The dog may forgive your dad but he also may be a little different. If you work with him (Meaning your dad and your dog together) It will get back to normal. I have a little shelter mix bread and she's very scared if anyone yells or has a large object in their hand. Its not because she was abused, but she didn't get the socialization she needed when young. So by rewarding your dog every time your dad pets him by giving him a treat, your dog will learn your dad plus his pets mean reward. I'd also recommend clicker training him because that would also help with rewarding. Anything dog or even cat related I trust Doctor Sophia Yin with all my heart. Her methods are the best and fast.

Answer 3

Your dad should not have reacted the way he did.

You did make a huge mistake messing with your dog's food while he was eating. He then got scared or protective over it - which is why he growled and barked, etc.

The growl was a clear warning for you to back off! So was the teeth, or the way he was standing. Dogs give a warning before they attack.

After the fact, if it was a while before your dad got home, and he just went up and hit the dog - the dog has NO CLUE why he just got hit.

Your dog DID NOT deserve it and does not understand what happened to him.

The way your dog sees it is "oh dad is home! *smack*" not "oh dad is home, I wonder if he knows about earlier?"

Dogs do not think the same was we do.

I think your dad over reacted because he did not want his daughter to be hurt.

You can replace a dog - but they cannot replace you.

Your dad completely over reacted and he could have damaged your dog to a very serious extent.

You should take your dog to the vet to see if any damage was done - I mean one of his teeth was basically knocked out - there has to be some damage with that. So please take your dog to the vet ASAP.

Your dog went over to your dad, probably out of fear, if his head was down, tail between his legs, etc.

Your dog was trying to appease, or appeal, to your dad by looking at your dad or resting his head near or on your dad.

Your dad yelling at your other dog was enough to scare the one dog - your dog is afraid of your dad now - but has every right to be afraid. The yelling could turn to another hit. Also, dogs can pick up on our tone of voice and the way we act. They know if we are happy, or sad, or whatever. And they react to how we are acting.

I think he may have damaged your dog to a certain degree - your dog will never forget this - but I do think it could be prepared over a long long period of time- but your dog has to learn to trust your dad again.

Trust is hard to gain back once it has been broken.

Answer 4

I know this is a really old post. i just had to say.. i saw quite a few comments stating that its "sooo wrong" for you to take your dogs food away. But this fits in with proper training for your dog.Dogs naturally become territorial over their food and will attack eachother, unless their pack leader portions it. You should always remember, start this when they are pups; pet and talk to your pup while its eating, put your hands near the food bowl and yes, take the food away once or twice every time it eats. They'll learn not to be territorial and an incident like this will never happen. Ive done this with my American bulldog in all of his 12 years. He's a big baby and my best friend. Never growled at or bitten any humans, and is the happiest, most friendly dog that I've ever known. :)

Answer 5

I had the same problem and I'm not exactly a big girl so I did get knocked over a few times. As soon as he comes to you and looks like he's about to jump up, turn your back instantly, ignore him until all 4 feet are on the ground, (don't make eye contact either), turn back around facing him and if he does it again, turn around with your back to him again and ignore him, repeat this process until he finally greets you on all fours, then give him a treat and say "good" or "good-boy" in a positive tone and he will soon learn that this is how YOU ewant him to greet people otherwise he will keep doing it even when he's a bigger dog, and it becomes very awkward lol. Good luck!

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

Will my dog forgive my dad after hitting him (unacceptably too hard)?

Here's the thing. My dad, and my dog are super close. It sounds crazy, but my dog is my dad's best friend, and visa-versa. Well, today my parents were out at dinner, and I tried to take my dogs food from him (Big mistake, I understand,.), and he growled at me, so I smacked his butt. Well,...

Answer 7

Amazingly yes-the dog will forgive your dad. The action from your dad was wrong, but the dog's loyalty and relationship with your dad means he will forgive your dad.



