History Main / DogsLoveBeingPraised

* ''Series/Grimm'': After Monroe (a Blutbad; think werewolf) is able to find something due to his superior sense of smell, Nick pats him on the shoulder and says, "Good boy!" Monroe was both annoyed and amused.

->"As I sat on the wooden dock that jutted out onto the pond, I knew this to be ''true'': my name is Buddy and I ''was'' a ''good dog''."

* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': Pantofell knocks a small pebble down on the makeshift barricade Toma is making and he enthusiastically calls her such a good dog, to which she gives him a very enthusiastic lick with a happy full body tail wag.

In fiction, there's no greater compliment to a dog than being called a "good dog" or "good boy/girl".

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* ''Webcomic/ThreePanelSoul'' has Jess ask "Who's a good boy?" The dog [[http://www.threepanelsoul.com/comic/dog-philosophy spends two panels musing over what being a good boy actually is]].

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'': Mr. Peanutbutter is an anthropomorphic labrador who is characterized by his incredible positivity and the desire for everybody to love him. This pays off in his career as a television star (his flagship TV show's theme song contains the line "He's a good dog, he's just trying to do his job") and his brief stint as a gubernatorial candidate, but makes things awkward for his friends and girlfriends as he constantly vies for their approval with grand gestures of affection. To cap it off, his license plate reads "GOODBOY."

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'': Most of the ''Buttons & Mindy'' shorts end with Buttons getting blamed for something and being called a bad dog.

--> ''My owner always says, "You're such a good dog," and I ''feel'' like a good dog, but what if deep down I'm a bad dog? WHAT IF I'M A BAD DOG?!''

** When Carl blames Dug [[spoiler: for bringing Kevin and Muntz into his life, putting his mission and his house in jeopardy]], [[KickTheDog he calls Dug a bad dog]]. Dug immediately lowers his head and walks away.

* In "Dug's Special Mission", a bonus short from ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', Dug becomes even sadder than he was initially when he overhears Alpha calling him a "bad dog".

--> ''My owner always says "You're such a good dog," and I ''feel'' like a good dog, but what if deep down I'm a bad dog? WHAT IF I'M A BAD DOG?!''

'''Dog''': '''This is amazing''!

* In the first ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' novel, Jake gets called a bad dog by his brother while shape-shifted into their family dog. He immediately becomes inconsolable and curls up in a corner.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In ''Literature/MovingPictures'', Laddie's personality consists entirely of this and DogsAreDumb. The more cynical TalkingAnimal Gaspode, in this book and later ones, has a difficult relationship with the trope; on some level he wants to be called a good dog, and he deeply resents it. In ''Literature/MenAtArms'' he's able to provoke an instant existential crisis in some of the most vicious street dogs in the city by shouting "Bad dog!" at them.

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'': Mr. Peanutbutter is an anthropomorphic labrador who is characterized by his incredible positivity and the desire for everybody to love him. This pays off in his career as a television star (his flagship TV show's theme song contains the line "He's a good dog, he's just trying to do his job") and his brief stint as a gubernatorial candidate, but makes things awkward for his friends and girlfriend as he constantly vies for their approval with grand gestures of affection. To cap it off, his license plate reads "GOODBOY."

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* The entire premise of the aptly named ''WesternAnimation/BadDog'' was the dog Berkeley would go catatonic when called a bad dog. He's so obsessed with being the best dog he can be though he has a compulsive need to obey every single order he hears, even ones that weren't directed at him, or even things like suggestions, or even sarcastic comments, that he tends to be called bad OncePerEpisode after enough [[HilarityEnsues collateral damage has been caused]]. The only way to turn him back to normal was to call him a good dog.

If the dog is sapient and has a good enough understanding of human language, being this way can signify that they're humble and simplistic (maybe even a bit [[DogsAreDumb dumb]], in some cases). They're a LoyalAnimalCompanion who enjoys simple things and likes making their human happy.

Despite the title, not all examples involve dogs. It's just most common in dog characters.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In ''Discworld/MovingPictures'', Laddie's personality consists entirely of this and DogsAreDumb. The more cynical TalkingAnimal Gaspode, in this book and later ones, has a difficult relationship with the trope; on some level he wants to be called a good dog, and he deeply resents it. In ''Discworld/MenAtArms'' he's able to provoke an instant existential crisis in some of the most vicious street dogs in the city by shouting "Bad dog!" at them.