Does your dog love you?

The “Desire To Please” Myth
A common fallacy people have about dogs is that they have a “desire to please” us.

Some people think that our love and praise is all a dog needs as a motivator.

Your dog doesn’t have a desire to please you; he only has a desire to please himself.

If making you happy brings good things to him, I guess this could be construed as a desire to please, but most dogs aren’t willing to work for just praise, when there are other things in the environment that are higher on the reward scale.

If you dog seems to be responding to praise only while learning a behavior, then there is also likely the desire to avoid a punishment too. Praise is, however, a good way to let a dog know he’s on the right track to getting a reward.

If you think your dog will be obedient just because it makes you happy, you need to accept the fact that your dog doesn’t think you are God and instead, love your dog for the thinking being that he is.