Only, when I was mulling later, I realised later that by my own argument, there are no 'good' dogs either
![Shocked :shock:](./images/smilies/icon_eek.gif)
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
Now, I know perfectly well that when Jasper does a perfect recall, it's not because he's 'good' but because he shamelessly wants the treat I anticipate - and/or because of the training, coming is almost an automatic reflex. But if I tell myself he's 'good', and respond accordingly, doing a happy dance, I will reinforce his recall. If on the other hand he does something 'bad' and I shot at him/punish him, this won't help in the slightest - well, it might deter him from doing it in the future but we all know that at best, that's not the most effective approach, and at worst, it could destroy trust and impact behaviour badly because of that.
So are there no truly good or bad dogs, in a moral sense? Are they only good or bad in the way that a car can be good or bad? (Treat a good car nicely and it will keep running well, give it an almighty kick and if you're strong enough, you're going to make it worse...)
This is, really, a philosophical matter, particularly if you bring in humans who don't seem to have a moral compass or conscience. I will of course carry on thinking of Jasper as being a very good dog apart from when he's being a little sod!!