Showing an animal leadership and giving it rules is not the same thing as instilling fear and punishing it. A quick, assertive touch is not the same as a strike.

Never strike a dog. Never let an animal push your buttons. Never, ever correct an animal out of anger or frustration. When you try to correct your dog out of anger, you are usually more out of control than your dog is. You are fulfilling your own needs, not the animal’s. The dog will sense your unstable energy and often escalate the unwanted behavior.