I agree that you should NEVER yell or hit your dog. It teaches them nothing. I had a friend in college whose lab would often run off while we were duck hunting. He would yell furiously at the dog and when it returned, he would give it a hefty whack on the back side. The only thing he did was train his dog that returning on command was a punishment. No wonder it did not want to come back to him. A dog wants nothing more than to please his owner. Simply ignoring him will break his heart. They pick up quick that you are unhappy and will often stop the undesired behavior on their own.