What Happens When a Person Hits a Dog?
Dogs have short-term memories. When you punish them for something, they do not even remember what they did. If you come home from work and they knocked over your favorite lamp, you probably start yelling at them.
They have no idea why you are yelling, but they feel your aggressive behavior without understanding what they did to cause it.
If you start striking your dog, he will remember it. Maybe he will not remember why you did it, but he will remember the pain and the anger he received from you. If you get mad at your dog repeatedly, he will become afraid of you.
When dogs become afraid of you, different things happen based on their breed and temperament. Some of them will cower and hesitate to be around you. Others will start to lash out. If a dog begins to growl and bite at the person they are afraid of, it can be a behavioral problem that will affect their reactions to other people.
Step 3: Learn From Your Mistake
The biggest takeaway from your experience should be that you will never let it happen again. If it does, you begin to move beyond a one-time incident into abuse. While dogs are resilient and can move on from your brief lapse in judgment, a continued display of aggressive behavior will affect them.