This week’s question was one I have thought about for a very long time. What makes a good dog? Is it their level of obedience? Is it their good looks? Is it their size? Once again, we have a situation where opinions can vary. Humans are normally very forgiving to their dogs, even over their own kids! I have been in countless homes over the years where the dog has destroyed thousands of dollars in furniture or carpet and the owners blame themselves…or just a few moments later they will go off on a tangent about how tough their children can be.

“Fluffy destroyed my leather couch but other than that he is a GREAT dog!”

“Fluffy wouldn’t have ANY accidents if my kids were not so lazy and just get him out more often…”

Some of the most popular movies involve very ill-mannered dogs…K-9, Turner and Hooch, Beethoven, Marley and Me and the list goes on and on and on. K-9 has always been one of my favorite dog movies because Belushi refuses to give in to Jerry Lee and finally inspires the dog to follow him, which is very similar to what a great dog trainer would do.

However, I am not advocating taking your dog through a car wash in a convertible!

And then you have dogs that are “show dogs”. These dogs look good and act good, in front of a crowd…many of them are not very good once they are back home though. Many show dogs have handlers because of this issue.

So, what makes a good dog? A good dog will have the following traits:

1. Willing to take direction from the human

2. Willing, ready, and happy about taking that direction

3. Confident, but still relying on you

Did you notice I said nothing about obedience? Obedience is important because it gives humans a tool to guide the dog to a certain position, but obedience never equates to a good dog. Many dogs are great at obedience but still have major behavior issues.

Another thing worth noting is a good dog will never act afraid or broken, which is what I almost always see with a shock collar/e-collar trainer.

So how do we get our dogs to be GOOD? By using their natural instincts and language to train them. Dogs have an instinctual need for human leadership and in the absence of it, will look for it elsewhere or become the leader themselves.

And this is what you can expect from your local Always Faithful Dog Trainer. We will teach you to lead and inspire your dog. Then you will truly have a good dog.

Contact one of our certified trainers today to find out more.