Is there such thing as a bad dog?

I know I’ve done posts and blogs on this before, but this is something that can really annoy me at times.

This time I’ve been triggered by a tv show changing their name to include the term ‘bad dog’, this is a training programme to help owners with their dogs and has multiple amazing trainers helping clients. What annoys me is that I guarantee all of these trainers (who are force free), will avoid calling a dog a bad dog/naughty and will likely correct these owners if they call their dog it. They explain theres no such thing as a bad dog. While I understand that the trainers may not have a say in the programme name, if it was me I would’ve given some push back.

While there are things people see as bad behaviours in dogs, or behaviours that make a dog a bad dog, it’s all part of a social conduct. It’s what we as humans see as appropriate or inappropriate behaviour, however this is just part of a dogs communication. Someone may say in their head that a vocal dog is a bad dog, because they find it disruptive or annoying. When in reality a vocal dog is a dog who is trying to communicate with their owner. They may be barking because their hungry, attention seeking or need the toilet. It is down to us as their owners to figure this communication out, to then be able to stop or prevent this ‘bad behaviour’. As we know dogs aren’t able to communicate in the same way as us humans are, they aren’t able to speak out in words what they want, so they have to find their own ways to communicate and get across to us what their wants and needs are.

I truly believe that as owners we should all learn canine body language, so that we can pick up in any signs way before a dog needs to make it obvious. Barking and growling usually comes way after other signs the dog will have been portraying when they feel a certain way. Let’s talk about a dog who is vocally reactive, whether they are frustrated or fearful a lot of it may come across the same way. A fearful dog may try to avoid the situation, change directions, go backwards or get away. Then the behaviour escalates if we don’t pick up on these subtle behaviours, a dog may start to lip lick or yawn demonstrate their stress, and again for someone who doesn’t understand dog body language these signs may get missed. So this is where the ‘bad behaviours’ may start to come out, the barking, the growling and lunging. All things that someone who doesn’t understand may decide that makes their dog a bad dog.

Like with babies and toddlers, with dogs it is sometimes a process of elimination for us to figure out what our dogs needs. Are your dogs basic needs met? Have they eaten, drank, toileted, been exercised, slept? By going through these needs we are likely to overcome a dogs 'bad' behaviour.

A destructive dog may be a dog who is trying to communicate that they are bored, or maybe anxious. This may be a dog who is displaying signs of seperation anxiety, and by being destructive it is their way of coping and self soothing their way through the situation.

A dog who is humping may be a dog who is overexcited, or even a stressed dog, and this is just their coping mechanism to get themselves through what they are feeling.

A dog who has urinated or defecated in the house may be a dog whos needs havent been recognised, or an elderly dog who can no longer hold their bladder like they used to, or a dog who is experiencing medical health issues that need to be looked into, or even a dog who is suffering with stress and anxiety and they just cant help themselves.

All of these behaviours may be recognised by the general public as bad behaviours, or behaviours that make them a 'bad dog', when reality they are just a dog who is misunderstood, and have an owner who is not fully recognising their needs.