2 Recent Articles On Canine Dominance Theory

[koalathebear]

1. Time Magazine: Dog Training and the Myth of Alpha-Male Dominance

2. Psychology Today: Canine Dominance: Is the Concept of the Alpha Dog Valid?

_{Disclaimer: The links posted above are to information created and maintained by other people. These links are provided for the reference of other DOLers and koalathebear does not guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, appropriateness or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of the above links is not intended to assign importance to the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, favour, agree or disagree with any views expressed in any way. In fact, koaalthebear does not even purport to say that you will find the articles interesting reading. The views and opinions of authors expressed in the above links do not necessarily state or reflect those of koalathebear and the way you choose to train your dog is your own business .}

Edited August 3, 2010 by koalathebear

[corvus]

I suggest anyone who wants to explore this further should have a read of Alexandra Semyonova's non-linear dog theory. http://www.nonlineardogs.com/, and check out Patricia McConnell's blog entries on dominance theory http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/the-c...ed-as-dominance.

Semyonova is purportedly a raging Pitbull hater, which is a shame, because otherwise she has some very interesting things to say about why dogs behave the way they do. If you can get through the complex theories she draws on.

[Nekhbet]

nice, the first article is simply Stillwell bashing Cesar Milan ... so really its a jab, not a critique of the dominance theory backed up by true fact. If her methods were really that effective then she wouldnt have to give up on dogs or plateau her success because she has limited her skills. Oh well, lets not let logic get in the way of a good story in Time shall we.

Colonel Konrad Most summarized that Germanic philosophy of training when he wrote, "In the absence of compulsion neither human education nor canine training is feasible. Even the most soft hearted dog-owner cannot get on terms with his idolized favorite without some form of compulsion." In other words, one should use force to establish dominance and then use that dominance to control the animal's behavior.

I wouldnt be shitting on Konrad Most. And once again, taken out of context.

As in human families, the parents loosely set the rules, and the kids sort things out among themselves

yeah right. Maybe let all my relatives know this, they seemed to have missed that memo.

The idea of the alpha only seems to be valid in artificial packs, where unrelated individuals are put together, as in captivity, or where may be multiple breeding pairs. In such "unnatural" social groupings, animals will contest for leadership and an alpha wolf will emerge.

and dogs live in what kind of environment? An artificial one! ding ding ding

Perhaps it is time to revise our dog training and obedience concepts to something along the ideas proposed by advocates of Positive Training. In that view, controlling the dog's behavior is more a matter of controlling the things that a dog needs and wants, such as food and social interaction, rather than applying force to achieve what the science suggests is an unnatural dominance over the dog. If you manage and dispense important resources, the dog will respond to you out of self interest. So this approach to behavior modification has the same effect as forcefully imposed dominance in controlling the dog's behavior. However, instead of dominance based on physical power and threats it is more similar to establishing status. One can agree to respond to controls imposed by someone of higher status, but this is done, not out of fear, but out of respect and in anticipation of the rewards that one can expect by doing so.

no hidden agenda here at all is there ... more BS scaremongering. Dogs physically correct each other, so for us to say it's bullying and and threatening your dog into submission then they really have no idea about dog training at all. Not every dog can cope with corrections, yet not every dog will be a well mannered individual without them. All this is simply making owners of hard, dominant dogs feel really bad, powerless and that their dog is just a bad dog, NOT the fact that purely positive is simply wrong for their dog and it needs different training.

[poodlefan]

I'm somewhere in the middle of all this.

I don't think that dogs constantly conspire to become the alpha in their family household.. yet a lot of less sophisticated training and behavioural advice seems to believe this. "Don't let the dog on the couch" is one example.

On the other hand, I do believe that dogs need boundaries - and therefore some correction may be necessary in training.

Taller poppies than Victoria Stillwell (who isn't as positive as she seems to believe) have expressed concerns about Cesar Milan's very hands on approach to dog training. Patricia McConnell and Ian Dunbar are two of them. What concerns me greatly about Cesar Milan's shows is that he is not dealing with your average pet puppy but his fans seem to want to apply his methods to them. I believe that drives a lot of the more positive trainer's concerns also.

Dogs are social animals capable of interacting with us on quite a sophisticated level. If you want to be regarded by your dog as a leader, not a bully, then you need to act accordingly IMO. However dogs know we aren't dogs and for me, that makes a lot of advice for people to "act like an alpha dog" quite silly.

Edited August 3, 2010 by poodlefan

[Nekhbet]

But it seems to be that if you do use corrections you are a bully. And Cesar Milan states quite clearly not to try anything without a professional so if joe bloggs wants to go out and be a moron to roll his big, arse of a male then all fool him.

I don't think that dogs constantly conspire to become the alpha in their family household.. yet a lot of less sophisticated training and behavioural advice seems to believe this. "Don't let the dog on the couch" is one example.

