Everyone has come across a dog with its handler and thought “Wow, they can’t handle that dog.” Why not? Is it the dog is too shy or aggressive? Maybe the dog needs too much attention or socialization work? The answer is more often than not the person not the dog. Maybe the person isn't stable enough emotionally, or isn't a strong enough alpha. Hopefully I can try to set a few people on the right path to understanding. This is a slightly difficult to explain topic so please bear with me.
It’s not much of a secret that since the beginning, dogs have been uncanny masters of reading human beings. Their doggy DNA has a gene in there that makes them understand how our body moves and turns it into a billboard for their easy reading. The entire basis of me using a dog’s senses over my own in times of stress is based off that skill. What many people often forget is that while your pooch is reading strangers and family members, they are also reading us. If you are the kind of person who goes barking at the door when the wind blows, then guess what your dog is going to do. If you are the kind of person who is relaxed and confident, you can expect to see a dog who reflects that emotion as well. The dog may have its own nature but you will find that it adopts your nature as part of its own. A naturally confident dog will learn to be nervous and uneasy and visa versa.
If they are reading you at all times, it is easy for you to send mixed signals when asking your dog complete a task. The best example of this I can give is actually from horse riding. I watched a girl try for an hour and half to get her horse to cross a stream. She kept telling it forward and even nudging her boots into its sides. Everything a person could see or hear was telling this horse to move forward. At the same time though, she was scared. Her body was tensing in ways that her horse was reading as “holy cow I better not try to do this.” The horse’s nature was telling it to listen to her body not her commands. Dogs can read us even better than horses can, so it doesn't take as strong a signal for them to pick up what we are really feeling of thinking. If you expect the dog to bark at a stranger in the back of your mind, then it doesn't matter what you tell the dog, the dog thinks there is a reason for it to bark at that stranger. You must truly believe that your dog is going to do as you wish. You have to have faith that your dog won’t act inappropriately. And you have to trust that it knows what you are looking for. Without that trust, people lean on their own means of controlling what they consider an unruly dog. All of a sudden the dog is wearing a prong collar, getting jerked around by a leash, and getting screamed at for doing what it was being told it should be doing. Am I saying there is no such thing as an aggressive dog? Not at all. I am saying that before you rule that your dog is a true blue killer, maybe you need to evaluate yourself first.
Emotional stability is something that people and dogs alike require to feel at ease. Children, who grow up in a home with an overly abusive parent, learn to always be on the lookout for things that would set off that parent. They live their lives in a constant hyper vigilant state. Your dog will quite literally do the same exact thing. It induces a state of anxiety to which the dog will have no clue how to handle. The natural reaction in this environment is to get irritable and even aggressive. If you are calm and then all of a sudden explode into anger, your dog will know. To them you become that abusive parent. If you find that this sounds a bit like you, then try this next time. Take a deep breath and correct the dog sternly but sanely. Also remember to praise once the dog corrects its behavior Over time, this will become the norm for you, and your dog will be able to relax. Once they relax, you’ll find that you don’t need to correct the dog as often. The issue wasn't that the dog was looking to cause problems. It was simply that the dog couldn't settle down with the threat of the incredible hulk going off at any time.
You may find that dogs are the closest thing to the magic mirror on the wall. They show us a side of us that we may be trying not to see. They can read what our body is saying and not what our brain is trying to prove to itself. So if you think you are the best team captain but you are really the weakest player, your dog will let you know. Why am I saying this? The role of leader has to be played by someone. If your dog thinks you are too weak, it will assume the role. Does this mean that you need to be Superman, Wonder Woman, and Ceasar Milan at the same time? Of course it doesn't mean that. It just means that your dog has to see you handling everyday tasks as though you run your life. If you can’t put your shirt on right or remember which end of your foot goes in the sock first, your dog is likely to try and tell you how to do those things. Logically it figures if you need to be told that, then you aren't bright enough to tell it what to do. You can expect that at times your dog will test your leadership and authority. The harder the temperament the more often and more vigorous the tests will be. Just remember to keep stable and show your dog that you can indeed handle the job of team leader.