Spank Spot

A few days ago, I think I shocked a few people when I smacked my dog's face after he returned to get a second drink from my punch glass. I'd had to clean out and refill my cup after he snuck a taste, and had just given him a good warning before he came back for seconds. Without really thinking, I popped him.

At our small group, I'm constantly trying to control my spaz-tastic dog, Ace. He loves to greet people (and babies) with drive-by lickings and uninvited jumps into your lap. Leaving him locked in the back yard isn't much of an option with a book study group meeting in our den - Ace cries (loudly) while doing his best Jack Russell jump on the door, and he can go for hours without taking a break.

He is a trash hound, bee-biting, prized-plant-destroying, neighbor-obsessed, ball-stealing bully, and can be a real pain in the... But, even with all of that, I still love the little guy, and have tried to somewhat control his behavior; which means that he often gets spankings on his "spank spot" (seriously, God made him with a built-in bullseye), wears a "stubborn dog" shock collar, and receives quite a bit of yelling and "Get in your bed!" commands.

I know some people think that dogs are just dogs: they should stay in the yard, and only be treated as outside-only animals, not family members. Other people hand-make their pets' meals and would never dream of using a shock collar - let alone spanking their dog when he's got his head in the trash can. (I guess the same can be said for child-rearing... some people are adamantly opposed to disciplining their unruly children, others might take it too far).

I probably treat my dogs as more than just pets, but do I expect too much out of them? I want a well-behaved dog, but what's the best way to achieve that when you have what my vet likes to refer to as an "intense" dog?

(Vote ---->)