Debunking Dominance Myths

Over  here at The Zoomie Zone, we’re not big fans of dominance and pack  theory, aversive training techniques or any other forms of dog  ‘training’ which involve bullying a dog into doing what it’s told.   Primarily, because it’s a load of bollocks that is only carried out by  people who refuse to update their knowledge to modern day welfare and  training standards.  Sorry, but sometimes the truth hurts.

The  debate about dominance and pack theory has been rolling around for  years and years, and probably will for years to come. The use of  aversive training methods continues to be justified through the  ever-persistent belief in dominance theory, despite being well and truly  outdated.  What with it being debunked well over 20 years ago by the  people who created it.

It has  long been recognised across the board of animal behaviour specialists,  animal welfare organisations and the veterinary field that behavioural  issues demonstrated by dogs toward people is NOT a form of dominance and  that they are not supportive of dominance-based training practices.

Dogs  that display negative, unwanted behaviours, or even so far as  ‘aggressive’ behaviours, are usually exhibiting them because of  anxieties, fear, pain, stress, or confusion, either due to past trauma,  lack of socialisation or medical issues. This is particularly true when  new to the home. Dogs are not trying to be the alpha, top of the pack or  of a higher status than the various family members, they are trying to  communicate.

In dog-to-dog  communication, although you naturally get more assertive dogs, and  naturally passive dogs, the assertive dog won’t necessarily always be  the winner of the dispute. They just naturally work it out because  dominance between dogs is a mutually agreed upon position. Submission is  freely given, not forced, to avoid conflict.

The  same is true of the human/canine relationship. Dogs are entirely aware  that humans are not dogs and that their family of humans is not a  'pack', but they will still communicate in the same way they would to  another dog because they don’t speak English.

The  scientific understanding of canine psychology and behaviour has greatly  evolved since the 60s and has continued to evolve every year. Trainers  and behaviourists of repute have continuously updated their knowledge,  choosing to move their practices to science-based positive, reward and  motivational training methods in which dogs are listened to and worked  with, rather than bullied into submission.

However,  aversive training methods and dominance theory is making a reemergence  due to so-called dog trainers utilising social media to prove its  effectiveness and bring it back to the forefront of dog training and  behaviour.

They do this by using  aversive training methods and tools such as e-collars, prong collars and  slip leads to cause discomfort, pain, and stress when the dog exhibits  an unwanted behaviour. Some are openly jerking dogs around, forcing them  to ‘submit’ by holding them to the ground and even going so far as to  helicopter them off the floor by slip leads round their necks. Other  methods used include withholding or removing their food, spraying with  water, throwing bottles/cans with nails near the dog to scare them and  other physically violent methods such as jabbing, kicking, and  ‘checking’.

The result of such  methods is that the dog is forced into a helpless state where they do  what they’re told, in that moment, to avoid further punishment and harm.  Basically, they shut down. But what is happening in these videos is  that the trainers are suppressing behaviours and not addressing the root  cause of the behaviour.

This  can, and often does, lead to worse behavioural issues down the line  because these ongoing negative experiences can cause lasting damage to a  dog’s mental wellbeing, and it fractures the dog-owner relationship.  The dog may be less likely to do what it is asked, and unwanted  behaviours are exacerbated due to fear and not understanding what is  being asked of them because the method of training did not clearly  communicate it. Dogs may sometimes push or test boundaries to get what  they want, especially when newly adopted into a home environment but  this is not due to a need to be dominant.

It  poses a very serious problem in relation to dog welfare, but also human  safety. These outdated training methods are very dangerous in that dogs  can feel threatened and that they need to defend themselves. Not  necessarily in the moment of ‘correction’, but a dog that is frequently  punished may become triggered by a situation in which they think they  are going to be hurt and act out in defence.

What  if the thing they are defending themselves from is a child that just  wanted to give them a stroke? It’s of no surprise that dog attacks are  on the rise around the world.

Actions  have consequences and burying, and masking, your dog’s emotional state  in a forced, shut down, obedience is not dog training. It’s abuse. When  these methods are not successful the dogs end up in rescues that are  already pushed to breaking point with many euthanised due to bite  history and unpredictable triggers, because they haven’t been allowed to  demonstrate natural behaviour or early warning signs, which make them  unsafe for rehoming.

Dogs are  emotional creatures and every behaviour they perform has a root emotion  or motivation. You may not know what the motivation is, but dogs never  do anything without a reason. So, the key to behaviour modification and  training is through building a healthy and trusting relationship with  your dog, finding their motivation, building their confidence, and  addressing what it is you want to achieve through positive  reinforcement.

Dog training, and  behaviour modification, takes time. You can’t cure a dogs anxiety  overnight and if you want a ‘quick fix’, you shouldn’t have a dog. If  you were struggling with anxiety or other problems, you’d seek help from  a doctor or a therapist. If they couldn’t cure you in just one session,  would you stop going? No, you’d understand that it’s a process that  takes time. It’s the same with dogs.

Dogs,  like children, need to learn. They don’t innately know right from wrong  or how to act in different situations. They need to be taught, and you  wouldn’t teach your child by hitting them, spraying them with water or  putting shock collars on them…So, why would you do it to a dog?

But  due to the ever-lingering preconceived ideas of dominance and pack  theory, many behaviours continue to be misinterpreted and are then  wrongly corrected, leading to further behavioural issues.  In  understanding what the behaviours truly represent, you will be able to  work to correct it in a positive way.

Here are some of the common dominance myths that we have heart, and what is actually going on:

Myth: “The dog barks to tell you he’s in charge.”