An example of that came from my own childhood. My family use to own a cocker spaniel-this dog loved my dad, they had a great relationship and went everywhere. My dad is emotionally unstable and cannot control his temper. He use to think it was best that a dog is physically punished should they do something he sees wrong. I never liked this and was always against it. This one memory is burnt into my mind-we use to take in street cats, well one we took in was pregnant. She gave birth and was kept in the hallway. The cocker spaniel we had was very sweet and timid. She was loving dog. Anyways, one day we came back home and one of the kittens was dead with puncture wounds on it(one set). Our guess was the dog tried to pick up the kitten and it slipped and the dog tried to grab a tighter hold on it and ended up killing it(she tried picking them up-gently-before).



Well this set my dad off and he grabbed the dog and took her outside and threw her on the ground repeatedly(it was concrete ground). It was horrifying and I was bawling at this and yelling at him to stop, I was only nine and I did try to stop him but couldn't do anything, luckily my elder brother got home and stopped him. However even after this issue-the dog still loved my father, she still followed him around everywhere. I didn't get why, but she did. Give the dog some time, but it will forgive your dad and their relationship will continue as it had been.



Take this as a lesson learned, don't grab for your dog's food or food bowl. You might want to take the dog to a veterinarian though, to make sure there is no other damage.

Answer 8

I'm glad that you understand that taking the dog's food was wrong, and that smacking him was wrong on your part. His growl WAS totally necessary...wouldn't you growl if someone took your food when you were hungry?!?!

I will reiterate that your father hitting the dog was very wrong. Now that I've said that, I'll let it be. The first thing you should do is take the dog to a vet. If he hit the dog so hard that it broke a tooth, then it could have caused some other damage that you can't see, so PLEASE get this dog to a vet as soon as possible (if your dad really loves the dog, he'll take it, even if he's scared of getting in trouble for hitting it...you'd risk everything for an animal or person you really loved!) Second of all, animals, like humans take a while to build up trust, but seconds to destroy it. By hitting the dog, your dad broke the trust that the dog had with him. If he treats the dog properly, and gives it lots of love, and lots of reasons to trust him, the dog will probably be able to trust him again. It may take a while though, so be patient.

If anything like this happens again, I'd suggest that you bring your dogs to the SPCA and give them up for adoption. He may not mean to hurt it, but one angry hit to the wrong place can kill a dog, and I'd hate to see a dog die at the hands of someone he loves and trusts.



Also: to everyone saying "he did the right thing by defending his daughter" ... "the dog was obviously in an aggressive state and needed to be snapped out of it" ... etc. She said it growled at her, thats it. No attacking, just a growl. If someone took your food I'm pretty sure what you said to them would be something like a human version of a growl! She said that her dad hit the dog "when he came home"...this means that the dog had probably totally forgotten about the growling incident, saw it's dad, and then got hit (in it's mind) for no reason! That's why she's worried that the dog may be distrusting towards her father now.

Answer 9

your dog can forgive your dad cause you said your dog is your dads best friend right? but the problem is what your dad did to your dog is he hit the dog with a broom in the dogs head right? did you know that hitting the head of the dog is bad cause the dog might be terribly crazy (i am serious) but i am sure that your dog understand what your dad did cause dogs understand people and they know they are wrong. but i just want to tell you your dad should never do that attitude of hitting the dog in the head ever again.and your dad should control his anger to your dog cause your dog have feelings and is not like a toy that you can throw and hurt. (well i can say this cause i have a dog and it is a labrador)

Answer 10

It's awesome your dad understands what he did wrong, I know many people who will argue with me how it's 100% appropriate to beat your animal.

Your dog will forgive your dad. At first he might be a little hesitant of him because he just associated a bad thing with a good person. Your dad might have to come at him gently as the dog will be scared. Maybe have him give the dog lots of treats and just spend some one-on-one time brushing him and softly talking to him, or some fun walks or something. In no time your dog will be back up on his feet and will love your dad to death again.

The broomstick though, your dog might shy away everytime you take it out because he remembers that bad interaction with it.



Why did you take away your dogs food? Obviously you realize it's a mistake so that's not really a big deal. In all reality your dog should be okay with you taking away its food. Because nothing you own is your dogs, it's yours. Toys and treats, your dog shouldn't get possessive to the point he will hurt you. My friend's dog is the same way and when I first met the dog and tried to take its toy to throw it for him he growled at me, not such a great first impression. I'm not telling you to retrain your dog or anything crazy like that though!



