How to deal with a toddler?

I, too, prefer to only spank when it's absolutely necessary. If I feel that my daughter is in danger, going to put herself in danger, or I need to get her immediate attention I give her one swat on the bottom. It's never a hard swat, and never more than one. At that point, I have her attention and can redirect her much more effectively. She is in no way fearful of me as others have indicated could happen. It's all about moderation, just like everything else in life. At this age, children do not have much for reasoning skills, so a gentle swat is a great way to get their attention so they will hear what you have to say. I'll give you an example. If my daughter was getting too close to the dog's face, I would ask her to leave the dog alone. If she did not, I would give her a swat and turn her to face me. I would tell her that the dog does not like that, it is not nice. Then I would put her in time out without saying anything further. After 2 minutes (1 minute for each year that they are old) I would have her get out of time out and come over to me. I would again explain why she was in time out. "You can't do that to the puppy, it's not nice." I would have her repeat it. Then I have her give me a hug and I tell her that I love her. Any behavior that requires a punishment is always ended with a hug and I love you. This helps her to understand that the behavior is unacceptable, but she is still loved. It has worked very well for us. Good luck!