Truth:  There are countless underlying motivations and emotional states that  can lead to excessive barking such as boredom, fear, and anxiety.  But  sometimes they’re just vocalising because they want your attention!   Owners often inadvertently reinforce and reward barking by giving the  dog attention when they bark, even in just looking at them or telling  them off, which only strengthens the behaviour over time.

Addressing  barking takes time, and understanding in why they are doing it.  Are  they being fulfilled in their day-to-day routine?  Are they bored?   Provide appropriate exercise for their mental and physical needs,  encourage play time and then downtime using interactive puzzle feeders  or toys like Kongs or Lick mats.  Licking and chewing are natural  calming behaviours in dogs, so encouraging this can address some  emotional dysregulation.
If they are barking as a  result of fear or anxiety, you’ll need to discover what is triggering  them and work to desensitize them in a positive manner.

Myth: “Dogs sleep in your bed and take up the whole sofa to show you who’s in charge’

Truth:  You’re an idiot if you believe this.  Sorry, but sometimes the truth  hurts.  Why do we sleep in beds?  Or have sofas in the first place?   They are comfortable.  We seek comfort.  We don’t want to sleep on the  rug or sit on the floor to watch the TV…and neither do the dogs!  They  get on the furniture because it’s comfortable, and greyhounds  particularly are forever in desire of additional comfort items.

If  you don’t want your hound on the furniture, you need to make that  boundary clear from the minute you adopt them.  Don’t give mixed signals  and allow them up sometimes but not others, because the minute they’re  allowed on…that’s the end of it, it’s theirs forever.  Not because they  are dominant, but because they’re adorable and they deserve it.

Myth: “Dog toilet in the house to show you that it is their “territory”, and that they own it, not you.”

Truth:  Inconsistent housetraining, changes in routine during the settling in  stage and traumatic events when dogs are toileting outside, amongst  other things, can lead a dog to toilet indoors or never be fully  housetrained.  Also, toileting indoors can often be due to underlying  medical conditions, such as a UTIs or incontinence.

Before  getting too deep into behavioural modification for housetraining  problems, it’s always worth a quick vet trip first to rule out common  medical causes.  Otherwise, you’ll forever be struggling to improve the  situation through training while getting more and more frustrated.
If  it’s not medical, go back to square one and begin the housetraining  again.  Literally go back to the basics and supervise them when they’re  in the garden, keep them on lead on walks etc, so you can actively see  them toilet and reward them for it.

Myth:  “Dogs believe they are in control of the kitchen and are trying to eat  before you, by jumping up at the counters or raiding the bins.  You  should never let them eat before you, because they need to know their  place in the pack.”

Truth: Dogs  are opportunistic scavengers by nature and unless they have an  exceptional amount of self-control, or are not that food motivated, if  food appears to be available, they will take it.  It has absolutely  nothing to do with dominance or position in the pack.  They just want to  eat things!
Also, whether you feed them before or after you has literally no influence on anything!

If  you’re concerned about unwanted behaviours in the kitchen, firstly,  stop leaving stuff laying around that will inevitably tempt them.  You  cannot blame the dog for your being messy!  Secondly, positively teach  your dog to stay out of the kitchen or to not to jump on the counters  when you’re preparing food.  Baby gates are brilliant for establishing  boundaries if you want the easy way out!
Otherwise,  encourage your hound into another room and reward them with a long  lasting interactive toy or chew, such as a Kong.  This way they will be  steered toward appropriate outlets for food seeking behaviours and keep  them out from under your feet while you’re in the kitchen.

Myth: “Dogs jump up at people to assert their rank over you.”

Truth:  We hate this one.  What absolute muppet came up with this?  Dogs jump  up because they have been inadvertently reinforced to do so by  inconsistent training and mixed messages from different people.   Ultimately, they jump up because they’re excited, happy, they want to be  closer to our faces to say hello and it’s also fun.  This behaviour is  often rewarded by people interacting with them when they jump up, even  if it’s to tell them to get down!

If  you’re concerned about dogs jumping up, it shouldn’t be because of  ‘rank’, if anything it should be because hounds are big dogs and they  could accidently knock someone over with their love!
Teach  your hound to stay calm when visitors enter the house and reward for  this behaviour.  Make sure visitors understand not to look, talk or  engage with the dog at all for entry or for the first couple of minutes  in the house until the hound is settled, you will be reinforcing that  visitors are not ‘exciting’ and don’t require mad zoomies and jumpy uppy  cuddles.  They will soon learn that their calm behaviour, and keeping  all four paws on the floor, results in treats and attention!

Myth: “Dogs pull on the lead so they can be in front of you, showing everyone that they are in charge of you and the walk.”

Truth:   Again, muppets.  If every time you take a dog for a walk and allow  them to pull you along, without being taught any different, they will  continue to do it regardless of what you say.  Because they haven’t been  taught any different!  Also, dogs naturally have a faster walking pace  than humans meaning they have to slow down their gait to accommodate  us…they’re pulling because you’re too slow, they’re enthusiastic and  excited for their walk and want to get to all the smells, see all the  things and say hi to their friends!

If  you want your hound to walk with a loose lead, you need to teach them!   Be consistent with them, reward them for calm and loose lead walking  and either stop or turn them around whenever they put pressure onto the  lead.

Owning a hound is not  rocket science.  Anyone who thinks a greyhound is capable of being  ‘dominant’ toward a person, clearly doesn’t understand them.  Greyhounds  are like overly emotional toddlers who aren’t dominant in any way, they  are in fact selectively (and deceptively) intelligent masterminds that  emotionally manipulate us into giving in to their every whim and desire.  

But the moral of the story;  dominance theory was debunked years ago…stop being a bully and listen to  your dog.  Any behaviour they demonstrate is a communication of need,  and just because you don’t necessarily understand what they are saying  does not mean you have to bully the behaviour out of them!