#195 Urban Legends Are Everywhere

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The world of dog training is filled with outdated advice that gets passed down like spooky campfire stories. These persistent myths don't just confuse dog owners—they can damage the trust between you and your four-legged friend. From the thoroughly debunked "alpha theory" to the harmful practice of punishing growls, we're tackling these urban legends head-on.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Have you ever been told not to let your dog walk in
front of you or he'll start tothink that he's the boss?
Or that playing tug will makeyour dog aggressive?
Yeah, let's talk about it.
Today we are busting some ofthe most common and persistent

(00:24):
urban legends in dog trainingStuff that's been passed down
like ghost stories at a campfire.
Except instead of scaring kids,they confuse dog owners.
So the first urban legend youhave to be alpha, this one's
everywhere.
Alpha, this one's everywhere.

(00:48):
People still say you need toshow your dog who's boss, or eat
before them, or never let themon the couch.
And here's the deal, the wholealpha wolf theory.
It came from studies on captivewolves in the 70s and the
actual guy who did the researchlater said oops, that's not
really how wolf packs work atall.
And here's the truth.

(01:09):
Not letting your dog on thecouch doesn't make you some sort
of authority figure in yourdog's eyes.
It's just another rule that hehas to follow.
And dogs don't mind followingthe rules as long as they know
what they are.
So just be a consistent andfair leader.
You don't have to be a drillsergeant.

(01:32):
Urban legend number two don'tlet your dog walk in front of
you.
Look, unless your dog ispushing you into traffic,
they're not plotting a caninecoup.
Walking in front just meansthey're excited.
They're not plotting a caninecoup.
Walking in front just meansthey're excited.
They're curious.

(01:54):
They're dogs.
Watch your dog, off-leash inthe backyard.
Does he walk in a straight lineat a set pace?
No, he runs here and sniffs.
And he runs there and sniffs.
And that's all they're doingwhen they're on leash.
Because they didn't know therules have changed just because
you hooked the leash to theircollar.
So walking ahead of your dogdoesn't make them think oh wow,
he's in charge.
It just means they can't sniffand explore at their own pace.

(02:18):
Leash manners matter, sure, butnot because of dominance.
We want loose leash walking.
So you know, no one's arm getsripped out.
And urban legend number threeyou should always go through the
door first.
Waiting at doors isn't aboutasserting authority.

(02:39):
We do it for safety, so yourdog doesn't knock you down with
excitement.
It's about safety, nothierarchy.
It doesn't matter who goesfirst or last, as long as we all
get through with our kneesintact.
And urban legend number fourrubbing their nose in it will

(03:01):
stop house training accidents.
Nope, nope and nope.
Dogs don't connect the dotsafter the fact.
Rubbing their nose in urinedoesn't say don't potty inside.
It says, oh, my owner can beviolent and it can also teach

(03:21):
your puppy to hide better nexttime and it can also teach your
puppy to hide better next time.
So if your dog has an accident,simply clean it up and move on
and double check your housetraining schedule.
And, in all honesty, if my dogis going to have an accident
inside, I prefer that he goesright in front of me so I know

(03:42):
exactly what I need to clean up.
If he goes and hides in theguest bedroom, it could take me
six months to figure it out.
And urban legend number fiveplaying tug makes your dog
aggressive.
It doesn't.
Tug is not the gateway drug toaggression.

(04:02):
Tug is actually a fantasticgame if you just play by some
basic rules Start it, end it andteach a good release cue like
drop it.
Tug actually builds impulse,control and confidence and it
should strengthen your bond withyour dog, all without turning

(04:24):
your dog into a raging lunatic.
And urban legend number six ifyour dog growls, you should
punish him.
Please don't.
Growling is your dog's way ofsaying hey, I'm uncomfortable.
And if you punish the growl,you may be removing the only

(04:46):
audible warning that you receivebefore your dog bites.
Instead, listen to and respectthe growl and then ask yourself
what's making him uncomfortable,why is he growling?
And once you figure out the why, you can start working on the
fix.

(05:06):
You figure out the why you canstart working on the fix.
So let's just quickly recap afew of these wild myths.
You don't need to dominate yourdog.
Tug is not dangerous.
Dogs can walk in front of youwithout thinking they're in
charge.
Nose rubbing teaches fear, nothouse training.
Nose rubbing teaches fear, nothouse training.

(05:27):
And waiting at doors is aboutsafety, not leadership.
And not letting dogs on thecouch is just a rule.
It's not a status game.
And growling is communication,not disrespect.