The Death of Dominance Theory

The Death of Dominance Theory

Dominance Theory humans must be alpha to train dogs

Dominance Theory is the biggest myth that still exists about dog training. Even to this day, many people still think that humans must dominate their pet dogs in a bid to become the alpha.

Back in the 1930s there was a study of wolves by a Swiss animal behaviourist, Rudolph Schenkel. The study concluded that wolves in a pack will form a hierarchy and fight to gain dominance and become the alpha wolf. These wolves were held in captivity in a zoo. We now know that groups of unrelated wolves, brought together in captive environments, do engage in regular social struggles. But the problem is, this isn’t normal. The behaviours observed were artificial and wolves kept in a zoo don’t behave like wolves in the wild.

So that’s all fine well and good, but we’re talking about dogs here, not wolves. How did the study make the gigantic leap to link the behaviour of wolves to your pet gundog that’s probably lying asleep at your feet right now?

Well, it went something like this; dogs are evolved from wolves who live in packs. In the pack, there is a constant battle to be the alpha wolf who maintains control. Dogs see the humans that they live with also as dogs and therefore part of their pack. So, in order to keep the pack in check, humans must be the alpha dog.

Dominance Theory is Flawed

When you see the basis for Dominance Theory, hopefully you’ll understand how flawed it is. Wolves kept in a zoo do not offer natural behaviours. In any case, domesticated pet dogs are not wolves and so their behaviours are different anyway.

Most significantly, dogs don’t see us as the same species. We don’t sniff each other’s rear-ends, walk on four legs, bark or have a tail that we can wag.

Canine behaviour is driven, quite simply, by selfish motivations. They really don’t understand why we would want to keep our head above theirs, eat our dinner first, or stare them into submission. They get quite scared when we behave this way and fear evokes powerful emotions in animals, such as aggression.

Why Won’t Dominance Theory Die?

There are numerous websites, books and television shows which still promote the theory of humans needing to be the alpha.

Amazingly, there are also a large number of dog trainers whose knowledge is significantly outdated. They still promote the continued use of dominance based training, in spite of all the evidence of the damage that it can do.

Scientific research, such as a six-month study by the University of Bristol in 2009, has proven that dogs are not motivated by maintaining their place in the pack (human or canine). Dr Rachel Casey, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Bristol University, said:

“The blanket assumption that every dog is motivated by some innate desire to control people and other dogs is frankly ridiculous. It hugely underestimates the complex communicative and learning abilities of dogs. It also leads to the use of coercive training techniques, which compromise welfare, and actually cause problem behaviours.

“In our referral clinic we very often see dogs which have learnt to show aggression to avoid anticipated punishment. Owners are often horrified when we explain that their dog is terrified of them, and is showing aggression because of the techniques they have used – but its not their fault when they have been advised to do so, for example by unqualified Behaviourists recommending such techniques.”

Fight or Flight Response

Traditional styles of dog training which promote dominance reduction actually create fear in dogs.

Placed in a position of fear, a dog has two options; to fight or take flight.

When restrained and unable to take flight, the only option is to fight. The underlying emotion of fear then starts to be manifested in displays of aggression.

Cesar Milan – The Dog Whisperer

Cesar Milan is one of the most well known celebrities in the dog training world to have appeared on mainstream TV in recent years. His training methods are synonymous with dominance theory.

In this video from The Dog Whisperer Show, the owners talk about their puppy, Charlie. He has been jumping up and pulling on the lead and they admit to not following through with what they learned in puppy class about disciplining their dog.

When asked what discipline looks like for them, the owners talk about yelling at their dog, hitting him on the nose and pointing at him.

Cesar Milan then confirms discipline and exercise are the reason for their dog’s behaviour and that they skipped this in their training. As the film continues, he opens the door to the room where the dog has been placed. He talks of “claiming his space” and stares down at the dog.

The dog barks, cowers and lowers his body, wags his tail very low, pulls his ears back, looks away. He then stares into the distance momentarily with frozen ‘whale eye’. The dog then walks away to the other side of the room.

All these behaviours are signs of fear in this dog, yet the owners seem thrilled that their dog has been cured of his unruly behaviour.

It Looks Good on TV

It may look effective on television to see a quick-fix ‘cure’ of stopping a dog’s unruly behaviour. But, what is actually happening is that dog is so scared that it complies and sits in the corner. The cameras don’t then show us the fallout that results in the weeks and months after the show.

What do you think is the likely eventual outcome from this form of training? And what will happen if this dog is faced with a fight or flight situation in the future?

What happens when Charlie is backed into the corner of a room by the owners (or visitors) who unable to read Charlie’s body language? He can’t take flight, so he has to fight and that is never going to end well for anyone.

The Best Gundog Trainers Only Use Positive Reinforcement

Trainers today know that dogs relate to humans as a different species. Their behaviours are not driven by a desire to be top-dog. Behaviours are driven by reinforcement.

Dogs quite simply do what works for them – they seek out things they find rewarding.

The behaviours which are reinforced are likely to be repeated. It’s as simple as that. To train a dog successfully, all we have to do is understand what our dogs find rewarding. We then use that to reinforce the behaviours that we want them to repeat.

Take a look at the posts below to read more about the best gundog training methods.

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