
I recently met a beautiful German shepherd, my favorite breed, but this one especially stood out when she barked fearfully at the man I was with.

I recently met a beautiful German shepherd, my favorite breed, but this one especially stood out when she barked fearfully at the man I was with.

As a trainer, I’ve noticed some fascinating intricacies of dog behavior. It's what I do – I have no magic third eye – so I'm frequently looking for them. You might say to yourself, “Well, of course! Anyone could see that!” And just about every one of us has. But how many of us have really put much thought into them? You might be surprised to discover that, if you do, patterns will emerge.
With the holidays behind us, even our canine family members have packed on a few extra pounds. Fortunately, some of our everyday tricks make for a great workout. And given the cold and inclement weather, you might be happy to hear that there’s plenty you can do inside!
A client once described to me how her MaltiPoo, whom we’ll call Fidget, looked her square in the eye as she squatted proudly in the middle of her favorite furry rug, peed, and then gleefully gave chase. Fidget was being spiteful, said my client ruefully. How could she be so stubborn and recalcitrant? My client committed the cardinal sin of anthropomorphism, the granting of human thoughts and motivations to non-human beings.

Today’s pup culture surrounding dog behavior is steeped in myths that are doing anything but promoting greater understanding between our two species. Instead, we distrust and demonize the motivations of our dogs as they jump on us, pull us down the street, rush through the door ahead of us, and curl up comfortably on the couch. It’s time to demystify the myths so that we can reestablish trust with our furry friends.