Being Canine, Dog Behaviour and Training

Being Canine, Dog Behaviour and Training Fair, kind and dog friendly training. Qualified Canine Behaviour Consultant 121 sessions.

Additional written assessment or plan is available by request, please ask me for details of cost.

When you understand that your dog's brain is making a fast prediction of what might happen, based on previous experience...
02/06/2026

When you understand that your dog's brain is making a fast prediction of what might happen, based on previous experiences, you can start to appreciate why the 'the other dog wasn't doing anything' argument doesn't really apply.

It's not only what is happening at this point in time, it is also what has happened before. Contrary to popular belief, dogs don't 'live in the moment', they have memories and expectations based on previous similar events.

That's why your placid dog might turn into a raging beast when they go to the vet. Their brain is predicting something unpleasant, based on previous experience. No amount of tasty treats is going to have an impact on that process - the bigger the concern - the stronger the memory and prediction will be. Our brains and dog's brains are more sensitive to negative experiences than positive ones. it anticipates difficulty before it occurs - sensible given that the primary aim is to be safe. The brain is doing its job prefectly.

In the end, perception is everything.
The answer is to try to work on those predictions.

Photo: Many of the things that we do with dogs have the potential to become negative - it's not our intention of course, but it's perception that matters. My dogs are comfortable being groomed, having their nails trimmed etc but that hasn't happend by accident and it certainly hasn't happened by using force or restraint.

Your dog is much more than their ability to respond to commands/cues or whatever we like to call them and yet they are o...
22/05/2026

Your dog is much more than their ability to respond to commands/cues or whatever we like to call them and yet they are often defined and judged by that simple standard.
A good dog is obedient, they do what they are told without question, they go and lie down and give you peace when you tell them, they never cause you any concern when out meeting other people and other dogs, they walk perfectly on the lead.

A bad dog or a dog with issues does basically anything other than the above.

Many years ago now I presented a webinar to students studying canine behaviour and asked them to define 'good' or 'bad' behaviour. Of course, everyone had their own list which included; bad = getting up on the sofa, stealing food, not liking other dogs. Good = being calm and placid, loving cuddles from everyone and responding when asked to do something by their human.

So even in circles where people are learning about dog behaviour that notion of good or bad is still strong. Think about how many times you have heard 'ignore the bad and reward the good'. Rewarding the good is meant to ensure that you get more of it.

There is a deeper consideration - who decides what is good or bad?
What if the behaviour that we classify as bad is actually just normal canine behaviour? What if the behaviour that we see is a result of the dog feeling scared, stressed or fearful - is it still bad?

It's time for a reality check - we must see dogs in a more sensible light and understand that it's not really ethically or morally right to constantly try to suppress emotions and feelings rather than working with our dogs.

Photo: A dog up on chair is neither good or bad until we clasify it as such. For me it is neither, it's a non event, not something that I chose to reward and encourage nor did I decide that it was bad on Jacob's part. Of course for some people this would trigger an immediate response or even punishment and for some they would see it as an act of trying to climb up the ladder towards Alpha status.
To the dog though, it's neither good or bad, it's just comfortable.

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