Steve, please don't use "spanking" as a means to discipline your ferrets. They are such tiny creatures and could so easily be injured. (When I trained our puppy, the only discipline I used was raising my voice if necessary.) As for the ferrets, I put them into their cage if they are misbehaving. A gentle touch and a serious tone in your voice will probably go much further in teaching them and they will never learn to fear your hand. Hope this helps, Jean. [Posted in FML issue 1642]