I have never smacked my dogs either. One of my dogs would bark constantly and I would simply use a bottle to spray water in his face. That combined with positive praise when he was quiet and a week later the barking had stopped. I know you can't compare this to a child but it goes to show that I didn't need to use violence or a power trip to get him to do the right thing.
I know what you mean.
I don't like to smack and its very rare that we do. positive reinforcemant is a great tool to get my son to do the right thing most of the time.