I just want to jump in on the discipline thing. Like I said in another post my two dogs have very different personalities. Reebok is very sensitive and simply raising my voice and speaking very firmly is enough to make him give me a slightly shamed look that shows me he understands. Sampson, on the other hand is a bit of a bonehead I will tap him on the butt and then hold his head in my hands and speak very firmly. It seems to work.
And I swear these dogs trained me, not the other way around. Sampson is the only dog I have ever "spanked" (trust me, it's a tap, anything more would hurt me a hell of lot more than him). Reebok is the most intelligent dog I have ever owned. He is incredibly sesnistive to emotion and does not require a lot of discipline. I think we have to be tuned to our dogs, they sure have no problem tuning themselves to us.

As far as losing temper with a dog...the closest I ever came was when my first adult dog (my first dog as an adult) Sheena, nipped me a little too hard when were rough housing. I didn't slap her but I came close, it was my first reaction and I came soooo close. Instead I grabbed her collar and pushed her away, a little too roughly. She knew I was mad and I don't think she knew why. I felt awful, awful, awful I still do. I miss her sooooo much