Trained VS taught ?

Jerrybo66 wrote:
I guess this is a moot subject but the other day I was giving her hell for eating the other dogs food. After a minute or so she bared her teeth to me. How do you correct a dog while laughing. Her thought. "ok I'm bad, get over it".

Dogs are pack animals and therefore look to their pack leader for guidance. The fact that your dog bared her teeth at you when you corrected her shows that she doesn't respect you as her pack leader. When a dog feels a lack of leadership, they often make the move to become the pack leader (normal animal behavior). This behavior is unacceptable and dangerous in a household situation. Please don't let children around her when she's eating. I would also feed your dogs in separate rooms or in their crates (use a closed door or baby gate to keep the rottie from getting to the other dog's food since she finishes first). Your other dog deserves the freedom to eat in peace and safety.

With that being said, I don't feel that dogs should be robots either. My dogs are trained to respect their boundaries, but we also have a lot of fun. For example, they are trained to sit while waiting to have their food bowls put down and to wait before running out the door (safety precaution). They are also trained not to pull on their leashes when on a walk. I don't teach them tricks - it's not my thing. However, some dogs actually enjoy doing these types of behaviors, so I have nothing against this type of training.