Why I Hate the Term “Bad Dog”

Average Full Article Reading Time: 2 minutes, 44 seconds

? Scott Sheaffer, CBCC-KA, CDBC, CPDT-KA, USA Dog Behavior, LLC

You hear it all the time:

”I have a bad dog; she’s dangerous.”

”Bill needs to get rid of his bad dog.”

”Debbie’s dog is a bad dog and should be put down.”

Before I go any further, let me expound on the type of “bad dog” I’m writing about, since there are two types. The first type has to do with dogs who have poor manners. By “poor manners” I’m talking about dogs who annoyingly jump on people, chew on shoes, bark constantly, etc. You get the idea. This type of “bad dog” would more properly be described as unruly. I don’t like when people apply the “bad dog” moniker to these types of behaviors, but it’s a more acceptable use of this term than it is with the second type of “bad dog” detailed below.

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