Dominance Theory: Debunked, Outdated But Still Supported

The  debate of positive dog training vs negative dog training 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to be justified through  the ever-persistent belief in dominance and pack theory, despite being  well and truly outdated!  It was debunked well over 20 years ago by the  people who created it.

Dominance  Theory was originally established by Rudolph Schenkel, in 1947, when he  published a study that was carried out on groups of captive wolves.  It  was noted during this study that a hierarchy, reinforced by physical  force and fear, was used to keep status.  This was subsequently  reinforced by a book written by David Mech in the 1960s.

The  result of these publications was the wrongly assumed belief that dogs,  originating from wolves, would behave the same way.  That they needed to  have an ‘alpha’ in the domestic setting and any behavioural issues  demonstrated by dogs was as a direct result of their need to be in  charge.  This misleading interpretation was quickly debunked when the  original studies were found to be inaccurate, were withdrawn and then  updated with the release of revised publications.

The  major flaw to be found in the original publications was that they were  only carried out on captive wolves which were being housed in unnatural  conditions and man-made groups, that resulted in high stress levels,  restricted movement, and heightened aggression…a very different  arrangement than what would occur in the wild!

On Mech’s website he writes:

“The  concept of the alpha wolf is well ingrained in the popular wolf  literature, at least partly because of my book … currently still in  print, despite my numerous pleas to the publisher to stop publishing it.  Although most of the book’s info is still accurate, much is outdated.  We have learned more about wolves in the last 40 years than in all  previous history.  One of the outdated pieces of information is the  concept of the alpha wolf.”

Unfortunately,  despite Mech’s desire to remove his own book from publication and  squash the myth of the ‘alpha’ male and dominance theory, its popularity  had already taken on a life of its own, and was beyond control, by the  time he realised his mistakes.  Dominance theory had integrated into all  forms of media, popularised in television and books, and unfortunately  training, raising, and caring for dogs.

The  most important thing to note (apart from the fact that not even wolves  have alphas) is that dogs are not wolves.  They have been separated from  one another by thousands of years of domestication.  Their behaviour,  physiology, sociability, and motivations are significantly different to  that of wolves, and so they are no longer able to be directly linked to  or be recognisable to that of their distant relatives.

It  has now 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.

This has been  further reinforced through observations and studies of feral dogs, and  domesticated dogs that have ended up in the streets.  It is understood  more than ever that they do not form structured packs, or pack  hierarchies, that are reinforced by dominance behaviours.  Dogs  naturally want to avoid conflict with each other, so if there is a  dispute or a resource such as food involved, through a variety of body  language cues and vocalisations (if needed), they will defer to each  other, and one will walk away.  
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 a their family of humans are not a 'pack'.   

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,  despite this, for a time in the early 2000s, the use of dominance  theory started to rise again through popularised television shows about  dog training where physical force, violence and other harsh methods were  routinely used.

Thankfully,  after investigations into animal cruelty and a lot of controversy, the  dominance-style approach to training dogs started to fade again as more  modern, science-based, and appropriate methods were developed and  reinforced...but with the rise of social media, history is repeating  itself.

Social media has seen a  rise in popularity for ‘quick fix’ dog trainers, using aversive and  harmful dominance methods to create what looks like immediate cures to  behavioural issues in just 30 seconds.  

While  there are many problems with social media, including the ability to  falsify, simplify or otherwise manipulate what people see, it is the  fact that people believe what they are watching.  There are several  extremely popular dog trainers on social media right now who are getting  huge amounts of traction, and cult-like followings, for their  apparently magical fixes to a range of behavioural issues.  

But how are they doing it?  

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.

We  spoke to a client of one of these social media dog trainers, of which  several videos were posted of them and their dog (without their  knowledge or permission), which gave the appearance of multiple training  sessions and the successful outcome of an anxiety-free dog at the end.

When  we mentioned we had seen them on social media they were horrified.   What had actually happened was that the trainer had attended the  property only once for a consult and an initial session.  The outcome of  which was that the owners were so unhappy with them, and their  approach, that they never contacted them again…a very different story to  that posted online which saw them being extensively praised for their  success.

As mentioned, yes, the  fact that there are people out there doing this to dogs is a big  problem…but the bigger problem is the belief by social media users that  what they’re doing is correct and therefore replicating it.

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 dogs 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.

If  you need any help deciphering your dog’s behaviour, you should look  into hiring a trainer or behaviourist to assist depending on the  situation.  However, it is vital that you do your research thoroughly  and even interview potential individuals to get a feel for their  training methods and beliefs before hiring their services.

(We will be discussing the differences between trainers and behaviourists in a future post, so stay tuned for that!)

Choose  someone who uses positive reinforcement and motivational training  methods rather than ‘dominance’ or punitive measures so to ensure a  sound, healthy and trusting relationship between you and your dog.  

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?

Sadly,  anyone can say they’ve done a course in dog behaviour, start a social  media page, and claim to be a dog trainer or behaviourist.  There are no  regulations, there are no licences and there are no inspectorates that  govern this line of work.  There are no restrictions.  Like the family  we mentioned who were taken advantage of for social media likes, without  their permission, it is a free for all.

They  are taking peoples money and leaving them with worse situations than  when they started.  Dog training should be regulated, there should be  licences and there should be a standardised approach to eradicate  aversive methodologies from modern society.

For  more information on dominance theory, due to the re-emergence in  dominance training practices, animal welfare organisations across the  board have posted positional statements in relation to dominance on  their websites and social media, as to many veterinary boards both here  in the UK and abroad.