Problems with over-humanizing animals?

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I walk dogs for a living, which is a great job for me most of the time, since dogs aren't very judgmental and I don't have to intact with a ton of people. However, lately I've been noticing I have a lot more trouble with mentally humanizing the dogs I work with.

It got so bad with my own dog that I had a serious meltdown last night because he bit me (though it was my fault for being in his way when he was getting fed; I know he's food possessive and I should've known better). My feelings were hurt so much. It felt like being betrayed by a friend.

Do you have this problem? How do you deal with it?

I don't have a dog but I like the "Dog Whisperer" on tv and his books. He explains dog behavior and says they should not be treated like people.

Well, I have birds instead of dogs. They have very different needs, so I couldn't treat them like "flying humans". Anyway, nobody knows how an animal's emotions work or how different to human emotions they are. Hence we should treat higher animals as good as we treat humans. That may be far better than necessary, but we just cannot know...

Don't treat dogs like they are humans, they don't understand the same language.

You should research animal behaviour if this is your chosen profession.

Biting you over food is not an accident. I'm assuming it was a warning and not a proper bite.

That's the problem with a lot of dog owners, they assume their pet has the intelligence to know right from wrong, especially if it's a dangerous, unstable breed like pit bulls. Dogs are pack animals and in the wild they would growl and snap at any other dog who tried to snatch their food from them, which is also why they eat it as fast as possible. Domestic dogs still have this instinct even if they have plenty of food and there's no chance of it being stolen. People who get pets because they "love" them also really need to educate themselves about their behavior and know that you need to show the dog that you're the "alpha" of the "pack" and not the other way around. But I really shouldn't preach. I have two cats and even though I know I shouldn't I let them jump onto tables and counter-tops, even if they leave paw prints and cat hair all over them.

Yeah, idk if you're supposed to think of dogs as people, either. I do understand the tempation, though - I remember when my mom and stepdad got their schnauzer, and she was being trained. She was very high-spirited, and they were having a hard time training certain behaviors out of her, and I said something like, "Maybe Fifi misbehaves because she's simply discouraged....instead of telling her "bad dog" all the time, we should be giving her more hugs and positive affirmation." They both just looked at me as if I'd lit my head on fire.

I do talk to their dog all the time, though....she does seem to understand certain phrases like, "Come on," "Come here," "Treat," and "Okay, let's go home."