A TAP across the nose with two fingers, and a growly "NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY DOG!!!!" usually does the trick.

Snorri

I smack mines when I feel they are ignoring me,soon gets their attention again.It doesn't hurt them just gets their attention 100% and I can assure you my dogs aint scared of me.

I've never used an E Collar but I believe they can have their uses like everything else,also may I add they shouldn't be available to Joe Soap public,should only be used by qualified dog handlers etc,xxxxxxxxxx

I can't see a wee tap making them scared of you but, it does depend on the dog and if you owned him all of his life, or is he a rescue.

my thoughts as well

I believe in making more noise and body posturing to get the message across but I dont feel that a smack on the rump is anything that will cause them to fear you. Im not one for beating (one of my dogs is a rescue from such a situation) however Im not opposed to a spanking.

When the TZBCs were young dogs, I'd smack their bums, saying "Smack!" while I did it. Now, they know what it means, so when I say it now, all mischief snaps to a stop

Snorri

I don't and never would hit my dogs as punishment, raising my voice works wonders, and I don't punish anyway, I just put them straight.
Knowing my lot as I do they would be confused by it anyway, as I'm assuming the voice would be raised at the time of hitting the dog and my dogs see a good slapping as a game. They queue up to get their rumps slapped, and we do slap quite firmly as they have muscular rumps. They are not hand shy, quite the opposite in fact.I see no need for slapping and being hand shy to go hand in hand. Milan was quite wary of the OH when she arrived ( we don't know the reasons) but 7 weeks on and she's pushing and shoving to get her turn of a good slapping.
Hitting as punishment would probably only make the dog wary and fearful of people and fear should be avoided at all costs.

As with anything, it depends on the dog - my shorthairs would be totally horrified at a wallop, my GSD would take it as an invitation to play. I don`t think there is anything inherently wrong with getting physical - shoving a dog out of the way or blocking it when it tries to rush past but I don`t see the point in trying to hurt it. It doesn`t teach the dog anything except that you are a bully.
Bad as an e-collar - sometimes maybe. Imagine if someone hit a small dog every time it did something `wrong` - that would be as bad. A wallop on the side of a big dog when he`s just snatched a ball out of your hand, leaving teethmarks in your finger, is not IMO.

Agree... we "slap" the boys in play, and it is quite firm. We've also slapped and pushed them when playing or when they have got too rough, and also to gain their attention when they are distracted or plaing "deaf".

I suspect if I really did want to hurt them, I'd have to absolutely wallop them, which I wouldn't do.

i have only smacked china on a few occassions , generally to get her attention...

By no means is it a hard smack.. i would never hurt my baby girl BUT sometimes when she is focussed on something else she goes deaf and its the only way to get her attention...

Generally its on her rump ...which as someone has said she sometimes enjoys and think you are playing!

i have only smacked her gently across her nose when she got WAY too hyper and left teeth marks in my hand....

she is very gentl but sometimes she forgets how strong her jaw is and its just a reminder to her not to bite too hard... its not hard enought to hurt but enough to startle her...