Sit Hits The Fan Dog Training

The issue? They’re myths.

We presume a wag and a sniff is consent for a pat.
Dogs just aren’t that simple.

They can wag their tail in every emotional state. It tells you something is happening.
So which emotion has caused that peaked interest and change?
That’s often trickier to see.

Sniffing you is also not consent to touch.
It’s a quick check of who you are and to gather that further information many dogs need.
To do that, they need to get very close or even touch you with that nose.
That is not permission.

And that moment gets misunderstood all the time.

People move closer.
Hands come down.
Decisions get made based on myths.

Those signals?
They’re just pieces.

With tails? It’s the speed of the wag.
The height and tension of the tail.
The looseness or rigidity in the body.
Is there a stillness, pause or hesitation?

It all matters.

With scent? Some dogs will approach, sniff, and leave.
Some will stay close but are still unsure.
Some will give you a clear “that’s enough” and move away.

None of that is a guaranteed “you can now touch” .

The problem really isn’t the tail or the sniff at all.
It’s what we assume they mean.

Because once you act on the wrong assumption, you’ve already stepped way past what they were comfortable with.

Slow it down.
Watch more and touch less.
Let them lead the interaction they want.

It’s well and truly time we busted these myths.

You cannot train a nervous system that doesn’t feel safe.
Credit: Anushree Thammanna

We live in a world built almost entirely for human convenience, and somewhere along the way, we began expecting dogs to adapt to it flawlessly, often at the expense of their nature.

A dog’s natural responses,barking, guarding, reacting to unfamiliar people or environments, needing space, expressing fear or excitement are increasingly labeled as problems.

We call them “bad behaviour,” “reactivity,” or “aggression,” when in reality many of these responses are rooted in instinct, communication, and survival.

Dogs evolved to read their world through scent, movement, and energy, not busy streets, pubs,or constant exposure to strangers reaching for them without consent.

Modern society asks dogs to be quiet in crowded cities, "ok" in overwhelming environments, friendly on demand, calm despite constant stimulation, and tolerant of situations we ourselves would find stressful.

We ask them to suppress their warning signs so we can feel comfortable, then act surprised when something goes wrong.

A growl becomes unacceptable. A bark is disruptive. A retreat is seen as defiance. Yet these are the very tools dogs use to communicate discomfort long before escalation.

The truth is, many dogs aren’t “misbehaving.” They’re responding honestly to a world that rarely listens.

Our bias shows up in subtle ways. We value dogs most when they fit an ideal: social, quiet, obedient, and endlessly adaptable.

We praise the dog who tolerates everything and shame the one who sets boundaries. But if we reframe the question, from “How do we make dogs fit our world?” to “How do we make space for dogs within it?”, the conversation changes.

Reevaluating our bias means acknowledging that discomfort is not disobedience. That communication is not a flaw. That a dog’s reaction can be a reflection of the situation we’ve placed them in, not a failure of training or temperament.

It means respecting their limits, advocating for their needs, and resisting the urge to humanise them only when it’s convenient.

Living alongside dogs responsibly doesn’t mean erasing who they are. It means meeting them with humility, curiosity, and empathy and recognizing that coexistence requires adjustment on our part too.

If we truly love dogs, we must stop asking them to be less like dogs and start asking ourselves to be more understanding humans.

( Picture of handsome Buckeroo and Jazz, the beautiful welcome I receive when at my friends farrn)

Lilah is learning loose leash walking in record time. She is so attentive to her family, and it’s beautiful to watch the relationship they have

Great article! Diagnosing chronic pain is not easy with the time constraints and sheer volume of clients veterinarians deal with.
This is not a reflection on them at all; veterinarians save lives, but the veterinary community is overworked and understaffed.
Having the time and resources to do gait analysis and having good knowledge of functional movement with enough time and space to observe movement is critical.
Some pain is easier to deduce than others if your dog is overweight or older, arthritis is likely - even if your dog is super active. Adrenaline masks pain, and on more than one occasion I have worked with dogs who presented as borderline hyperactive, where the problem turned out to be arthritis.
Ruling out pain and discomfort is the first step before starting any behavior modification

Pain and Behaviour: The Hidden Truth - Why a 15 Minute Vet Check Is Not Enough. - Edinburgh Holistic Dogs Pain and Behaviour: When your dog starts showing a new unwanted behaviour you go to the Vet to rule out a physical cause such as pain or illness.

And genetics!

Canine behaviour isn’t random—it’s a response to internal states, environmental triggers, and past experiences.

Before we label a dog as “naughty” or “stubborn,” let’s ask: What are they trying to tell us?

Let’s shift the narrative from correction to connection.

Yes!!!

🐾Although dogs descend from a common ancestor with wolves, they have undergone millennia of domestication and genetic engineering, resulting in distinct differences from their wild counterparts. Despite this misconceptions about canine behaviour persist, perpetuating unrealistic expectations and outdated training methods.

Such myths revolve around the idea of dogs as inherently naughty, stubborn, and trying to be the leader of the pack, requiring punishment for correction [1]. The original study of wolves and behaviour was conducted in 1947 by Rudolph Schenkel, who claimed that wolves hold a social position, the pack is controlled by a dominant male and female; and wolves fought within each other to establish top rank. This was disproved by Dr. Mech in 2000 [2].

The world evolves constantly yet the human race is still stuck on this notion. Qualified dog trainers and behaviourists are not trying to convince you that the world is flat, we are simply trying to improve your relationship with your dog without the use of outdated training mythology.

