If you’ve got a dog, you’ll know how playful and high-energy they can be, especially when they’re young. This can be funny at times, but in some cases, you might find them downright badly-behaved.
Dealing with a naughty dog can feel impossible, and it’s hard to know how to fix their behavior. But one canine expert says it’s much easier to understand our pets’ behaviour when we let go of the idea of them being bady behaved. The Devon Dog Lady on TikTok has shared her expertise, claiming it’s not about ‘fixing’ the dog at all.
In a recent video, she said: “People always tell me their dog is being “naughty”, but here’s the truth: dogs aren’t naughty – they’re just misunderstood.” With 25 years experience in the canine behavioural world, she believes behavior issues usually come down to communication, not disobedience.
Drawing on her own experience, she says that everything she’s taught her dog is down to her, and if she sees patterns she doesn’t like, the onus is on her to rearrange things and improve.
For example, if your dog is prone to jumping up, the expert says this is because you may have unconsciously told them to do this via how you react to it, or through excited play.
And while this may well have been an accident, it’s how the dog was taught, and maybe won’t know any better. So something as simple as encouraging them to stay down instead of petting them can help to resolve this issue.
She urged people to take the time to understand what our dogs are trying to tell us. You can do this through their body language, their triggers, and their needs, and always guide them with clarity and kindness.
Explaining further, she said: “It’s not about fixing the dog. It’s about educating the human. Because once we change the way we show up, everything shifts.
“Your dog isn’t being bad – they’re doing their best with the information they’ve got.”
