Any discussion on dog training (especially on social media!) usually features the phrase “it’s always the human, it’s never the dog”, or “there’s no such thing as a bad dog”.
But the reality isn’t QUITE so simple.
Yes, humans have a PART to play in their dog’s behaviour (often a BIG part).
But the thing is: sometimes it IS the dog (at least partly).
Which does NOT mean that it’s the dog’s fault, but it DOES mean that that blaming a dog’s behaviour and attitude entirely on their humans is often unfair, and not the whole story…
Why it sometimes IS the dog (at least partly)
The individual dog’s genetics & personality
You know how some parents with “easy” first-borns can think they have parenting sussed until their rule-bending second or third comes along?
Yeah, it’s the same with dogs.
I’ve lost count of the dog owners I’ve worked with who had dogs all their lives without any issues, until their “troublemaker” came along and threw everything they thought they knew out the window.
The good news is, the right training can still make a HUGE difference with these dogs, but it proves that the common saying “it’s never the dog” doesn’t account for things like:
Dogs can have genetic issues (just like humans) that make them unstable, unreliable, or more anxious or aggressive than a genetically stable dog. So different dogs can react VERY differently to the same situation (even when they’ve been raised and trained the same way).
Some dogs have personalities that make them extra cheeky, stubborn, excitable, and so they’re WAY more likely to do things that their humans don’t want them to do (especially when trained with certain training methods, which we’ll get to later).
Dogs vary in how driven they are to please their owners. Some LIVE for it, and others don’t care at all, especially if there’s something else they’d rather do more (like chase rabbits, or jump all over a guest)
Some dogs are so genetically unstable that nothing is able to change that (leading to severe issues with aggression or anxiety). Although luckily, these dogs are few and far between!
Which means that when you put different dogs in the same situation, with the same owner, and the same training, you can get VASTLY different results.
The dog & owner combination
Sometimes part of the issue can be a mismatch in personality between the dog and the owner.
Either because they’re TOO similar (like an anxious dog with an anxious owner) or because they’re TOO different (like a headstrong dog with a soft-hearted owner who just isn’t “believable” to their dog when they try to stop them misbehaving).
So the SAME owner with a DIFFERENT dog might be totally fine, but it’s the COMBINATION that’s causing the issue.
The dog’s breed
Many dogs were bred for very specific tasks and personalities, which means:
Some breeds are harder to handle than others (more intense, more aggressive, more headstrong, higher prey drive etc)
Some are more likely to have issues adapting to pet life than others (especially those bred to work ALL day every day, or those who have super strong guarding or hunting instincts)
So breed choice is important when selecting a dog (like not getting a border collie when you want a chilled-out lap dog!)
There’s a reason that specific breeds are used for specific jobs – because if it was TRULY “never the dog”, technically you could train any dog to do the same job.
Your dogs breed and genetics make getting them to do certain things easier or harder (or sometimes impossible).
But that doesn’t mean that you have to let your dog run wild with their breed traits either (we’ll get to that in the next section).
The flipside – what you CAN do.
Before you start thinking your dog is the problem, and there’s nothing you can do about, that’s not quite true either.
The truth is somewhere in the middle – it’s not JUST the owner, but it’s also not JUST the dog.
Are genetics the ONLY reason for behaviour?
Short answer: No.
They’re definitely PART of the picture (like we covered earlier), and they do set the blueprint for what’s possible with your particular dog (just like a scooter is never going to set the speed record for two wheelers, even with the best possible rider!)
But OTHER things can make a big difference too, and sometimes behaviour can SEEM impossible to change, when in reality you just need a better training approach.
The truth is that it’s BOTH genetics AND the environment and training that affects your dog’s behaviour and personality.
Breed is NOT the only factor
As we covered before, breed is an important factor in how your dog behaves.
BUT while breed DOES influence behaviour, it’s not the ONLY influence.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking “my dog can/can’t do this because it’s in their breed”, because training can influence their behaviour a lot, too.
This is another “cliché” that keeps a lot of people stuck. They think that because their dog is a certain breed, that some behaviours are unavoidable.
And it ends up putting a “glass ceiling” on their training progress, because what YOU think your dog is capable of will impact your training, your expectations and ultimately, your results.
The reality is that just because your dog’s breed has a tendency towards a certain behaviour or attitude, does NOT mean they have to take it to an extreme.
Huskies can learn not to pull on the lead.
Border Collies can learn not to chase everything that moves.
German Shepherds can learn not to guard the house from the postman.
Terriers can learn to listen even when it doesn’t suit them.
Labradors can learn not to steal food off the table.
So, while breed definitely does have an influence on your dog’s behaviour and different breeds are always going to have certain traits, don’t write off your dog’s bad habits as “unchangeable” just because of their breed.
Otherwise, your limiting beliefs might become the thing that’s restricting their progress, not their breed.
The right training
Many common issues ARE caused (at least partly) by the way owners interact and communicate with their dog, including the training approach they’re using and how consistent they are with it.
The exact ratio of what’s more “to blame” varies depending on the individual situation.
Sometimes it’s more the dog’s personality, genetics, or a mismatch in personalities between dog and owner.
Sometimes it’s more the owner and the way they interact with and train their dog.
And sometimes it’s an even mix of both.
Part of the reason that so many people struggle with their dog’s behaviour and selective hearing is because common training approaches aren’t that effective at teaching dogs to listen and behave even when they REALLY want to do something else.
(Like over-react, go crazy, or run off and do something “more fun”).
And when you have a more challenging dog like we covered earlier, it gets even harder to get reliable results with typical approaches.
Why?
Because a lot of training methods accidentally teach you dog that listening and behaving is optional.
If they want a treat, or feel like listening, they can.
But if they’d rather do something else, and choose to ignore you instead, there’s nothing in the training that tells you what to do to stop it (other than “try again in a quieter environment” or “try a tastier treat”).
Which results in your dog learning to listen and behave when it suits them, and not when it doesn’t.
Which makes life with the WAY harder than it needs to be, especially when you have a dog who’s really driven to do the things you don’t want them to!
The good news is that with the right training approach, you can teach your dog to listen and focus even when they’d rather do something else (including freak out about something, act out, chase something exciting, or wander off and do their own thing!).
You just need a training system that’s designed to work in real life, that teaches them:
A) That listening and behaving is non-negotiable, even when they REALLY want to do something else, and
B) Develops their self-control and listening ability so that they’re actually CAPABLE of listening in challenging situations (because sometimes they DO try really hard, but just can’t contain themselves!).
When you approach training as a combined effort – both the human and dog making changes to work together more effectively, it tends to be way more effective than only blaming or focusing on one side, and not the other.
About the Author:
Grace from Best Mate Dog Training (Owner/Dog Trainer)
Owner & founder of Best Mate Dog Training & the online dog training course, Canine Chaos to Calm.
Teaching dog owners all over NZ (and beyond) how to train their dogs to listen and behave reliably (even when excited/distracted), without using treats.
I LOVE helping people transform their dogs from being a source of stress, to a dog who’s a joy to have in their lives - it’s the best feeling!