In reality; natural wolf groups function as family units, with parents as caregivers. Communication within the wolf group relies heavily on subtle cues, such as body language and facial expressions, rather than overt displays of aggression and dominance.

Despite scientific advancements debunking the alpha dog theory, some trainers continue to perpetuate these myths, advocating for dominance-based techniques. However, the lack of regulation in the industry allows such outdated practices to persist.

Understanding dogs requires acknowledging their individuality and respecting their preferences.

Effective training involves environmental management, systematic desensitisation, and counter-conditioning, with the use of positive reinforcement; which helps dogs understand desired behaviours without resorting to punitive measures [3]. Using modern, evidence-based methods helps build healthier, more respectful relationships with the dogs we share our lives with.

Television has also played a significant role. Many networks promote trainers who rely on dominance-based methods, where compliance is achieved through coercion and correction. While this may look effective on screen, the reality is that dogs often respond out of fear and avoidance rather than genuine understanding and willingness.

Dominance is often misunderstood as a personality trait, when in fact it is better understood as a survival strategy often rooted in fear or anxiety. Punishing a dog for unwanted behaviour does not teach them what to do instead, and because behaviour stems from underlying emotions, punishment fails to resolve the emotional challenges driving the behaviour.

Helping your dog with the emotions driving their behaviour is what truly leads to lasting change[4]. Many people turn to outdated or inappropriate methods simply because they’re often just overwhelmed and unsure of how else to cope with the problems they’re facing.

Today, qualified professionals understand that the human–dog relationship is not about asserting social rank. It’s about creating an environment where dogs feel secure. This means managing their surroundings to prevent situations where they might struggle, and consistently reinforcing the behaviours we want to encourage.

Our dogs don’t need us to be their ‘boss’, they need us to be their guide, their support, and their safe place.

[1] 2008, Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals, AVSAB, https://avsab.org/.../Dominance_Position_Statement...

[2]Mech, L. David. 1999. Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor in wolf packs. Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:1196-1203.
Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2000/alstat/alstat.htm
(Version 16MAY2000).

[3] Herron M, Shofer S, Reisner I, 2009, Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 117, Issues 1–2, Pages 47-54

[4] Herron M, Shofer F, Reisner I, 2009, Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors, Applied Animal Behavior Science, Volume 117, Issue-12, https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S0168159108003717...

The same thing very much applies to village dogs. They have developed over centuries to be independent from humans - they live with us, not for us. You can’t change who a dog is genetically. Like LGD breeds need these traits to do the job they were bred to do, village dogs need their independent thinking, hyper vigilance and weariness of novelty to actually survive. It is natural selection at work. Then the very traits that kept them alive on the street turns into ‘problem behaviors’ in our modern world.
Always remember that LGD’s (livestock guardian breeds), Herding breeds and many working breeds have been genetically fine tuned by humans over centuries to do a specific job. Village dogs have been genetically formed by nature. What is often deemed ‘behavior problems’ in our modern world is actually genetic traits.
See each individual dog for who they are, but understand their genetics to truly help them live their best lives.

When the "problem" is rooted in instinct and mismatched environment how is constant intentional physical punishment as feedback fair?

Lets take livestock guardian breeds as an example. Im not an expert on these wonderful dogs. I have had the pleasure of working with a few and each has been described and presented as non motivated by food, toys or praise rewards, and have little interest in taking direction from a human.

Yes, each dog is an individual, but these breeds were literally created to function without human direction. Their “reward system” is not toys or treats or human praise, but the satisfaction of doing the job they were bred for: calmly watching, independently deciding, and protecting, its beautiful to watch.

When we transplant them into an urban environment, full of noise, traffic, strangers, fences instead of open land, we are asking some of them to go against every fiber of their genetic blueprint. And when they “fail” (from a human’s perspective), punishing them is acceptable?

We dont think this could add stress and frustration, and still fail at changing their internal motivation?

Worse, it can erode trust with a dog whose relationship with humans is already meant to be more equal partner not obedient servant.

The real problem isn’t the dog. It’s the mismatch between environment, breed, and human expectations.

You can’t punish away independence, suspicion of strangers, or a low food/play drive, those aren’t “behaviours,” they’re identity traits.

You can punish a dog enough to shut them up, you just leave all those emotions bubbling away with a fear of expressing them, how sad.

So, no: punishment doesn’t make sense here. What does make sense is:

Education for owners about what dogs are and aren’t.

Management strategies and finding suitable outlets to meet breed triats.

Respect for their nature, understanding them for who they are.

Careful rehoming, because some of these dogs simply won’t thrive in a city, no matter how much work you put in, (the same for some street dogs, home is a prision)

It’s heartbreaking to see people blame the dog for not bending to an environment they were never designed for.

I want to be clear some will adapt, some wont, each dog varies, but.......

Just like left-handers weren’t “wrong", some breeds/types of dogs when placed in urban environments cant cope, they’re in the wrong context and intentional physical punishment to make them " fit" just doesnt sit well with me.

We learned about how to work with Raisin and her personality, respecting that she has autonomy and agency. You provided us with real world education and training that allowed us to tailor our care of her for the long-term.
Heather & Raisin

We learned about how to work with Raisin and her personality, respecting that she has autonomy and agency. You provided us with real world education and training that allowed us to tailor our care of her for the long-term.
Heather & Raisin