Good Dog, Bad Dog

"Bad dog” is a refrain I often hear shouted across the beach as someone’s dog disappears into the distance. But is that dog actually behaving badly — or are they simply doing what works for them in that moment? Do dogs have any sense of right and wrong, good and bad? Or is their behaviour driven by motivation and learning history? Let's take a look!

Despite what some people think, dogs do not have a moral compass. That a behaviour is classified as "bad" is giving it a human label. Dogs do not act out of spite, revenge or guilt (Donaldson, 2013). Nor, I'm sorry to inform, do they act out of love or a desire to please in the way that humans imagine. They behave the way they do because certain actions reliably lead to certain outcomes - and those outcomes drive the behaviour.

Often behaviours that we humans consider to be "bad" are either natural dog behaviours in a context we find undesirable (like barking, chewing or digging) or ones that have been unintentionally reinforced (like giving attention to a dog when they jump up). At no point is the dog thinking "I know this is wrong, but I'm going to do it anyway". Think of the dog who chews the sofa when left alone. We might consider this "bad" behaviour but for the dog it's soothing, self-reinforcing and has worked before. Or the dog that barks at people as they walk past the house. This is not them being bad, they're practising a natural behaviour that has proven successful in making the "intruder" go away time and again.

When I tell dog owners this I sometimes get asked why, if they don't know right from wrong, does their dog look guilty when they've done something the owner disapproves of. It's a good question - dogs can look guilty. But what they are actually displaying appeasement signals; behaviours like lip licking, yawning, turning their head away (Science Insights, 2026) or even a submissive smile (Miller, 2006). These are not signs of guilt. They're signs that the dog has learned that a certain tone of voice or body language from their human predicts conflict, and they are trying to diffuse it.

The next time your dog does something "bad", take a moment to consider: what outcome is the this behaviour producing for my dog? What need is it meeting? What has it worked for before? When we stop thinking in terms of right or wrong, training will become clearer, kinder and more effective.

References

Donaldson, J. (2013). Culture Clash A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs. Academy for Dog Trainers

Science Insights Team (2026). What Is Appeasement in Dogs? Signals Explained - ScienceInsights. [online] ScienceInsights. Available at: https://scienceinsights.org/what-is-appeasement-in-dogs-signals-explained/ [Accessed 29 Sept. 2026]

Miller, P. (2006). Understanding Dog Appeasement Signals. [online] Whole Dog Journal. Available at: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/understanding-dog-appeasement-signals/ [Accessed 29 Sept. 2026].