Is my dog a good dog?
It’s a common question pet parents ask themselves. Is my dog a good dog? It can ring in your ears when your dog does something that embarrasses you. Pulling on a walk, barking at the neighbors, chasing squirrels, all things society seems to look down on when it comes to pet dogs. Does what society says really matter?
There may be some other questions to ask yourself before caring what society thinks of your dog.
Is my dog really bothering anyone?
There are many things dogs do that others would deem “bad” which may not be anything other than a personal preference. If your dog walks ahead of you on the leash without pulling you along, as long as you have true verbal control of your dog, does that harm the neighbor scoffing from their front porch? Not so much. On the other hand, if your dog is ahead of you on your walk running up to other dogs, this may be an issue. Consider that some dogs may be fearful of other dogs and having a strange dog run right up to them could set them back in the training their owner has done with them.
If your dog IS bothering others, does that make them a bad dog? Or does your dog just lack an understanding of the social values humans need to function in society? Training our dogs, and managing our dogs respectfully is how we apply those social values to our dogs. It’s how we communicate to our dog what we need from them, and how we learn to coexist with man’s best friend.
Is my dog having a hard time?
“My dog barks at company when I have people over. Is my dog bad?” Dogs bark for countless reasons, but they are all tied to emotions. Your dog could be scared of new people or extremely excited that there’s someone new in the house. In both of these cases, your dog doesn’t know how to manage its emotion and reacts by barking. Our dogs may be performing behaviors that are side effects of them struggling to manage their emotions more often than we are aware of. Next time your dog does something weird, consider the emotion behind it before reacting or feeling scared that others will consider your dog a “bad dog.”
If your dog seems to be having a hard time with life, this by no means makes them a bad dog. There are so many factors that go into how well a dog adjusts to life, from genetics to early socialization training and even trauma. As their caregivers, it’s our job to make sure our dogs are living as comfortably as possible. Some dogs just need a little more help with feeling comfortable in their emotions than others, and that’s okay! If you’re unsure how to do this, a trainer can help!
Does my dog work for my lifestyle?
Some dogs are extremely high energy and if not given enough exercise can get into things, bother their housemates, or just generally cause destruction. For some people, this works. They may have the energy to work their dog, and alternatively the patience to clean up when their dog gets bored and chews something up. Guardian breeds tend to bark when they are suspicious of things. Although these breeds when living in a typical pet home aren’t guarding livestock, a single person living in the city may really appreciate when their dog instinctively barks at intruders.
If the things your dog does that other people don’t like, serve you and your lifestyle, then your dog is not a bad dog, it’s a dog that fits what you need. If your dog doesn’t serve your lifestyle, there are ways trainers can help you coexist more comfortably while still meeting both you and your dog’s needs.
Do my dog and I communicate well?
If you tell your dog to sit and it walks away from you, that’s classic bad dog behavior, right? Think about it from your dog’s perspective. Do you regularly work with your dog to teach them meaning behind words? Or do you expect them to understand English on their own? Was the way you taught the command catered to the way the canine brain processes information? Have you ever used the command at improper times or said it too often so that the command was muddied? There are key factors to consider when teaching a dog a command, that if missed will make it difficult or near impossible for the dog to truly understand what you are asking of it.
A lack of understanding or a miscommunication does not make your dog bad, it just means you need help learning each other’s language! Dog trainers are like translators. They can help you bridge the gap in the communication you have with your dog.