Is it bad to flip your dog? What to Know

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Why Punishing a Growl Is a Bad Idea

Growling is one way dogs express insecurity, and it is often used as a warning. If the growl doesn’t have the intended effect, a bite may follow.

If a dog that growls is then punished with an alpha roll until it is silent, the next time the dog is uncomfortable enough to consider biting, she may suppress her growl to avoid being punished.

If the dog has no warning signal left, she may bite without warning, and the insecurity that caused her to growl in the first place has not been addressed.

Growls are valuable communication tools and are important to acknowledge! We certainly don’t want to encourage a dog to growl, but taking a growling dog seriously is a good idea.

Alpha rolls are ineffective for a variety of reasons. A few of the most important problems with them include:

  • They cause dogs to fear the people around them
  • They do not teach dogs what we want them to do, or how to avoid being punished
  • They increase a dog’s insecurities
  • Alpha rolled dogs are more likely to bite
  • While physically manipulating a scared dog, she may be injured as she attempts to escape
  • This theory has already been debunked by reputable scientific studies and the very people who invented it

    • Alpha Roll FAQs

    Alpha-rolling is a topic that creates curiosity and, unfortunately, a lot of confusion. We’ll try to help you understand the technique a bit further by answering some of the most common questions about the subject below.

    What Should I Do if I Believe My Pet Was Flipped?

    First of all, remember that your pet may still be out there. A missing pet doesnt necessarily mean that it has been flipped or stolen. Keep this in mind if you suspect that your pet has been flipped.

  • Search the area. Your first step needs to be to canvass the area where your pet went missing. Visually scan the area for your pet, but also go door-to-door and ask your neighbors if theyve seen your pet recently or if they noticed anything suspicious that might help you to recover your pet.
  • Put up posters. If this doesnt turn your pet up, your next step should be to put posters up in the area where your pet went missing. Remember that the pet could easily be five to ten miles from your home within the first few hours of being gone. Place posters in at least a five-mile radius, but consider going further than that. Particularly if your pet has been taken by a flipper, the animal could be further from your home. What youre looking for is exposure, so that potential buyers will see the pet and recognize that it is being flipped.
  • Search the internet. Once youve gotten your posters and fliers posted, hit the Internet. You want to put an ad on Craigslist which states that your pet is missing, and you should also check out local lost pet alert systems that are designed to help alert other pet owners in your area that theres a missing pet so that they can help you to find your pet. Notify the local Animal Care and Control that you have a missing animal as well, and let them know the description of your lost pet—you never know where they will show up!

    • Is it bad to flip dogs?

    If you are not familiar with the term, an Alpha Roll is when you physically force your dog onto its side or back into a submissive position and hold it there, supposedly to show them that you are the dominant one in the relationship and they should defer to you.

    Advocates of the technique liken dogs to wolves and suggest that to have a successful relationship, you must take charge, or your dog will try to assert its dominance over you.

    Science-based, force-free training methods, however, are proven to be more effective and also ensure that you develop a much healthier, happier relationship with your dog.