A graphic design client reminded me of something important about dogs.
I had started working with him a couple of weeks earlier, and he knew his business inside and out.
He had been working with the same systems and processes for decades.
So when he explained things to me, some of it felt completely obvious to him.
But I was brand new to his world.
What was obvious to him wasn’t obvious to me yet.
And I suddenly thought…
We do this with our dogs all the time.
We tell dogs “no” constantly
No jumping. No barking. No pulling. Don’t chew that. Don’t rush the door. Don’t grab that.
But have we actually taught our dogs what yes looks like?
That’s where I think we sometimes forget what it feels like to be the one who doesn’t know the rules.
Our dogs arrive in our homes and have to learn an entirely new world.
What’s allowed.
What isn’t.
Where to sleep.
When to eat.
How to greet people.
What they’re supposed to do when the doorbell rings.
Which things in the house belong to them and which apparently very tempting things do not.
Some of those rules make perfect sense to us.
Our dogs weren’t born knowing them.
Teach the behavior you want instead
Correcting unwanted behavior may tell your dog that something didn’t work.
But it doesn’t automatically explain what you wanted them to do.
So instead of only thinking:
“Stop jumping.”
Ask:
What do I want my dog to do when someone comes through the door?
Maybe it’s four paws on the floor. Maybe it’s sitting. Maybe it’s going to a mat.
Instead of:
“Stop chewing my shoe.”
Teach: Here’s something you ARE allowed to chew.
Instead of: “Stop pulling.”
Teach and reward the behavior you want to see on the leash.
It sounds like such a small shift.
But it changes how you approach the problem.
What feels obvious to us may not be obvious to our dogs
That was the part my client accidentally reminded me of.
He wasn’t frustrated with me because I didn’t automatically understand something he had known for 20 years.
I was learning.
Our dogs are learning too.
And when we stop assuming they should somehow already know the answer, it becomes much easier to ask:
Have I actually shown my dog what I want them to do instead?
Sometimes that’s the missing piece.
Originally sent to Rescue Dogs 101 subscribers on April 16, 2026. Published online in September 2026.
