One of my many covers over the years.
Imagine for a second...your dog is chasing cars, you hang on tight and hope not to be taken for a ride as you brace yourself. Maybe your dog is systematically clearing off the counter each and every time you turn your back. You sit with your head in your hands wondering "how am I suppose to fix this?"
So many people go so long living with issues before asking for help. Humans are not born with the ins and outs of the canine brain. Yet somehow we think that we should know how to fix it; after all it is our dog who we live with day to day. I have been called for help with so many "canine problems" that are actually easy fixes. But if you don't know the solution to a problem then it is not easy.
Dog brains do not work the way that our brains do. The ideology that we can fix it with our human specific remedy is part of the problem. We often see a canine "issue" as very human, we put it into human terms and human reasoning; this is call anthropomorphism.
Anthropomorphism - the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to an animal or object.
When our dogs act out we understand it in human terms unless we are experience in canine behavior. It has to be talked about in human vocabulary but the actions that they are displaying are far from human.
I remember standing in a dog park hearing a woman say "oh look he's hugging that dog." As I turn to see what is going on it is very clear that there is a fight just around the corner if a human does not intervene. One paw up on the back of another strange male and there could be a problem. The woman saw this as a loving hug, but dogs do not hug like humans do. That is unless you have pack members that like to lay together so close that they appear to be hugging. ;) A hug in human terms is usually a nice thing, not in dog terms. (Which is why you should NEVER hug a strange dog)
Asking for help is not a weakness but a strength. When you do not know the answer to something is always a great thing to ask. How many people feel that by asking a question they are somehow lesser of a canine guardian. I wish that there was a mandatory Canine Guardian course that everyone had to take before adding a dog to their family, but there is not.
Anyone and everyone can get a dog. Sadly a fraction of people who are canine guardians know nothing about dogs. Even people who have had dogs for years can know little about them if they have not taken the time to learn how dogs work.
Being a canine photographer I have been out to many "big breeder" homes. I use to shoot for all of the big dog magazines out there (all of which are not gone); so I was always on the hunt for breeders. When I put on my photographer hat in lieu of my trainer hat, it was hard work. I had to turn all of the "trainer/behaviorist" in me, off. Some of the moments I spent at these "breeder" houses were the most eye opening. I assumed that if you've had many dogs over many years that you would understand dog, wrong.
Learning dog takes time and if you aren't interested to understand then you will not learn. If you do want to learn then do some research. If you are having problems that you cannot figure out, ask. Asking for help is always a good idea.