There's no reason you shouldn't have a dog or you guys are terrible people or anything. We are human, and we screw up sometimes. It might take some time for your dog to warm back up to your dad but as long as from now on he has mainly positive interactions with your dog, (and hopefully the broom!) you guys will be fine.

Answer 11

First of as you know, what your dad did to handle the situation was completely uncalled for!!! I do not agree with it at all even though your dad may have a temper he should have really calmed down before dealing with your dog.



Now, it sounds like your dad and your dog are indeed inseperable and have a very close relationship so of course your dog will be in a state of shock because your dad has never struck him like that ever! So of course all of the trust your dog once had in him will be torn right now. This is only temporary though, tell your father to give as much love and affection to your dog right now then he ever has before to gain the trust back that he has just lost from your dog.



Best of luck, i adore their relationship as well, but in the future please tell your father to have more control over his emotions/rage when dealing with your dog.

Answer 12

i dont think it was wrong at all for him to have done that. if any of my dogs ever growled at on of my kids i would have him put down. i have an apbt and she has never shown her teeth to me when i spank her for doing something bad. yes spanking your dog is not going to help you train them much but it also shows them your dominate of them. i personally hate German Sheppard there not good with kids cause there to sensitive witch in turn makes them more likely to bite. someone who has a heavy hand likw your dad should get a dog like a pitbull, mastiff, bulldog. i bet the dog didnt growl when you dad hit him cause the dog is knows your dad is dominate over him. to the dog you are lower in the pack order. get rid of it or start showing the dog your boss. dont let it sit on the couch yell at him if he does. make your dog respect you. o yeah all you other retards saying why were you near his food and trying to take it you all stupid and know nothing about dogs. if you want to take his food take it. a dog has to believe that nothing belongs to him everytging is yours that you sometimes let him have. i suggest teaching your dog leave it and take it. look up how online i dont want to explain

Answer 13

what was the time difference between the german shepherd growled at you and your dad punishing the dog



if it was more than 5 mins your dog got punished for nothing due to it would have forgotton what it did wrong and hitting the dog hard with a broom is NOT a good idea,, thats how dogs turn and attack there owners



poor dog and i hope your dad takes him to the vet to get his tooth looked at,,

Answer 14

yes your dog will forgive your dad if the next day your dad just pets him and plays with him a little bit but i dont really know in this situation but over time for sure your dog will forgive your dad.

Answer 15

Dogs are surprisingly reallly smart animals the dog will forget but might be a little scared or nervous around your dad for a little while

Answer 16

yes your dog should forgive your dad for hitting him today my dad started yelling and hitting my pitbull today and started growling and barking at him but thats just a sighn to that person to back off or he will attack its just dogs protecting their selfs oh and if your dog is growling at you for taking something from them or other things wothout harming them is just them saying to not take that from them they will never bite you without harm to them.

Answer 17

Yes, your dog has most likely already forgiven you dad because the dog knows he did something COMPLETELY unacceptable by growling at you and you father corrected him as he should have...though your dad did hit him to hard and needs to correct in better ways next time like a jab to the side(not painful to the dog but will snap it out of an aggressive state and let it know of its misbehavior. But anyway though your dog might at first appear timid to you dad dogs forgot and forget waaayyy easier then people and by your dad learning how to correctly correct your dog he your dog will respect your dad more and their bond will be even stronger then before.(:

Answer 18

He will forgive your dad he just has to show extra affection and win the dogs trust back. It will take time.

Answer 19

Of coarse, they forget easily. My little dog..Cramer (idiot) He was barking and snarled at my dad (while he was angry) and my dad threw him against the wall. He was perfectly fine..cause he still kept barking no matter what (he barks constantly for no reason even when the others aren't) But my question is, why were you taking away it's food???????????????? Please answer this cause it doesn't make sense. WHY did you try to take away it's food, it was obviously hungry.



Ohhhh, lols

Answer 20

I am sure you dog forgot before you finished typing up your stupid question.