I cringe when I hear things like this. Not every dog will aspire to be the alpha, in some instances (and they are not as common as we think) a dog will. They usually fit into a stereotype of sexual status, breed and owner behaviour. Others are just not given boundries and dont cope well, or their owners are not clear at all and the poor dog is confused out of its brain.

I think the 'alpha' theory that all dogs want to be boss over you is not true, but I do beleive in heirachies and dominant attitudes. Sometimes no dog on the furniture IS a good thing, not letting them walk ahead of you does help etc.

[poodlefan]

But it seems to be that if you do use corrections you are a bully. And Cesar Milan states quite clearly not to try anything without a professional so if joe bloggs wants to go out and be a moron to roll his big, arse of a male then all fool him.

I don't think that dogs constantly conspire to become the alpha in their family household.. yet a lot of less sophisticated training and behavioural advice seems to believe this. "Don't let the dog on the couch" is one example.

I cringe when I hear things like this. Not every dog will aspire to be the alpha, in some instances (and they are not as common as we think) a dog will. They usually fit into a stereotype of sexual status, breed and owner behaviour. Others are just not given boundries and dont cope well, or their owners are not clear at all and the poor dog is confused out of its brain.

I think the 'alpha' theory that all dogs want to be boss over you is not true, but I do beleive in heirachies and dominant attitudes. Sometimes no dog on the furniture IS a good thing, not letting them walk ahead of you does help etc.

I think there's a difference between appropriate corrections and bullying just as I think there's a difference between social and physical dominance.

I also think there's a difference between dealing with clear signs of dominant behaviour and treating all dogs, particularly young pups as aspiring to dominate. As Susan Clothier puts it so neatly "the issue is not whether your dog wants to get on the couch but whether or not he'll get off it if you tell him". Furthermore, not allowing your dog on the furniture is no guarantee of preventing dominance issues. If the issue is one of setting appropriate boundaries and only giving lattitude when it is earned then lets call a spade a spade.

I have no doubt whatsoever that as trainers we are influenced by the kinds of dogs we train. If most of what you see are problem dogs, then you'll come from that direction. If most of what you see are happy family pets, then your views will be coloured appropriately. The trick is to have an open enough mind to analyse each dog as it presents itself and not to have your views coloured by past experience.

[megan_]

I don't think that dogs constantly conspire to become the alpha in their family household.. yet a lot of less sophisticated training and behavioural advice seems to believe this. "Don't let the dog on the couch" is one example.

I agree with your sentiments, but most pet people need simple, straight forward advice - not sophisticated insights into dog's behaviour. A simple mantra like "calm, assertive leader" is something that people understand.

Re: the couch thing, I used to think the same as you. However, I have very well behaved dogs and, because they were allowed on my couch and slept in my bed, I'm sure there were no boundaries from their perspective.

Since making them sleep in their crates and not jump on the couch, Lucy's confidence has grown a lot. She no longer sees me as the nice lady who hands out food and cuddles, but the one in charge (so she doesn't need to panic when we're out and about, I'll take care of things). Not letting the dog on the couch is a simple boundary that most people and dogs understand.

[poodlefan]

I don't think that dogs constantly conspire to become the alpha in their family household.. yet a lot of less sophisticated training and behavioural advice seems to believe this. "Don't let the dog on the couch" is one example.

I agree with your sentiments, but most pet people need simple, straight forward advice - not sophisticated insights into dog's behaviour. A simple mantra like "calm, assertive leader" is something that people understand.

Re: the couch thing, I used to think the same as you. However, I have very well behaved dogs and, because they were allowed on my couch and slept in my bed, I'm sure there were no boundaries from their perspective.

Since making them sleep in their crates and not jump on the couch, Lucy's confidence has grown a lot. She no longer sees me as the nice lady who hands out food and cuddles, but the one in charge (so she doesn't need to panic when we're out and about, I'll take care of things). Not letting the dog on the couch is a simple boundary that most people and dogs understand.

I think the relationship between a person and their dog is a an accumulation of a lot of experiences and attitudes. Dogs are quite capable of behaving differently to different family members. A dog that isn't allowed on the couch or the bed but is expected to fend for itself at the local dog park is unlikely IMO to consider its handler a leader when it matters. There are plenty of dogs out there who live that life.

Dogs are not black and white. You can dumb down a fair bit of training advice but as humans we are usually capable of grasping and applying multi faceted concepts. The trick with training is to sufficiently educate the owner IMO because a black and white recipe for dog training is often going to be unsuccessful. Same applies to "one size fits all" approaches.

The people who puzzle me totally are those that expect their dogs to be submissive to them at all times but want them to step up to protect them if required. That makes no sense whatsoever.

Edited August 3, 2010 by poodlefan

[Erny]

Since making them sleep in their crates and not jump on the couch, Lucy's confidence has grown a lot. She no longer sees me as the nice lady who hands out food and cuddles, but the one in charge (so she doesn't need to panic when we're out and about, I'll take care of things). Not letting the dog on the couch is a simple boundary that most people and dogs understand.

Yay, Megan .