How Stereotypes Hurt Your Dog (and Their Training)

While most of us know the damage stereotypes can do to us humans, what role do they play for our pups?!

We often put “labels” and stereotypes on our dogs that ultimately end up causing harm to them and specifically to their training.

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can avoid these stereotypes and find more positive ways to look at your pup, regardless of breed!

Here’s some of what we will cover:

• How “all dog”-style stereotypes don’t hold true
• Why you shouldn't get hung up on breed-specific stereotypes
• How stereotypes generally hurt training progress

Need more training help?? Sign up for 30 Day Perfect Pup here! https://pfrd.site/classhere-signupp

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello, pop parents and welcome to today's episode of the

(00:03):
perfect pup podcast. My name is Devon.
We're going to talk about how stereotypes that we often.
Apply to our dogs can end up hurting them and especially can
be a negative thing for their training.
So let's get right into it. Most of us are familiar with how
stereotypes can be harmful to groups and individuals as

(00:27):
humans, but we don't often thinkabout What stereotypes can do to
our dogs and how they can put usas parents into a bit of a
mental trap. And it can also negatively
affect our dogs and how we raisethem and specifically how we
train them. Here's a popular stereotype,
right? All dogs love to get that's,

(00:49):
well TV, and the things that we've often come to see
portrayed on media, whether thatbe movies, social media, it puts
us Into that thought process that all dogs love to be pet.
But is that true do all dogs, really love to be pet?
And if if we continually think of that stereotype or apply that

(01:09):
stereotype to all dogs around us, there can be harm that is
caused in a specific example if a dog you know you as an
individual think oh all dogs love to get pets and you go up
to pet a dog and that dog doesn't love getting pet and you
get bit whether that's you as anindividual approaching someone
else's dog. Or think of someone else with

(01:31):
that stereotype in their head, approaching your dog.
It can it can hurt your dog. In the sense that they're put
into a situation that they actually don't enjoy and
something bad might happen, which would have negative
repercussions for you and for your dog, another one, often
with the breed, you know, it might not be all dogs, you know,
that's many of the stereotypes is that dogs are this or dogs

(01:54):
like that, but sometimes it's breed-specific where we think
all Labrador. Beavers are dog-friendly.
And while that is often true, it's not always the case.
I have a Labrador Retriever who has been unfortunately attacked
multiple times and that has madeher.
Not always dog. Friendly to every dog that she

(02:16):
is around it will depend a lot on on the breed in the situation
and and just generally how the other dog is behaving towards
her. So again that stereotype, if I
just wanted to, you know, plow through and think okay.
Umm, you know she's alive. She'll be dog-friendly to every
dog, I go around, it could end up with her getting into
situations where she's very uncomfortable might resort to

(02:39):
fighting or nipping at other dogs and then it just creates
this whole host of other problems.
Another stereotype that I think specifically does US harm when
it comes to training. Our dogs is we put a label on
our dog, as being too hard to train.
We think. Oh, puggles are too.

(03:00):
To train, I'm not even going to try.
I'm using puggles as an example because I used to have a Puggle
is now passed away. And I can admit that he was a
little bit more challenging to train and came into my family
when he was older. And so I wasn't around for the
young puppy training stages but a lot of times we think that a
specific breed they're labeled as hard-headed or you know, they

(03:24):
they are dismissive of humans orthey don't want to be trained.
And sometimes I think That puts us into a rut as parents or we
just think. Well I don't know if I should
even try or you know, maybe it'snot working because my dog is
just hard to train and so I'm going to resort to something
like a shock collar or a prong collar that is going to do

(03:46):
negative things, to that dogs. Psyche.
In the long run, sometimes stereotypes can be somewhat
accurate for our dogs and for breeds, and for those types of
things, but every single dog is different.
And while there are some generalities that can apply to
breeds and can apply to dogs as a whole, your dog is unique,

(04:07):
your dog is specific to you, andtheir characteristics, and their
personality, and their behaviors, and their strengths,
and their weaknesses. And that's what's important to
remember is that us, as parents,we have the ability to tap into
our unique dog and what is goingto work for them.
I've told the story many times, but for some first-time

(04:29):
listeners, I have to Labrador retrievers.
Like I've mentioned one of them absolutely loves food, like,
wants to find snacks on the ground, superfood driven, which
is again, kind of stereotypical of a lab.
But one of my labs, she does notreally care about food.
And for the longest time we focused on.
Well, she's a lab, all dogs lovetreats.

(04:49):
Let's keep trying this treat training thing.
Let's keep doing it and it just wasn't working for her and when
we switch to using Fetch and using a ball as a reward.
Kind of going into a stereotype of labradors that they're
retrievers and they like to fetch.
But when we switched off from, okay, she's dog.
I'll puppies. Need to love food.
You know, all dogs need to live treats and we focused in on what

(05:12):
was her strength, which is her prey drive.
It can be a challenge but it is also a strength and by doing
that by, you know, kind of tearing down the stereotypes and
just saying, what does Scout specifically need it made her
training so much more enjoyable for?
Both her and for us and it was more effective when we were

(05:33):
using throwing the ball as a reward.
Her recall improved dramaticallythat's just one example.
So I hope this gets you thinkingon any stereotypes that you have
in your head about your dog thatmay be limiting them.
And may be limiting how you approach the training, how your
approach, raising them and you know it's just food for thought
that most times stereotypes we have about people and about

(05:57):
dogs. End up causing more harm than
Any good that can come from those stereotypes.
So, I hope you enjoyed this episode.
If you did, please forward it toa friend.
Leave a review on. Apple podcast.
Subscribe on YouTube. If you're watching there and
other than that, we'll catch youon the next episode.