Q:
Is it true that a person needs
to be dominant in their relationship
with their dog so he’ll obey them?
A:
The concept of needing to be physically
dominant in our relationship with our
dogs is absolutely incorrect and long
been disproved by the scientific community.
True physical displays of dominance
in the pack hierarchy only comes into
play when food, sex, or emergencies
are involved.
While
it is true you want to be a leader of
sorts for your human/canine family for
safety reasons, physical force or punishment
or the threat of force or punishment
are not necessary. The definition of
dominance is “who controls access.”
In your everyday relationship with your
dog, you want to be dominant but without
resorting to using physical force. If
a three-year-old child has her hand
on the doorknob, she is dominant because
she controls whether the dog goes in
or out. If she is holding a ball, in
the dog’s eyes, she is dominant
because she controls access to the ball.
So dominance doesn’t mean who
is bigger or stronger…although
that sometimes plays a part. It simply
means setting up your environment so
that you control access to things your
dog wants and he has to look to you
to get what he wants. You control the
food, affection, toys, social freedom,
climate control, and everything else
in his universe. There is no negotiation.
In effect, you are saying, “I’ll
give you the world, but you’ve
got to do something for me first.”
When the dog figures this out, you simply
ask the dog to do something before providing
the reward, whether it be food, chasing
a ball, going outside, etc.
For many years, concepts about hierarchy
within the canine world led to the idea
that one dog in the pack is the top
ranking “alpha dog” and
that that dog is dominant in all situations.
In recent years this concept has been
researched extensively by leading animal
behaviorists who now consider it to
be outmoded and simplistic. Still, the
perception that dogs look up to the
alpha in the pack as some sort of tyrannical
dictator and that humans should take
on this role has been perpetuated by
the authors of many mainstream dog training
books and trainers on television. They
use this theory to teach you to mandate
your authority as the physical-force
leader of your dog’s pack—the
boss, the head honcho, the big cheese,
the numero uno. Woe to him if he doesn’t
obey. Unfortunately, this outmoded idea
has some trainers perpetuating the myth
that humans should use physical displays
with the family dog including physically
forcing dogs to walk behind them, standing
over them, pinning them to the ground,
always entering a room first, and so
on, supposedly to mimic the behaviors
of packs in the wild. Well, none of
these things actually exist in the wild
except around food or procreation issues.
The most frequently repeated phrase
by trainers who endorse this outdated
“dominance” theory is. “You
must always win when training your dog.”
If you think about it, the phrase “you
must always win” conveys that
there is a competition going on. And
a competition means there is a “win-lose”
mentality. How can you and your dog
become a behavioral team when you are
caught up in an environment of having
to compete and win at all costs?
Dogs are social animals. When they were
domesticated way back when, we became
part of their social order and along
the way we also became their guardians,
caregivers, protectors, and guides.
There is no “one dog rules all”
pack mentality. The best way to view
your role in your dog’s life is
as a member of his family—and
the dog as a member of your family.
Just as parents and children have different
roles in the family, so, too, humans
and dogs have different roles. But we’re
all part of the same family. In nonviolent
dog training, you are not out to compete
or “win” anything. There
are no “commands” and no
threats. Instead, you give your dog
“signals” and reinforce
his correct “responses.”
You are learning from each other how
to work together.
Although not a perfect mirror, some
similarities exist in the social orders
between wolves and dogs. L. David Mech,
one of the world's leading experts on
the pack behavior of wild wolves, prefers
to associate the term alpha with parenting.
He says, "In natural wolf packs,
the alpha male or female are merely
the breeding animals, the parents of
the pack, and dominance contests with
other wolves are rare, if they exist
at all.” ¹ Mech continues,
“Breeding wolves [only] provide
leadership because offspring tend to
follow their parents' initiative….
The point here is not so much the terminology
but what the terminology falsely implies:
a rigid, force-based dominance hierarchy.”
² Mech’s research shows that,
while breeding wolves provided the most
leadership, wolves who had subordinate
roles also provided leadership during
travel. He says, “No “alpha”
[emphasis mine] would suddenly run to
the front of the pack and force the
subordinate to get behind him.”³
According to Dr. Karen Overall, many
animal behaviorists believe that although
each member of a group works in his
own self interest, that self interest
manifests in shared responsibilities.
It would be abnormal for one animal
to constantly have to demonstrate through
force that he was dominant. In reality,
each situation in the group dynamic
entails a collaborative effort. In the
wild, these social interactions are
dependent on what’s going on in
the environment because success for
the group is dependent on working together.
Wolves have a complex communication
system; we are still trying to translate
their subtle language. We do know, however,
that studies suggest the only situations
that trigger an absolute rank hierarchy
are around disasters or stressful situations
relating to resources like food and
sex (procreation).
So the question arises, why do some
trainers seem to elicit almost miraculous
results in getting dogs to do what they
want through what they call “dominance”
training. The truth is, it isn’t
miraculous, nor is it related to dominance.
The results are due to using physical
force in order to suppress behaviors,
which is done by using positive punishment
and physically forcing fearful dogs
into overwhelming situations until they
“shut down,” which is called
flooding. Calling this dominance training
is simply incorrect and its practice
can be dangerous for both dogs and humans,
especially when aggression is involved.
