There is a common saying in positive reinforcement dog training, 'Train the dog in front of you.' I believe it generally means to not compare the dog in front of you to any other dogs or to how this dog was behaving yesterday, or five minutes ago. But I have a question,

What do you see when you look at the dog in front of you? 

Do you see a dog who is willful, stubborn and spiteful?

Or do you see a dog who is trying to cope with the situation and environment they are in at the current moment? 

If you see your dog as stubborn and label them stubborn you are going to get a stubborn dog.

But if you look at that same dog and see a dog who is trying to figure things out, suddenly that dog changes from stubborn to intelligent.

For example, Pono, The Siberian Sea Dog, is usually pretty chill during the day and he doesn't take things unless given permission. One day I was working on computer in my office, my husband came in and we were talking about human stuff, Pono followed him in and was sort milling around. We were busy with out conversation when out of the corner of my eye I saw Pono do a quick turn and high tail out of the room. My husband said "he grabbed a toy from the bin." The bin is actually a covered laundry hamper where all Pono's inside toys stay while not in use.

Some folks may have said Pono was 'bad' for stealing the toy, they see a 'bad' dog. Some folks may have said Pono was attention seeking, they see a 'bad' dog.        Some folks may say that act was willful or spiteful, they see a 'bad' dog.

BUT

I see something else entirely. I see a a clever dog who figured out how to open the bin. I see a dog who felt he needed to be part of the conversation and figured out how to do it with out barking, whining, nipping or grabbing any number of human items in the room that were not in a bin, but were in easy reach for him.

I see a brilliant dog.

The dog in front of me is brilliant.

I see him as ingenious, intelligent, and clever. 

And so he is!

What you see in your dog is what you get in your dog.

What do you see?