Will you label it or fix it?

One of my biggest time-consumers in the dog training world is helping owners understand their dogs' behaviors and emotions. The other day, at a dog social hour, the owner kept telling the crowd that her dog was a prima donna because the pup wouldn't leave its thrown on the golf cart to visit the other dogs. Everyone joined in on commenting on "the princess." Nothing was done to find a way to motivate the dog to get off the golf cart. When the crowd was distracted, I pulled the treats out and got a majority of the dogs to run around with me, including the housemate of the dog sitting on the cart. Very soon after that, the mocked pup hopped off her perch and joyfully ran over to me.

Eventually the owner asked why her dog had such an attitude and why she always barked at dogs she had never met before. She was quick to blame its upbringing in the show dog world.  Believe me, it would be a rare breeder or show handler who would tolerate a dog who barks at every new dog it meets. I explained to the owner that a dog who lacks confidence in greeting other dogs will do every type of body language to defend itself: growling, lifting lips to show teeth, snapping, tucking tail, running away, and yes, even barking. This type of behavior can be greatly minimized if an owner will spend time doing the proper rehabilitation to build a dog's confidence. I also explained that letting the dog continue to do this will cement the behavior in the dog's neuropathways (practice makes perfect!) and could possibly get worse.

Odd, unwanted, ugly, dumb, fearful, aloof, aggressive, stupid, weird, behavior. Will you label it or will you fix it?