10/24/2025
Let’s review.
There are extremely easy dogs out there. Dogs who, even without any real training, (rules, structure, leadership)—will be sweet, safe, and make great companions regardless of the environment you put them in. They might be a bit nutty, naughty, and chaotic, but it won’t be anything worrisome. Of course they’d be far more enjoyable, and far happier with proper training, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Then there are dogs in the “middle.” These are the dogs, who if not given the proper training (rules, structure, and leadership)—will become messy. How messy? That’s a good question. It can go from mild to extreme. You might have (or get) reactivity, territoriality, resource guarding, separation anxiety, fear issues, human or dog aggression… and the degree of intensity could be anywhere from a 1 to a 10. These dogs require owners who will bring far more to the table than the easy ones. Happily, most, don’t fall towards the extreme end of the spectrum, and that means that most, if given what they need (the right people and training), can succeed. That said, you’ll find many of the more extreme cases living harmoniously with trainers or very skilled owners—but placed in a less skilled/experienced environment, and you’d have a very bad situation indeed.
Then there are the dogs who are simply dangerous—dogs beyond our ability to help. Of course no wants to admit these dogs exist, but that simply means you haven’t been around enough troubled dogs. We like to think that nurture—our influence—can be enough to transform even the most problematic dogs into something other than they are. But genetics are a powerful thing, and they will always have the final word. These dogs are often mentally unstable. They will move between “states” in split seconds— from calm and peaceful to… something terrifying. And what triggers the dangerous behavior could be something obvious and seemingly benign, or it could be something which we are unable to even observe/know/detect. As heartbreaking as it might be, these dogs are out there, and pretending they’re not is a terribly dangerous mindset.
When we dismiss reality, we place owners in very precarious, and often dangerous situations. Instead, let’s simply embrace reality, and give the dogs and owners the very best chance at a great life — by making reality-based decisions on who gets placed with who… and yes, who doesn’t get placed at all.
