Myth: A Dog Not Moving Always Equals a Calm Dog

Many people will harshly punish dogs to the point they give up on behaving. The dogs simply stand in one place, or walk quietly and sadly beside the leash handler. These dogs are not calm, they are psychologically and physically abused and shut down. Some have learned helplessness, where they essentially give up on life.

Some of these dogs are internally panicking. They have fears and phobias that are exacerbated by receiving painful punishments like remote shock collar or prong/pinch/choke collar corrections. They are not calm, peaceful, or having a relaxed time. They are suffering.

These dogs deserve better. Normal canine behavior involves plenty of moving around, running quickly, jumping, playing physically with other dogs, and these traits are valued by people for the many types of work dogs have performed - herding sheep, SAR (search and rescue), protecting properties and livestock, playful companionship - fetching toys, and so on.

And dogs’ biology exists to perform behaviors such as running fast. Therefore, rather than try to destroy their essence, their normal traits they have been created with, we should seek to provide them with opportunities when these behaviors are appropriate, and then we can train dogs to perform calm behaviors for rewards at other times.

For example, don’t expect your dogs to only walk right next to you, with no opportunities to explore, meet other dogs or people, but instead allow them these freedoms so they can fulfill their needs, and then train your dogs to control their impulses: walk calmly, stay for longer periods of time, and leave items when asked.

Likewise, it is normal for a puppy to want to greet new people and dogs. We should encourage these interactions, rather than worry a puppy may jump too much on them. We can always work over time to create calmer behavior around others, but we don’t want to punish these behaviors with corrections leading to a dog with fear and anxiety about meeting others.

A well-trained dog is not one that is punished to do nothing, but rather one that will happily respond to cues when asked to perform behaviors in exchange for rewards; and has his specific dog needs met with appropriate care and wellness.