Imagine your reaction if your child's friend grabs the remote control of the TV you are watching and changes the channel--and then later, does it again. We instantly recognize this behavior as wrong and correct it. When humans break dog rules and they correct us, we ignore our insubordinate actions and default to "blaming the dog."

Former animal officer Melissa Berryman has witnessed how devastating the effects society's entrenched beliefs regarding dog behavior and temperament can be--that good behavior can be purchased, that an owner's handling ability doesn't...