Have you noticed whenever you watch the Dog Whisperer, sandwiched between commercials for ADT security and a promo for another show, how people tend to think they have a bad dog because it doesn’t act the way they want it to. It happens more often than you think and, surprisingly enough, it has less to do with a dog being born bad (which is impossible) and more to do with a lack of understanding when it comes to what kinds of breeds are at work in a dog’s mind.
It’s very important that you understand the breed of your dog because only by understanding the breed can you understand the behavior and the needs of your canine companion. Most of the time, we expect dogs to act the way we want them to with absolutely no regard for the proud history or traditions associated with their own doggy lineage. We scold them for barking too much or biting too much or digging too much when what we ought to be doing is addressing that energy and finding ways to channel it into less destructive behaviors. Only when we take a minute to understand what our dog needs can we understand the behavior and grow as a pack.