Is There Only One ‘Right’ Way to Raise a Dog?
- Deb from Busy Pawz
- Feb 16
- 4 min read
I came across a post from another trainer recently that really stuck with me. Someone had posted that they believed dogs were telepathic, and the response was to share the post and ridicule that idea.
Now, I didn’t see the full video (just the screenshot that was shared). I don’t know the full context. So I want to be fair about that.
But what bothered me wasn’t the word telepathy. It was how quickly someone else’s experience was dismissed and made into a joke.
I see this kind of thing a lot in dog training.
Why is it okay for some beliefs to be respected, even when we can’t see or prove them… but other beliefs are mocked just because they sit outside what we personally accept?
Dogs Feel Things — That’s Not a Stretch
Let’s start with something most of us can agree on.
Dogs feel things.
They feel fear. They feel excitement. They feel comfort. They feel stress. Anyone who has lived with a dog for more than five minutes knows this.
Why else would a dog hide during a thunderstorm? Why would they press their body against you when they’re unsure? Why do they celebrate like you’ve been gone for years when you walk through the door — even if it’s only been ten minutes?
We often call this instinct. But instinct isn’t cold or mechanical. It’s tied to survival, attachment, memory, and emotion.
Dogs aren’t robots responding to buttons being pushed. They are living beings, navigating the world with feelings and reactions, just like we are.
The Word Isn’t the Point
Do I personally use the word telepathy when I talk about dogs? Not really.
That word tends to come with a lot of assumptions, and it puts dogs into a very human framework — language, thoughts, and concepts that may not fit how they actually experience the world.
But if someone feels like their dog knows how they’re feeling before they’ve said a word… is that really such a wild idea?
We’ve all walked into a room where two people have just had a fight. No one needs to explain it — you feel it straight away. The air feels heavy. Something feels “off.”
No one calls that telepathy. We just accept that humans pick up on energy, tone, tension, and subtle cues.
Dogs do this too. Often better than we do.
Everyday Examples We See All the Time
Think about these moments:
Your dog gets restless before you even pick up your keys.
They start pacing when you’re anxious, even though nothing obvious has changed.
They stick closer to you on days when you’re feeling flat or overwhelmed.
Have you told them anything? Probably not.
They’re reading your breathing, your posture, your energy, your emotional state — all before you’ve consciously done anything.
Some people call that sensitivity. Some call it intuition. Some might call it telepathy.
The label doesn’t really matter. The experience is still real.
Dog Training Isn’t Black and White
This same “you’re wrong, I’m right” thinking shows up a lot in dog training.
There are harsh, rigid approaches. There are very loose, boundary-free approaches. And then there’s a huge grey area in between — where most people actually live.
I’ve been exposed to much tougher training styles than the one I use now. Did those people love their dogs? Absolutely. Did they care deeply? Yes. Did they train the way I do? No.
So who’s right? Who’s wrong?
Maybe… both can be right in their own context.
Just like parenting children, there’s no single method that guarantees a perfect outcome. Most kids raised in that grey area — with care, boundaries, and connection — grow into happy, functional adults.
Why wouldn’t the same be true for dogs?
Belief, Irony, and Respect
What really struck me about that post was the irony.
We live in a world where many people believe in God, prayer, miracles, and healing through faith — things that can’t be seen or measured.
Yet when someone suggests that dogs might communicate or connect in a way we don’t fully understand yet, it’s laughed at.
Isn’t that interesting?
Belief systems don’t all look the same. And just because something doesn’t fit your framework doesn’t mean it’s wrong — it just means it’s different.
You Get to Raise Your Dog Your Way
If you believe your dog is deeply sensitive to your emotions — you’re probably right.
If you believe your dog communicates with you in subtle ways — that doesn’t make you naive.
If you believe dogs are spiritual beings, emotional beings, or simply very perceptive beings — you don’t need permission for that.
There are limits, of course. Safety matters. Welfare matters. Kindness matters.
But if you’re living in that big grey space — with care, curiosity, and love — you are doing just fine.
Final Thoughts: You’re Not Alone in This
We don’t all have to agree.
What we can do is stop ridiculing people for seeing the world differently — especially when those views come from connection, not harm.
Dogs don’t need us to win arguments on the internet. They need us to show up, pay attention, and stay open-minded.
A little more curiosity and a lot less judgement would serve both dogs and humans pretty well.
💚 If this resonated with you, I’d love to know — how do you experience your connection with your dog? There’s room for many perspectives here, and all of them matter.
Thanks for reading!
And as always, throw your dog a treat from us!
Deb & the Busy Pawz Crew xo
P.S. If this conversation around belief, emotion, and understanding your dog resonated with you, I’m putting the finishing touches on a free mini course that dives deeper into how dogs think, feel, and respond to the world around them.
It’s not quite ready yet — but you can join the waitlist here to be the first to know when it launches. I think you’ll love where it’s heading. 💚
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