Theory of Dominance
Dogs are not domesticated wolves, so you do not need to establish yourself as a pack leader or ‘alpha’.
Years ago, I used to believe in this theory about pets. I will give you an example, which actually I did on our family cat, not a dog, but it does show everything that ‘the theory of dominance’ is based on. Back when I was a teenager my parents adopted a cat, that was living inside the house for all his life and was partly stray. There were no rules or boundaries in the previous home, so he could do whatever he wanted to. He was a bit afraid of humans and would attack out of nowhere. Sometimes he would let you pet him for few seconds and then furiously lunging towards your hands, biting and scratching. Oh! And guess what? His name was Killer.
One day, having enough of his behavior and thinking ‘DOMINANCE’ in my head I pushed him down to the floor and bit his ear until he squealed. I let go of him and he ran away afraid, looking back to see if I was chasing him. He was obviously scared of me.
What did I accomplish with this? Nothing good. Yes, sure Killer from this time was avoiding me, running away and respecting my space (at first). But clearly, his behavior afterward was based on fear and defensive aggression towards me. He was really frightened and If I tried to get closer and pet him he would hiss and snap his claws in the air (sometimes he would actually get my hand) and run away as fast as he could.
When you deal with a fearful animal using force, intimidation and discomfort only make the problem even bigger and then you end up having a worse issue. Now, years later, I am truly ashamed of what I did. I don’t like bragging on it or bringing it up. I believe positive methods are the only way to go. I decided to mention this story as it shows clearly what ‘the theory of dominance’ is all about.
Lets now focus on facts and studies about dogs. Dogs are descendants to ancient wolves, which means Grey Wolves that we see today and domesticated dogs have the same ancestor (an early type of animal from which they evolved). It is true, that their common ancestor was a prehistoric wolf (taimyr), which probably made scientists once thought dogs descended from Grey Wolves. Now, genetic studies show they both share ancestor instead.
In the 1940s, animal behaviorist, Rudolph Schenkel has observed fighting for ‘alpha’ status in wolves kept in captivity. That is how the whole dominance theory started. However, the beginning of the XXI century was a time to completely refute the ‘alpha’ wolf concept in dogs. Interestingly, scientists also found out, that wolves forced to stay in captivity do fight for resources, on the other hand, wolves in the wild create a family social structures (similar to human families) and they get on the top of each other only by maturing, mating and producing offspring. The leadership roles are simply parental roles.
With that said you should focus on being a loving owner for your dog, rather than trying to establish yourself as a pack leader or ‘alpha’. Dominance is not the only way to get a dog to listen to you. Furthermore, it is clearly not the best way!
Dog training method proven the most efficient by many research is said to be positive reinforcement training, which is based on communication, not domination. Basically what you want to achieve when training your dog should be making him WANT to do something, rather than MAKE him do something by forcing into submission. Rewarding your dog for good choices allows him to make a decision and studies show if given a chance they mostly make the right call.
Dog Behavior Specialist
Ewa Hemmy is behaviorist and dog trainer who is also a writer on top of that. She has College Degree in Animal Behavior earned in Poland, where she comes from. She still consistently study, participate in online courses, webinars and reads through most recent research. Ewa has been writing articles for few years now and loves to educate dog owners on providing better care and understanding of their pet. She believes you can solve unwanted behavior, because your DOG is ABLE to be TRAINED! She can be contacted at ewa.hemmy@gmail.com or call at (785) 822 7409.
