There Are No Bad Dogs, Only Wrong Owners

The different behaviors of animals, especially dogs, have always been attributed to their breed and origin. When a dog is good, friendly, affectionate and lively, we can’t wait to tell everyone that we are the masters. On the contrary, we are ashamed to have to admit that that aggressive, rude and apathetic dog is ours. But did you know that not all of your dog’s characteristics come from his genes?

Dogs and genetics

A dog’s breed determines many of its qualities. For example, Rotweillers are known to be aggressive, Poodles are affectionate, Pomeranians have a delicate stomach, or Fox Terriers are rather apathetic.

On the other hand, genes are responsible for size, hair or eye color and many other physical connotations. But are all these characteristics fixed and essential? No.

Dogs, just like the wolves they are descended from, are used to living in packs and having a leader. The leader is not seen only as the reference figure who gives them orders, but as a real idol.

The relationship with the pack leader is similar to the admiration a son can feel for his father. When the child recognizes in the father aspects that he likes, he begins to imitate him. Likewise, animals and especially dogs tend to copy their leader. So if we took a small poodle and raised him next to doberman puppies, the poodle would most likely end up adapting his personality to the strongest specimen, the doberman.

So what happens to dogs that live with humans? The need to follow a leader does not disappear, but it is inevitably the man who has to fill this role. Certainly a dog will never be able to imitate the movements of humans, yet it will be able to adopt the aptitudes and qualities it finds in them.

Aggression

If you often engage in grumpy behavior towards other dogs or other people, both inside and outside your home environment, your dog will notice and be infected by this attitude. As you pay attention, you will notice how your dog runs to meet people you show affection for, while running away from people you despise, or may even attack them. Be nice to everyone, it’s not that hard, especially when your dog is around.

Empathy

We have already talked about this intrinsic quality in dogs. Empathy denotes the ability to feel the pain of the other in one’s heart. Isn’t that what your pet felt when he ran desperately to comfort you when you were sad? Doesn’t that seem like a wonderful quality that all of us humans should imitate?

If you don’t really empathize with your dog, towards other dogs or other people, your pet will notice this, and this could cause the flame to fade that allows him to be so empathetic. Don’t allow it!

Selfishness

Have you ever noticed how unpleasant are the scenes where a dog is using a toy, and when you try to catch it to be able to play with it, it looks at you wrong? Even if you already know that dog, that kind of look can only bring out a sense of fear.

Yet it is nothing more than a reflection of its master’s selfish personality. When a dog sees that his owner does not share anything with anyone, that he does not allow anyone to touch his things and that he gets angry if this happens, he is likely to assimilate this behavior, resulting in situations like the one we have described to you.

Dogs imitate their owners, for better or for worse. Sometimes even without realizing it, since unlike us they don’t have a subconscious. Their organism acts by instinct, and this is one more reason that leads them to imitate us: they do not have the ability to understand if the behavior they see is positive or negative.

Fortunately, we have this ability. So let’s try to think about what are those attitudes that we would not want our dog to learn, and avoid doing them at all costs,  so that everyone can think “That dog is good and has a good owner”.