Britain is a nation of dog lovers, but according to leading behaviourist Daniel Shaw from Edinburgh, our deep affection for our pets may be doing more harm than good.

Speaking ahead of the sold-out Pet Remedy Emotional Wellbeing in Animals Conference in Torquay later this month, Shaw has issued a stark warning: too many owners are fundamentally misunderstanding what their dogs need, and the consequences can be serious.

“We love dogs, and that bond is incredibly powerful,” he says. “But that closeness can actually make us blind. We trust our dogs because they’re part of the family, but we forget they don’t understand the world the way we do. That’s where problems begin.”

Shaw, an animal behaviourist and legal expert witness with a background in psychology and neuroscience, says one of the biggest issues is a basic mismatch between dog and lifestyle.

“People choose a dog based on what they want, not what actually fits their environment,” he explains. “If your lifestyle doesn’t match your dog’s needs, you’re starting on the back foot before you’ve even begun.”

It’s a problem he sees repeatedly in his work with complex behaviour cases, including aggression and separation distress, often involving dogs that have never seen a behaviourist, and in some cases, not even a vet.

“These are the people we have to reach,” he says. “Because by the time things escalate, the dog is often labelled as the problem, when actually the situation has been building for a long time.”

Shaw, who regularly works alongside social services where a dog’s behaviour is being assessed, believes many owners are unintentionally placing their dogs in situations they simply aren’t equipped to handle, particularly in busy, human-centric environments.

“If you look at free-living dogs, they tend to live in small, stable groups,” he says. “They might see other dogs occasionally, but they’re not constantly socialising. Yet we expect pet dogs to cope with crowded parks, busy homes, visitors coming and going. That’s not always natural or comfortable for them.”

This disconnect can have serious consequences, particularly when it comes to behaviour around visitors or in unfamiliar situations.

“Some dogs are predisposed to territorial behaviours,” Shaw explains. “Then we bring people into the home and just assume the dog will be fine. We trust them to cope, but we haven’t actually helped them learn how. That’s when things can go badly wrong, and it’s not the dog’s fault.”

He adds: “We need to stop putting dogs in situations and hoping for the best. It’s our responsibility to recognise what they’re feeling and support them through it.”

Part of the problem, Shaw says, is that while human and canine emotions are closely linked, the differences between the two are often poorly understood.

“Dog and human emotions are actually very similar in many ways,” he says. “But the differences aren’t always what people think. We misread subtle signals, or we project our own feelings onto them, and that can lead to real misunderstandings.”

At the upcoming conference, Shaw will focus on emotional wellbeing in a legal context, exploring how kennels and authorities can better support dogs to give them the best chance of successful rehabilitation and reintegration into family life.

“We have to start earlier,” he says. “How do we stop these situations happening in the first place? That comes down to education, awareness, and making proper support accessible to everyone, not just those who go looking for it.”

He believes charities, professionals and the wider dog community all have a role to play in reaching owners who might otherwise slip through the net.

“A lot of the people I work with wouldn’t typically engage with a behaviourist,” he says. “So we have to meet them where they are, offer support without judgement, and crucially, continue that support after the dog goes back home. That’s where long-term change happens.”

The Torquay conference is now fully booked, but a virtual version will take place on 11 and 12 April, with places still available at https://live.petremedy.co.uk/events/ewm-conference-2026-virtual-seminar/