Good Dog, Bad Dog: Breaking Down the Labels
Everybody wants a Good Dog.
But what does a “good” dog look like?
The label itself would likely be defined differently by every person you ask. One person may think a good dog lays at their feet all day while they are working while another person may feel that a good dog responds to all of their commands. There are so many variations to the answer because every dog, dog owner, and environment has individual variations.
Some behaviors that may be associated with “good dog” could look like:
Responds to cues from their owner reliably
Heels next to their owner on walks
Demonstrates calm behavior in stimulating environments
Drops items in their mouth that they aren’t supposed to have
Given the choice between their toys, shoes, socks or towels, they choose their toys
Comes when called every time
Happy body language with people: wiggly body, wagging tail, tongue lolling out, leaning in for pets
Appropriate social play with other dogs
Quiet (i.e. barking is not in their behavioral repertoire)
“Bad dogs” tend to demonstrate the opposite of one or more of the above behaviors. They also tend to demonstrate behaviors that are totally natural dog behaviors. The difference between the two often boils down to skill building, or lack thereof.
Labels like “bad dog” can contain narratives that are attached to the label, too. It’s common to hear things like:
My dog barks because he’s trying to defy me
She pulls on the leash because she wants to walk me
He bites people because he thinks he’s the alpha
It’s normal to look for the cause of behavior somewhere inside the animal i.e. he pulls on the leash because he’s a “bad dog.”
You’ll find that when the labels and weighted narratives are pulled away, and your observations shift to behavior and environment, that’s when you can make progress.
