Quote Originally Posted by oscar love3
Oscar constantly whines or begs. I tell him no each time he whines and if he starts to whine really loud (like deep in the throat, like a growl but not quite) I spank him. Is this not the right way to go about it?

Spanking is negative punishment and useless because I doubt very seriously the dog knows why he is being hit. Whining is a way of communicating for a dog. It is NOT an appropriate way of communicating but none the less it is communication. Would you consider spanking a child because he was crying when you didn't want him too?

The best thing is to determine if the dog is whining for a specific reason (to be let out to potty or some other important reason) or just to get attention. If it's just to get attention then I would put the dog in his crate or on a down and completely ignore him until the behavior stopped. Once the dog is quiet for awhile without whining (I'm talking minutes here, not hours) then you reward him with a praise and perhaps a treat. Never acknowledge the dog in any way at all when unacceptable behavior is given. To a dog, negative attention is better than no attention at all.