5 Things Dog Owners Do That Drive Me Crazy, Part 1 of 2

Dog owners usually mean well, but some common habits can confuse dogs, increase stress, and make behavior problems worse. In Part 1 of this two-part series, certified canine behavior consultant and aggression specialist Scott Sheaffer tackles five practices that drive him crazy: nonstop commands, outdated alpha thinking, shock and prong collars, blindly following a trainer's instructions, and taking serious behavior advice from people who aren't qualified to give it.

Scott explains what dogs may actually be learning in these situations and why punishment can backfire, especially when fear, anxiety, reactivity, or aggression is involved. You'll also learn how to communicate more clearly, evaluate professional advice, advocate for your dog, and choose approaches that address the reason for behavior instead of simply trying to suppress it.

You can visit USADogBehavior.com for lots of dog behavior resources—almost all of them are free—including videos, blog articles, and past podcast episodes to help you understand your dog.

If you'd like to learn more about working with Scott, please visit his website below.

Find us at USADogBehavior.com.
Follow us on Facebook.

Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. If your dog is displaying aggression toward humans, consult an experienced and knowledgeable canine behavior professional who uses humane, non-aversive methods, and always take precautions to keep others safe.

Scott Sheaffer and USA Dog Behavior, LLC, are not responsible for any outcomes resulting from the use or interpretation of the information shared in this podcast.

Transcript

5 Things Dog Owners Do That Drive Me Crazy, Part 1 of 2
Hosted by Scott Sheaffer

Welcome to the USA Dog Behavior Podcast, where we explore one simple question.

Why is your dog behaving this way?

Whether it’s aggression, fear, anxiety, resource guarding, excessive barking, or another challenging behavior, every behavior has a reason, a root cause.

I’m Scott Sheaffer, a certified canine behavior consultant and aggression specialist based in Dallas, Texas. Through comprehensive online behavior assessments, I work with dog owners throughout the United States to better understand their dog’s behavior.

Let’s get started.

This is Part 1 of a two-part series about practices in the dog world that drive me crazy. Today’s episode is titled, “5 Things Dog Owners Do That Drive Me Crazy.” In the next installment, I’ll turn my attention to “5 Things Dog Trainers Do That Drive Me Crazy.”

This isn't about shaming owners. Most people love their dogs and are trying to do the right thing. But they're surrounded by outdated ideas, conflicting advice, and opinions from practically everyone they've ever met. These five habits that I’m going to talk about today create confusion, increase stress, and sometimes make behavior problems worse.

Number one is giving your dog nonstop commands.

You've seen it: “Sit. Sit. No. Stay. Come. Leave it. Sit. I said sit.” The dog looks increasingly confused, so the owner talks faster, gets louder, and repeats everything. Somehow, they think the fifteenth command will be clearer than the first fourteen.

I get super stressed just watching this kind of interaction. I usually just tell the client, “Let’s allow the dog to be “off duty” today.” Everyone relaxes a little after that.

From the dog's perspective, all that language becomes noise. The dog may not know which cue matters, may need more time to process it, or may not be able to perform in that environment. A dog who sits beautifully in a quiet kitchen may struggle outside near a barking dog and passing bicycle. That's not necessarily defiance. The situation may simply be too difficult for them.

Give one clear cue, then allow time for a response. If the dog can't respond, lower the difficulty or move farther from the distraction. Reinforce success. Also let your dog make good choices without constant direction. Let them settle down on their own, let them sniff, and give them time to process the world. 

Your dog needs to breathe a little.

Number two is the need to be the alpha.

Made-for-television dog training gave this old idea an enormous boost. It suggests that your dog is watching for weakness and waiting to take control.

Seriously, your dog isn't planning to take over your bank accounts. Your dog doesn't think you're a wolf, and most unwanted behavior isn't a bid for higher rank in the “pack.” This is thinking that was popular in the 1970’s, 50 years ago, but we now know it has no basis in fact.

By asking focused questions about your dog’s behavior, we can learn what’s really going on. We can stop using the worn out and factually inaccurate premise of “alpha.”  We can ask things like: Has this behavior been unintentionally reinforced? Has the dog learned what we prefer for them to do instead? Is the dog afraid, anxious, frustrated, over aroused, or in pain? Is what we're asking reasonable in this moment?

Those questions lead to useful answers. “My dog is trying to dominate me,” usually leads to nothing that will actually help.

You don't need to dominate your dog. You do need clarity, structure, consistency, and appropriate boundaries for them. Teach what works in your household and make the right behavior worthwhile. Your dog is trying to fit into a complicated human world and wants to get along with you and your family. Let them.

Number three is using shock collars and prong collars.

Shock collars are often called e-collars and prong collars are frequently called pinch collars. Softer names don't change the mechanism. These tools use physical pain to change behavior.

Consider a dog who barks and lunges when another dog appears. The owner activates an electronic collar or delivers a prong-collar leash correction. The owner thinks, “Now my dog knows barking is wrong.”

