Dominance theory has been around for a very long time. I grew up with it so it’s even taken me a while to get my head around the new concepts. The idea is that dogs are domesticated wolves, so we should treat them like wolves. However, that’s like us looking to chimpanzees for parenting advice! Dogs have evolved. Studies show that if we’re going to relate dogs to their ancestors at all, we should be looking at juvenile wolves, which don’t form hierarchies and therefore could not be classed as dominant. Interestingly the studies that led to these theories were also done on captive wolf packs; they didn’t form naturally and didn’t behave like wild packs.
Even if dogs could be dominant, I’m not convinced that behaviours such as walking ahead of an owner could be determined to increase their rank in the household (and that assumes that we are seen by our pets as strange-looking dogs to be competed with!). If it were, why do dogs pull on their way to the park, but walk behind us on the way home? Anyone else think that maybe they’re just excited about getting to the park? And I’m sure dogs want to lie on sofas because they’re comfortable, not because they think they can be leaders if they do.
Traditional dog training for ‘dominant’ dogs usually involves punishment to ‘show the dog who’s boss’. This kind of training was on the decline, but has seen a resurgence with shows such as Cesar Millan’s The Dog Whisperer becoming popular. The trick is to ignore what the trainer is saying, and watch the dog during training; is the dog happy or does the dog look miserable? Even aggressive dogs can be retrained using rewards. Punishment can actually cause further aggression as dogs try to defend themselves (Millan has been bitten several times on his show). Additionally, dogs that are punished for something like pulling may associate something else, like a passing dog, with the punishment and then develop a fear of that.
So, if a dog that is aggressive or disobedient is not ‘dominant’, what is he? Simply untrained! These are dogs that haven’t been taught manners and it is our job to teach them. The dog who growls because he is told to move from his favourite sleeping place has just learned that this behaviour works – the person leaves him alone, and he has no incentive to move. Behaviours such as this are easy to retrain with positive training methods.
If your dog is aggressive please consult a professional and ensure you are happy with their training methods before you let them handle your dog. It is also worth consulting your vet for any sudden behaviour changes, including aggression; the problem may be medical.
