One child said, “Respect means… giving respect!” Another child, after a prolonged silence, whispered to her mom, “You say it!” Another said, “Respect is something grownups know.” So respect is a concept that even children have a hard time understanding, much less dogs. But to be honest, it isn’t really something that grownups know all that much better. Fear is frequently misinterpreted as respect. Another common situation in which the word “respect” is misapplied is when a dog is in a shut down state. People also might think a dog is being disrespectful when really the behaviors they’re learning just haven’t been fully proofed yet! And sometimes, people say a dog is being respectful when the dog is just really focused on the handler–which is a good thing! When you find yourself wishing that your dog showed you more respect, think about exactly what they’re doing, and exactly when they’re doing it. Like this: When [describe the specific context], my dog [describe what your dog does]. For example: I feel like my dog doesn’t respect me when [I call his name when he’s in the backyard] and my dog [ignores me completely].