Unless you catch her in the act, punishment doesn't mean diddly squat
. You said in your first post you hit her hard enough for her to help, then you said you just wanted to startle her
. Now if a rottie yelps, you must have hit her pretty darn hard, not to mention the punishment didn't warrent the beahavior. It was your fault she got into trouble bc she was not being properly watched and when you are unable to do so then as Sharon said, put up baby gates or confine her to a crate, plain and simple then she won't get hit and she won't get in trouble. I have baby gates everywhere though now that Czar is 2 1/2 he's can be trusted but I still have them up when need be and he also has his crate. So please if there is ever a moment where she can't be watched, PLEASE confine her with baby gates or better yet a crate, especially when you are NOT home.
I feel real bad when a dog gets into trouble and it could have been avoided. They should not be punished for our mistakes
.
Just curious as to how much exercise your pup gets daily??
Judy