"Normal" dog behavior?!

[aliki]

There was a post a week ago that was more of a rant about living with two dogs that did not belong to the Original Poster, and how to deal with them. The gist of her rant included living with two dogs that:

1. Begging/stealing food (including jumping on kitchen counter)
2. Jumping on humans
3. Pulling on the leash
4. Excessive barking

And overwhelmingly, everybody

Comments

[kaytethinks]

He sounds very smart, but isn't Kade part border collie? They're the smartest breed, right? I don't think every kind of dog is quite up to this standard. Then again, the hypothetical dog at the beginning of the post sounds especially poorly behaved.

The dog I walk (not my dog) doesn't jump on people (except for one family we occasionally run into who apparently know her, this gets her really excited), and never barks, but she does pull on the leash and steal cat food. She'll "sit," "stay," "come," "high five" but is mostly motivated by treats.

[aliki]

I agree that dog breeds probably plays a role in it, but I think there is a nurture/nature component too. Not everything can be chalked up to just genes.

[sooshi]

You have a very well trained dog. If we were to ever have one, we'd definitely train.

My sister in law's dog is a pain. But he gets away with it because she doesn't think it's a big deal. He behaves for her, not for anyone else.

[aliki]

I think the majority (but not all) misdeeds and misbehaviors, both in humans and dogs, are a result of lack of guidance.

I notice small dogs tend to get away with more than large dogs, largely because a 6-lb dog jumping on you is annoying but a 60-lb dog jumping on you knocks you over. Or a 3-lb dog biting is a nip but a 30-lb dog biting could draw blood.

[tabloidscully]

No. Dogs should be trained and can be trained in a way that isn't punitive or cruel

[aliki]

You are right, I'm sure breed plays a role in it. We had a German Shepherd too, and they were very eager to learn.

As an aside, we had a Little Bit too, but he was a cat! :)