7 Words You Should Never Yell at Your Dog, According to Professional Trainers

While the thrill of having a new puppy is always a good thing, one of the more difficult aspects of being a new pet parent is the training phase. Although puppies are cute as can be, training them can truly test the patience of new parents, especially those new to having a dog in the home.

It's also not as simple as just teaching your pup how to sit or stay. Training is a lot more about strengthening the bond between a human and their dog. For new pet parents, the craziness of having a puppy can be a chaotic and messy time. Although it's easy to lose your patience, especially with a furry friend that has yet to be fully trained, it's important to remember to keep your composure and stay calm.

SIGN UP to get "pawsitivity" delivered right to your inbox with inspiring & entertaining stories about our furry & feathered friends

As easy as it can be to start yelling or shouting at your dog if you get frustrated, this kind of behavior can be quite harmful to pups, especially depending on the tone that's used.

Learning how certain words may impact your dog and knowing what actions to take instead can help with both dog training and the bond with your pup. We spoke to professional dog trainers to learn more about what words to never yell at your dog, and exactly what you should do instead.

Our Panel of Experts

These are the three experts we spoke with to learn more about the words you shouldn't yell at your dog.

• Shawna Baskette: Shawna Baskette is the owner of Reactive Dog Reset and is a dog behavior researcher.
• Molly Jespersen: Molly Jespersen is a dog training specialist from Camp Bow Wow.
• Chris Edge: Chris Edge is the founder of K9Edge Dog Training, a certified dog trainer and a retired police officer.

Words You Should Never Yell at Your Dog

While experts agree that there are plenty of things you should never yell at your dog, many also concur that it's much more about the tone of your voice.

"Dogs don't speak our language, and words only acquire meaning based on the way we use them," says Shawna Baskette, owner of Reactive Dog Reset. "That said, yelling your dog's own name angrily is a training-specific concern. Imagine how you would feel if your name were used as verbal punishment repeatedly. It's the same for your dog."

Besides the tone of your voice, our experts agree you should never yell the following to your dog:

• Their Name
• "Bad dog"
• "What did you do?"
• "Get down"
• "No"
• "Quit it"
• "Stop"

Although the words themselves aren't the cause of stress in dogs, they are the ones mostly tied to negative connotations. "'No' is one of the most overused words in a dog owner's vocabulary and, unfortunately, one of the most misunderstood by dogs," says Molly Jespersen, a dog training specialist for Camp Bow Wow. "The issue is not the word itself, but the fact that it provides no clear direction. Dogs do not process vague corrections the way humans do."

Chris Edge, founder of K9Edge Dog Training, also says, "I see this all the time with overwhelmed owners. Their dog is barking, lunging, countersurfing, jumping, losing their mind at the window, and the owner starts escalating with 'No,' 'Stop,' 'Get down" or 'Quit it.' The problem being that from the dog's perspective, the human is often just becoming louder, more tense and more emotionally unpredictable."

For their part, Baskette adds, "A large survey of over 60,000 dog owners found that delayed verbal corrections using any words like 'bad dog' or 'what did you do?' are extremely common and completely ineffective. Dogs can't connect a scolding 30 seconds after an incident to their prior behavior. It just creates anxiety."

Related: 7 Signs You're Your Dog's No. 1 Human, According to a Trainer

What Professional Trainers Do Instead of Yelling

Instead of yelling or shouting at your pup, professional trainers agree it's much better to guide your dog to correct behavior.

"They need to understand what to do, not just what not to do," Jespersen says. "Instead of saying 'no,' try using short, specific cues like 'Off,' 'Leave it' or 'Sit.' Redirect your dog toward the desired behavior, then reward it immediately. If you need to interrupt unwanted behavior, use a neutral interrupter like 'Uh-uh' or 'Nope,' then immediately redirect them toward the behavior you want instead."

Edge also adds that the most important part is what comes next. He says that when a dog "immediately gets redirected into something productive and familiar that has been reinforced hundreds of times" it can become a "consistent, confident, core behavior."

And we get it: you may lose your cool from time to time. You may feel overwhelmed and stressed, and you may want to try to regain control by any means necessary. However, as Edge explains, "Yelling, repeating commands in frustration or using your dog's name as a summons to punishment can create anxiety and poison those words. Dogs are sensitive to human scolding."

At the end of the day, our pups are our family members and deserve to be treated with the same respect we would show our loved ones. The next time your dog does something and you feel like yelling, take a deep breath and calm down first before you do anything. With these expert tips, you now know exactly what to do.

Related: What to Do If Your Dog Gets Destructive From Separation Anxiety

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 8:02 AM.