I disagree. The dog was crying in pain. That is crossing the line.
Disciplining a puppy is fine, as long as the discipline is not sadistic.
IMO, this was sadistic. If he caused this much pain to a helpless little puppy, It wouldn’t surprise me if he were also abusive to people.
My comment was regarding 10 years in prison....
If it was true abuse and the animal was significantly injured then hit him with a $500 fine and potential loss of the animal....
BTW, I train large dogs for everything from Protection to Search and Rescue, generally GSDs. I use treats for training and praise.....but there have been the occasional bite on the ear for a a very renascent puppy, it is an effective tool... And yes.....they do yelp!