But the dog will almost certainly learn something else: “When other dogs appear, my neck hurts.” Instead of making other dogs less important, the correction can make them more threatening and predict pain. The visible barking might stop temporarily while the fear, anxiety, or frustration about the presence of other dogs remains.

Research comparing electronic-collar training with reward-focused training found the reward-focused approach more effective. Electronic collars are not necessary to train dogs. In fact, in my experience, they frequently make things worse. Other research has associated pain-based training methods like shock collars and prong collars with increased stress behavior and poorer welfare.

Please look for a humane way to train your dog that identifies why the behavior is happening, prevents the dog from repeatedly becoming overwhelmed, changes the emotional response when needed, and teaches a safer alternative.

Pain is a bad behavior plan. Period.

Before we continue, I want to take a second to tell you how I help dog owners dealing with serious behavior problems like this.

I work with clients throughout the United States through comprehensive online behavior assessments where we identify why the behavior is happening, discuss safety and prognosis, and develop practical recommendations tailored to their individual dog.

If you’d like more information about working with me directly, visit USADogBehavior.com.

Now let’s get back to today’s topic.

Number four is automatically doing whatever a dog trainer tells you to do.

I often hear this from clients: “My trainer told me to punish my dog every time he growls. If he continues growling, I'm supposed to punish him more… But his behavior is getting worse, and this feels wrong to me. I don’t know what to do.”

My response is always some version of this: You know your dog better than anyone on the planet. If something doesn’t feel right, pay attention to your gut.

Professional knowledge has value, and a professional should be able to explain what they're asking you to do, why it should work, what risks it carries, and what alternatives exist.

A growl is communication. The dog is saying, “I'm uncomfortable. I need space.” Punishing the growl might reduce the sound but won’t change the discomfort for the dog.

Imagine removing the alarm from a smoke detector while leaving the fire burning. The room isn't safer because it got quieter. We do the same thing when we try to stop dogs from growling or showing other forms of aggressive behavior. The fire is still raging but we’re ignoring it. Growling is a symptom of an underlying issue.

Here’s an unpleasant truth for you. The dog-training field in the United States is unregulated. Anyone can order business cards, launch a quick website, and call themselves a trainer. That doesn't prove they understand dog behavior or are qualified to handle aggression whatsoever. 

Ask about education, credentials, methods, equipment, and experience with your dog's issue. Be cautious when the explanation centers on being alpha, demanding respect, correcting warnings, or forcing compliance. For fear, anxiety, or aggression, find someone with specific behavior expertise.

You're allowed to say no, stop a session, or get a second opinion. Advocating for your dog is part of your job.

And that leads directly to number five: 

Taking advice from people who aren't qualified.

Dogs are everywhere, so opinions about dogs are everywhere too. Everyone has owned dogs, grown up with them, watched a few videos online, or knows someone with a dog. Suddenly, everyone is giving behavior advice. Living with dogs can be valuable experience, but it doesn't qualify someone to understand a serious behavior problem.

Funny little story. A client said to me, “Someone told me I should punish my dog every time he looks at another dog so he won't be interested in them anymore.

I asked, “What does this person do for a living?”

She said, “She's a hairdresser.”

My response? “I'll make a deal with your hairdresser. I won't tell people how to care for their hair if she'll stop giving canine behavior advice.”

Nothing against hairdressers of course. The point is that liking dogs doesn't make someone a behavior professional any more than having hair makes me a hair-care professional.

Well-meaning advice can still cause harm. Punishing a dog for looking at another dog may teach, “Other dogs predict punishment” like I mentioned earlier.

Before acting on random advice, ask what qualifies the person, whether they understand why the behavior is happening, and what risks the advice creates. Serious behavior issues deserve serious expertise.

You know the old adage: If someone isn’t charging you for advice, that can frequently be an indicator of its value. 

Let’s Wrap-Up

These are five things dog owners do that drive me crazy. They all come from one mistake: trying to control behavior before understanding it.

Slow down. Give your dog clarity and time to respond. Replace dominance with teaching. Choose methods that don't depend on pain. Question professional advice that feels wrong, and be selective about whose opinions you follow.

Your dog isn't trying to win a contest against you. Your dog is communicating, learning, and trying to feel safe. Find the reason behind the behavior, and better decisions become possible.

That wraps up Part 1 of this two-part series. Next time, I’ll share “5 Things Dog Trainers Do That Drive Me Crazy.”

You can find additional articles, videos, and podcast episodes by visiting USADogBehavior.com. Almost all of this content is free.

If you found today’s episode helpful, I’d appreciate it if you’d subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast with someone who has a dog that could benefit from it. That helps more dog owners find the show and supports the work I do.

Until next time, remember:

Your dog’s behavior always has a reason. Find the reason, and you’re much closer to finding the solution.

I’m Scott Sheaffer.

Thank you for listening, and I hope you’ll join me for the next episode.