Dominance in Dogs: Fact or Fiction?

De: Barry Eaton

Narrado por: Steven James

Is Your Dog Trying to “Dominate” You?

You may have read books or seen TV shows that tell you that your dog will seek to dominate you, your family members and other pets unless you become the “alpha” and put him in his place. The theory is that since dogs evolved from wolves and wolves (supposedly) form packs with strict pecking orders and battle each other to become the pack leader, your dog will do the same within your household. In this new US edition, author Barry Eaton separates out the facts from the fiction regarding dominance in pet dogs, presenting the listener with the results of recent research into the behavior of wolves and the impacts of selective breeding on the behavior of dogs. The results may surprise you and will surely inform you.

You will learn:

• Wolves in the wild do form packs, but they are largely peaceful and cooperative family units.

• Many of the behaviors and drives that wolves live by have virtually disappeared from pet dogs due to the impact of selective breeding.

• Poorly trained or under-socialized dogs may engage in certain behaviors such as resource guarding (food, toys) that may make them appear to be trying to assert dominance. However, these are problems that can be brought under control by training and management and will not be solved by an owner trying enforce his or her dominance over the dog.

• Many of the training or “pack” rules associated with those who claim you must dominate your dog have no basis in reality in terms of wolf behaviors and. if taken to an extreme, can be harmful to your dog.

• A simple and logical set of guidelines to raise and train a dog in a positive and effective manner.

©2011 Dogwise Publishing (P)2024 Dogwise Publishing

Dogs are not domesticated wolves

Dominance in Dogs challenges the long-held theory that dog training should be based on establishing dominance over the animal, akin to pack behavior in wolves. The author argues that this perspective stems from a misunderstanding of wolf social structures and fails to recognize the significant differences between wolves and domesticated dogs. The book explores various aspects of "pack rules" commonly used in training, debunking their basis in scientific observation of wolves and their applicability to pet dogs. Instead, the author proposes that understanding dominance in dogs is more accurately focused on resource access and the potential for fear-based aggression arising from harsh training methods. Personally, I was relieved that, in the end, Eaton advocates for modern, positive reinforcement-based training that acknowledges the dog as a distinct species within a human social unit, rather than a member of a hierarchical pack.

There are very few truly dominant dogs

I learned a lot in this short book. Dominance can be mistaken for resource guarding. Resources are whatever the dog values- food, toys, a human, bed, etc. The author tells you how to recognize this and what to do about it.