15 Truths That Thousands of Dogs and Their Owners Have Taught Me

For the audio version of these blog posts, tune into the USA Dog Behavior Podcast.

After working with many thousands of dogs and their owners, here are the top 15 things I’ve learned about dogs and their owners. These are presented in no particular order.

Barking is not the problem; it’s a symptom of an issue.
This is best explained with an example: When dogs bark at people or dogs, they’re usually barking because they want to scare away the scary people or scary dogs (scary to them, that is). The real issue is they are fearful of these things, and the fear/arousal is what needs to be addressed.
For further reading: Barking Dogs: What's the Problem and How Do We Fix It?
Dogs don’t jump up on people because they love to jump.
Dogs jump on people, especially visitors, because they want their attention. Since most everyone gives them some type of attention when they do this (e.g., petting, talking to them), the dog’s goal is achieved—attention. The root cause is that the dog is rewarded for jumping.
For further reading: My Dog Won't Stop Jumping on People
Teaching a dog not to guard their food is not a good idea.
Most dog owners think they can teach their dog not to guard their food by putting their hand in the dog’s bowl when they’re eating. Annoying a dog with a hand in their food when they’re eating is most likely going to teach the dog to guard their food, not the other way around. There are ways to address resource guarding of food; this is just not the right way.
For further reading: What is Resource Guarding?
Submissive behaviors are frequently either not noticed or misinterpreted by dog owners.
When a dog rolls over every time they see people, it’s almost certainly not for a belly rub. They’re most likely scared and are attempting to appease the person. Another common submissive behavior in dogs is urination. Some dogs, when scared by an approaching human, may submissively urinate. This is not done out of spite or dominance—quite the opposite.
For further reading: When Dogs Roll Over for "Belly Rubs," What Does it Really Mean?
A dog’s aggression to front door visitors isn’t what most people think it is.
Most dog owners think the reason their dog is acting aggressively toward front door visitors is that they are protecting them. They are actually doing this because the dog is scared of the visitor and wants them to leave—they aren’t thinking about protecting anything other than themselves. The dog is trying to scare the visitor away.
For further reading: Dog Front-Door Aggression, Myths and Facts
Dogs pull on the leash for one reason.
Dogs pull on the leash because they are overly aroused. This arousal is a result of their joy of being on a leash or of being triggered by things such as other dogs or even people walking by. The best way to treat chronic leash pulling is to address the arousal. What is specifically causing the arousal has to be discovered first though.
For further reading: What Is the Best Type of Dog Collar to Stop Pulling?
Dogs live in the moment.
Every second of a dog’s waking life is spent maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. It’s really that simple. This is not unlike human children, actually.
For further reading: Ever Wonder What Dogs Think About All Day? Here’s the Answer
Dogs aren’t stubborn; they’re confused.
Dogs aren’t trying to be difficult. In fact, dogs want to please us. However, if improper training techniques are used or the owner is impatient, dogs become confused and sometimes even scared. If humans are confused and scared, we really don’t learn well—dogs are no different. For reference, a dog’s level of comprehension is roughly that of a two-year-old human child.
For further reading: Don’t do to Your Dog What Some People do to Their Children
Dogs aren’t trying to dominate us.
Dogs simply aren’t smart enough, cunning enough, or motivated enough to dominate their owners. Behaviors that look like dogs are trying to take control are almost always a result of something not related to dominance. For example, when dogs want to go through a door ahead of their owner, they just want to get to the next exciting thing in their life as soon as possible—there’s really nothing else beyond that.
For further reading: 3 Words I Wish Dog Owners and Dog Trainers Wouldn’t Use
Dogs don’t feel or show guilt.
When dog owners are upset with their dog, they may indicate their unhappiness in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Dogs frequently see these human behaviors as scary, and they may cower and look scared (because they are), which many dog owners improperly interpret as guilt.
For further reading: Is your dog intentionally bad?
Dog owners train their dogs without even knowing it.
Dogs that have lived with their owners for any amount of time have learned many rules about living with their owner. It’s absolutely amazing to me that dogs automatically and naturally do this and their owners don’t even realize it. It’s a testament to how well dogs and humans coexist. Ask anyone who has lost a long-term dog companion and replaced them with a new dog. The new dog has to learn all of the rules the old dog had down pat.
For further reading: 100 Reasons Why You Need to Give Your Dog More Respect
Most dog owners don’t understand how to properly socialize their dog.
Acclimating a dog to all the stimuli of the world is important in order to have a confident dog. Most dog owners tend to do this in improper ways and way too quickly.
For further reading: “Socialization,” a Misused and Misunderstood Concept in Dog Training
One important reason people struggle with their dog’s behavior is lack of patience.
There are lots of reasons dog owners are not successful in molding their dog into the kind of dog they’d like to live with. One of the main reasons is that dog owners can be impatient. Dog training and behavior modification just can’t be rushed. We have to train dogs at their pace, not ours.
For further reading: 4 Predictors of Success When Working with Dogs with Behavior Issues
Dogs don’t understand human language other than a handful of words we’ve taught them.
We all want to talk to our dogs. Unfortunately, they don’t understand human language other than a few words they associate with commands we’ve taught them. Trying to reason with our dogs with our verbal skills confuses and can even scare them. We have to use positive rewards of all types for them to make the connections we want them to make.
For further reading: Scott Sheaffer’s 15 Fundamental Guidelines for Living with Dogs
Shock collars and prong collars almost never work in ways that owners wish they would.
Using punishing tools like shock collars and prong collars almost always ends up causing more problems than they fix. This is especially true if a dog is reactive to dogs or people when out on walks. The problem is that the association that we think the dog is making with the pain is frequently not what we intend and can cause significant additional issues. There’s a reason these tools are outlawed in many parts of the world.
For further reading: The Problem with Shock Collars in Dog Training

For the audio version of these blog posts, tune into the USA Dog Behavior Podcast.

Looking for hands-on training for your team? Explore Scott’s Training Workshops for dog clubs, municipal animal services, and rescue organizations.