Of course, you could push this whole point a step further by realizing that it is in a dog’s nature to chase the cat. In fact, he probably considers chasing cats to be part of his job within the pack, given that his alpha doesn’t seem to fulfill that particular duty. In that light, his miscalculation was in not checking to see if you wanted to opt for your right to primacy in the realm of cat chasing this time too.

Often, such “bad” behaviors among people are exhibited for similar reasons–instinctual perception of a lack in their environment. Like dogs, many of us find ourselves at a loss to explain this behavior and are more happy when someone else’s idea proves to be more effective.

I find it helpful to abolish the terms “good” and “bad” as they apply to behavior, replacing them instead with “useful” and “non-useful.” I find it’s a useful approach to cutting back on my non-useful judgmental reactions to behavior which is outside my experience and comfort level.