A note on the sorely misunderstood concept of 'dominance'.

I'm seeing a disturbing trend these days, usually amongst people with 'easy' breeds of dog, who have decided to no longer "believe in" dominance. (Unfortunately for those people, DOGS still believe in it.)

This framework was figured out and refined through a diligent study of both wolf and dog behaviour. If human civilisation were to be mostly wiped out and have to start anew, those who studied Canis lupus would once again arrive at the same conclusion. Like mathematics, the concept itself is inherently accurate and quite functional. While opponents claim that all such data is irrelevant because the wolves used in their studies were unrelated captive animals rather than wild "family units", that only further proves the point! *Domestic dogs* also live in groups of unrelated animals...not as a cohesive family unit made up of parents, siblings, and offspring.

Dominance has really gotten a bad rap lately, from people who don't understand what it actually is & how it works. They assign the word to mere violence or bullying, which of course is no way to raise a dog. (They also assume, wrongly, that it means the dog is aggressively trying to be a jerk in every aspect of his life--instead of merely following his natural canine instincts and opportunistic nature.)
Canines do have a heirarchy, and the framework originally labelled as as "dominance" addresses it quite well in practice, and is well understood by canines.
Dogs need and want a leader, and that leader should be YOU; it's too stressful a position for a dog to fill in a man-made, domestic environment. A dog left to be in charge will be prone to a whole range of problem behaviours, from ignoring commands to "correcting" (biting) disobedient or insubordinate humans. Rank does have its privileges--and why should he listen to you, if you are not the highest ranking group member and the one who's in charge?
People who think they are being nice to their dog by coddling him and indulging his every whim, are actually creating a miserable, maladjusted animal...and it is frustrating to those who are well versed in canine behaviour, to have to watch these senseless and totally preventable situations occur.

Dominance IS:
-An assertive, confident attitude.
-Leadership. Leaders initiate the interactions; dogs follow.
-Controlling the resources (this one is easy, since you are the one with opposable thumbs).
-Calm consistency.
-A relationship where the dog instinctively turns to you, to meet his wants and needs.
This results in a companion who has confidence in your decisions and respects your wishes. He feels secure about his place in the family, and is not burdened with the weight of leading a "pack".

Dominance IS NOT:
-Hitting the dog.
-Forcibly pinning the dog to the ground regularly, just to "show him who's boss".
-Yelling at the dog.
-Punishment.
-Random acts of terrorism, which will lead to an unstable, fearful, and insecure dog.

On the other hand, many behaviour problems mistakenly attributed to "a dominant dog" may have nothing to do with dominance. Things such as urinating indoors, jumping, pulling, climbing on furniture, or not obeying commands are more likely to result from a lack of training, improper management, or poor communication between dog and owner. A dominant attitude is normally very easy to detect, and while it can certainly contribute to these issues if present, dominance alone is rarely the cause OR the solution.

However poorly understood and misrepresented this concept may be these days, it doesn't change the fact that dogs still dominate each other, correct each other, and establish a ranking order that is relevant in their lives. Pretending otherwise just because we, as humans, "wouldn't like it if it were done to us", is NOT in our best interests...and it is not in the best interests of our companions. Dogs are not humans in small furry suits. They are another species, with their own way of looking at the world.

By the way, dogs (and wolves) will also engage in the much-maligned "alpha roll", amongst themselves.




"Look Ma, No Teeth!" Dominance is NOT based on violence.







However, most humans totally misinterpret this interaction and how it is properly used--so as a general rule, this is one bit of mimic-the-dog behaviour that is usually best left alone.

Some good, educational reading on what dominance is really all about:
Link1
Link2
Link3

Denying dominance is really just fighting a straw man. While the word has developed a negative connotation due to frequent misunderstandings, the concept is as valid as ever...and as long as dogs remain dogs, it's here to stay. The only real choice is in whether or not you elect to take advantage of this inherent framework, and use it for the benefit of the human-dog relationship.