What is the meaning of “Dog Propensity”? Propensity is the tendency to behave in a certain way. In other words, the tendency to do the thing we do. “Dangerous Propensity” is the tendency of a dog to bite without provocation. If your dog is aggressive or considered reactive toward children, adults, other dogs, or household pets, he is dangerous! If your dog has growled, snapped, or lunged at a person, knocking them down, he is showing warning signs that you need to pay attention to and seek professional guidance to modify those behaviors before they become more of a threat. Barking is a “dog propensity” not a “dangerous propensity”.
The question I present is, “Has your dog shown a “Dangerous Propensity?” Do you have children in your home? Do you have other dogs or cats in your home? Do you have elderly or disabled family members? A dog will almost always bite the weakest members of the household.  
Is the great predictor of the future the past? Will a dog that has bitten bite again? Like all situations that occur out of the blue, with no warning, provocation, or sign of possibly ever happening, a dog that has never bitten will not bite until the moment he does!!! What does that mean? Here’s an example: I’m called to a home for training and witness an extra-large (over 70lbs) adult dog in a crate, posturing or growling lowly, almost under its breath, and two dogs in side-by-side crates, “going at it” with each other. When I confront the pet parent about the fact that the dogs appear to have a propensity to be dangerous, the pet parent responds with the following statement. “My dog would never hurt my children.” My answer is “NOT UNTIL THE MOMENT HE DOES.”
Dogs are not kids in furry suits. This is not a joke. I can see the behavioral issues coming from a mile away when a pet parent relates to their dog as an infant human. We all, me included, love to love our dogs, dote over them, give them everything we can to make their lives better and more fun, protect and care for them, and even spoil them to some degree. However, there have to be rules and boundaries in place, just like there are for any human family member. If not, your dog is in control of everything he does, not you!
This is the most important thing to remember: If you don’t correct an unwanted behavior, you validate it. If your dog bites once, and I don’t mean puppy nipping, and you don’t modify the behavior to correct it, then the message you send to your dog is, “IT’S OK TO BITE.”
Your canine family member cannot live in the gray zone; sometimes it’s OK, and sometimes not, especially when the behaviors are potentially threatening or dangerous, like biting and jumping. Dogs ALWAYS make far better companions when they stay within the boundaries of YOU CAN OR YOU CAN’T do something.
Dogs are not cute puppies forever. They become adult dogs right before our eyes, and it is the pet parent’s responsibility to teach their dogs how to be good companions and not how to be happy little babies. I know you think that’s a strange way to put it, but it’s a fact.
This, too, is a fact; pet parents who treat their large-breed puppy as though it’s a human baby, refusing to even say “NO” in a strong, commanding tone of voice, eventually use a SHOCK COLLAR to get the lovable monster they created under control. Others decide to send their teenage dog to boot camp, where they will most likely be trained by the same shock collar method. What a shock!