It’s pure abuse when used with
fearful dogs.
Animals defer to one another to keep
their group safe, strong, and healthy.
If one individual threatens the group’s
collaborative efforts by asserting himself
in ways contrary to the group’s
well being, he is thrown out. There
are many examples of animal packs ousting
members who tried to rule by brute force.
Wolves have banished individuals who
constantly used undue physical force
to exert their authority. Monkeys also
have been shown to attack and oust brutish
members who used their strength and
size against other members of the group.
Behavioral scientists are helping us
better understand ourselves and our
world by their study of collaborative
efforts within various species. The
following story is a terrific example
of how we humans can learn from nature—in
this case, from geese:
The
Goose Story
Author
Unknown
Next
fall, when you see geese heading
south for the winter, flying along
in “V” formation, you
might consider what science has
discovered about why they fly that
way.
As
each bird flaps its wings, it creates
an uplift for the bird immediately
following.
By
flying in a “V” formation,
the whole flock adds at least 71
percent more flying range than possible
if each bird flew on its own.
People
who share a common direction and
sense of community can get where
they are going more quickly and
easily because they are traveling
on the thrust of one another.
When
a goose falls out of formation,
it suddenly feels the drag and resistance
of trying to go it alone . . . and
quickly gets back into formation
to take advantage of the lifting
power of the bird in front.
If
we have as much sense as the goose,
we will stay in formation with those
who are headed the same way.
When
the head goose gets tired, it rotates
back in the wing and another goose
flies point.
It
is sensible to take turns doing
demanding jobs, whether with people
or with geese flying south.
Geese
honk from behind to encourage those
up front to keep up their speed.
What
do we say when we honk from behind?
Finally—and
this is important—when a goose
gets sick or is wounded by gunshot
or falls out of formation, two other
geese fall out with that goose and
follow it down to lend help and
protection. They stay with the fallen
goose until it is able to fly or
until it dies. Only then do they
launch out on their own or with
another formation to catch up with
their group.
If
we have the sense of a goose, we
will stand by each other like that
Parents
understand the importance of protecting
and educating their children. After
all, the parenting role requires not
just providing food, shelter, and clothing,
but also setting boundaries. What you
want the dog to do and the child to
do is to take their cues about the appropriateness
of their behavior from you and that
is the context within which you guide
and protect them. A child can’t
just run out into the middle of the
street or steal a toy from another child
in the schoolyard without consequences.
In the best of circumstances, the parent
acts as a loving, nonviolent guardian;
he is the source and provider of safety
and comfort, and he educates the child
through the use of examples, boundaries,
and limits. In the same way, you must
educate and act as a loving, nonviolent,
benevolent guardian in your dog’s
life.
Asking
your dog to lie down before releasing
him to go up the steps or out the door
presents terrific everyday training
opportunities. So does asking him to
sit before being fed, or asking him
to jump off the couch so he can be rewarded
by getting back on the couch to sit
with you. But asking for these behaviors
and rewarding your dog is much different
than “showing him who’s
boss” and forcing him to sit,
lie down, and obey you in all things
under the threat of punishment.
So
ask yourself why you are teaching your
dog to sit, lie down, and come when
called. For safety purposes? Ideally,
we train our dogs to respond to our
signals so we can help them and ourselves
be all that we can be. Training stimulates
growth and forms a bond between us because
it involves communication and interaction.
A synergy emerges allowing both our
dogs and ourselves to grow and learn
in ways that are unique and might otherwise
be impossible. I have learned as much,
if not more, about patience, honesty,
compassion, and congruity—matching
my words to my actions, thoughts, and
emotions—in the companionship
of dogs as I have in any other endeavor.
In addition, I believe my dogs have
also benefited in ways I can’t
even imagine.
So
when you read about or hear about how
important it is to control your dog
by showing him who’s boss, I ask
that you reconsider. Don’t compete;
instead educate. Show him how the world
provides his food, affection, and freedom—and
ignores him when he behaves inappropriately.
(Of course, use common sense here—don’t
ignore him when doing so would cause
harm to him, to others, or to the environment.)
Educate your dog about the appropriateness
of his behavior. Create an environment
in which you can guide and protect him,
yourself, and the environment.
Dr.
Karen Overall, director of the Behavior
Clinic of the School of Veterinary Medicine
at the University of Pennsylvania, sums
up the path to a great relationship
with our dogs with the following overview:
- Practice
deferential behaviors.
- Do
not use physical punishment.
- Teach
the dog that you are not a threat.
- Reward
good behaviors, even when they are
spontaneous.
- Don’t
worry about minor details—none
of us are perfect.
- Always
let the dog know he can have treats,
love, or toys if he sits quietly first.
- Never
do something just because you can.
- Talk
to your dog. Use his or her name.
Signal clearly.
- Be
reliable and trustworthy.
Footnotes:
- Mech,
L. David. 1999. Alpha status, dominance,
and division of labor in wolf packs.
Canadian Journal of Zoology 77:1196-1203.
Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife
Research Center Online. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/2000/alstat/alstat.html
Version 16MAY2000
- Ibid.
- Ibid
