dogs

Welcome again to Training Corner! Pull up a chair for another exciting lesson in dog training (cat people, good luck on that. Your columns will be coming). Today, we’re talking about what is often called “dominant” behavior in dogs.

For our purposes, we’ll be talking about the idea that a dog must consider you the “alpha” or “pack leader” in the house. This is patently untrue, though the theory was well-accepted in dog training circles for many years. We now know, empirically, that it isn’t true, just as times have changed and we now know that putting cocaine in a soft drink isn’t the best idea.

“But, EthologyNerd,” you ask, “how is my horrible dog going to listen to me if he doesn’t respect me? Doesn’t he have to think I will rip out his throat if he angers me, as I am the alpha wolf?” Short answer: No, idiot. Long answer: What you think of as “alpha” behavior has very little to do with getting your dog to do what you want it to do. So we’ll debunk a few common misconceptions.

The “Alpha Rollover”

Myth: This is what wolves do in the wild, and a dog is exhibiting submissive behavior when it rolls over and exposes its belly. So you should force the dog onto its back and maybe grab its throat, and then it will understand that you have the power to make it submit to you.

Fact: Wolves do not typically force other wolves into a submissive position except in very specific situations (e.g. feeding and mating). Plus, wolves and domestic dogs are many, many generations removed and their behaviors are now very different. Submission, in dogs, is a consenting behavior (don’t be a pervert). Forcing a dog into a certain position, be it belly-up, laying down, or doing a sun salutation, doesn’t mean it will elicit a certain behavior. It may just anger an especially unwilling dog.

True story: my former boss, a woman who has been training dogs longer than I’ve been alive, did an “alpha rollover” on her feisty Rottweiler when this was still an accepted practice. This dog nearly bit her hands off. Might be different if you did it with a Shih Tzu, but why would you even?

Leash correction and corporal punishment

Myth: when you are training a dog, if you use a choke chain or prong collar, when the dog does something you don’t want it to do, yank up on the leash to issue a correction, so the dog knows it did something bad and you have the power to hurt it. You can see a similar method using a noose leash on Caesar Milan’s program. This also includes other physical punishment such as hitting a dog on the nose or grabbing its mouth and holding it shut.

Fact: Let me pose a question. Which job would you rather have: 1) one where you are praised when you do well, given raises and bonuses when you do very well, and come to work anticipating a great day and wanting to work hard for your rewards, or: 2) a job where you’re berated every time you do something wrong, screamed at when something doesn’t go right even if you have no idea what happened, and get no raises or praise, ever?

If you chose 2), you’re a masochist. Dogs are not masochists. Basic learning theory dictates that dogs will work harder for a reward than they will if punished. Also, when you punish a dog, they still have no idea what it is they “should” be doing to get a positive response. They’ll listen to you, sure, but out of fear. And Machiavelli aside, it’s not that powerful a motivator if they don’t know what you do want them to do. In fact, it can elicit a fear response and the dog may learn to react to pain with aggression. Worse, if you do it because your friendly dog wants to lick a child or sniff another dog, it may learn to associate the pain of the correction with children or dogs, and voila! You’ve got a much bigger problem.

Leash correction is still sometimes used in very specific situations. However, a novice trainer can cause much more harm than good because the timing of the correction, the placement of the collar, and the duration of the correction all need to be exact and correct; in all, it’s best to avoid it unless you are working with an experienced trainer that also uses positive reinforcement. In addition: incorrect technique, especially if using a “choke chain,” can have lasting physical effects on your dog, including thyroid and trachea damage.

Making your dog eat after you or making sure your dog goes after you out the door.

Myth: if you give your dog something it finds valuable first, or let it walk ahead of you, you’re reinforcing the idea that the dog “ranks” higher than you.

Fact: This is still controversial, but again, just because wolves do it doesn’t mean it always makes sense in a dog-human relationship. Your dog knows you’re a human, not another dog. So why do they try and squeeze out the door ahead of you? They’re excited. They like to go outside. This is not an indication of dominance, it’s an indication that they want to go out. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train your dog to wait on command before going outside; it can be very dangerous to have a dog that dashes out any open door and you should still be the first one out the door to avoid problems.

Likewise, the order in which you feed your dog doesn’t matter; I, for example, feed my dogs at a time that’s convenient for me, as do many people. If your dog begs or tries to steal food, again, it’s not because it thinks it’s the “alpha,” it’s because food tastes great and you haven’t properly trained your dog to sit quietly at human mealtimes. Teaching a dog manners is not about dominance; it’s about training a dog to behave in a way that suits your needs and your household.

Dominance and leadership are the same thing.

Myth: Well, really. We’re all pretty smart here. Are they synonyms? If I punch you in the face and take your wallet, one could argue that I exhibited dominance in our relationship. But does that make me a leader? Not in most jurisdictions.

Fact: “Dominance” is a concept that only exists between members of the same species, and even among them, it is rarely enforced by challenge. Leadership is, in this case, a benign concept. Of course you don’t want your dog to think they’re smarter or better than you. If your last name is Palin, then I wish you the best of luck, as you’ll struggle to best your canine. But for the rest of us, it’s very simple.

You need not rule your dog’s life with an iron fist, or be concerned with your “rank.” Leadership is, essentially, making the animal want to work for you. As the animal with the larger forebrain, it’s your job to show them exactly how they can please you. In fact, unless your dog is doing something dangerous or highly destructive, ignoring or redirecting that behavior will result in “extinguishment” over time. Meaning that yelling or throwing something at your dog still reinforces a behavior, especially if they’re seeking attention.

Part of being a responsible dog owner is training your dog. Many of these alleged “dominant” behaviors stem from owners not setting clear rules. In this case, a dog may “try” to get what they want in a number of dog-specific ways, like mounting, barking in your face, or electing to ignore a known command. In that case, working with a reputable trainer is even more important. But setting limits and rewarding good behavior goes much farther than physical discipline or other types of “pack leader” behaviors some trainers espouse. This is bad science. We know better now. You’d no sooner bite your dog to show him you’re the boss than mount your coworker’s leg to assert dominance over him (hopefully).

Have questions? We’re working on a Q&A column to run occasionally. Email your questions to TrainingCornerNerds -at- gmail.