Alpha rolls ok?

Thursday March 31st, 2011

Question:

I've heard conflicting advice about "alpha rolls." What are they and do you recommend them?

Answer:

An alpha roll is the term used to incorrectly describe the situation where a higher ranking wolf throws a lower ranking individual onto its back and stands over it in order to display its higher status. In reality, in a pack of wolves, higher-ranking wolves do not roll lower-ranking wolves on their backs. Rather, lower-ranking wolves show their subordinate status by offering to roll on their backs. This submissive roll is a sign of deference, similar to when someone greets the queen or the pope by kneeling. Consequently, a more appropriate term for the posture would be a submissive roll (Yin 2009, AVSAB 2008).

Humans often try to roll dogs on their back and hold them there in order to punish their dogs for bad behavior, especially when that behavior involves growling or other aggression. The thought is that they are mimicking what a wolf would do in the wild to assert higher rank. There are several problems with performing an alpha roll. One is that the most common cause of aggression is fear. Pinning a dog on it's back may suppress the aggressive behavior temporarily but it will not address the root of the fear. A second problem is that forcing a dog onto its back can heighten aggression. Many owners have been bitten performing an alpha roll or have trained their dog to expect a fight and thus become more reactive in similar situations. And thirdly, most bad behaviors are not related to dominance. Dominance is a relationship between individuals that is established by force, aggression and submission in order to gain priority access to valued resources (Drews 1993, Drews 1993).

Usually when dogs are misbehaving they are not being aggressive and they are not trying to gain priority access to resources. Rather they are just performing a behavior that has been rewarded in the past. Consequently, a more appropriate way to modify behavior is to remove the rewards for bad behavior and only reward good behavior.

Dr. Sophia Yin is a practicing veterinarian, writer, behaviorist, and internationally acclaimed lecturer.

Tags Dog Training

DogTime newsletter

Related Content on DogTime.com

The Dog-Wolf Link and Dominance Training
August 12th, 2011
By Katarina Behan, for Pet News and Views If you own a dog you may have been told that your dog is a wolf in dogs clothing, and that your dog is always watching you for signs of weakness so that he...
Greek dog names
March 31st, 2011
Whether you want to evoke toga-clad gods and goddesses, or just the mortals they toyed with, we've got Greek names for boy and girl dogs and puppies. Greek names for girl dogsAcaciaAggieAlenaAlexaAntheaAlpha...
The dog trainer's trainer
March 31st, 2011
Chances are you've heard of Cesar Millan, Hollywood's famous dog whisperer. In recent years, he's taken the world by storm, starring in National Geographic Channel's Dog Whisperer and putting out a...

I adopted a small mix dog pomeranian, chi, etc from a no kill shelter who had come from the pound. He is wonderful except for one thing, He growls and barks at anyone who comes over or when we go for a walk. At the shelter he was friendly with everyone. How do I assist him to adjust. I got a spray bottle and squirt him with water and now after 3 days I just have to raise the bottle. It is hard because I do not know his previous life. He was only 9 lbs when he was found and now is 14lbs which the vet says is correct. I am sure he was neglected but is loving towards me and allows me to take his toys away to play etc.

over 1 year ago by Anonymous

Recent conversations on these topics

Is it ok to beat your dog when training it?
i just got a new dog and would like to know if beating when it does something bad is the only effective way to train it? ok if theres one thing I hate, its a dog that doesn't listen. If my dog starts doing something like scratching at a door, what alternatives are there other than yelling at it and hitting it? If I do that, then he'll associate me yelling at him with pain. Then hopefully the next time he does something bad and I yell at him, it will be enough So far, no one has really given any good alternatives. Also, gail, if I give the dog a treat everytime it stops scratching at the door, wouldn't it make him more likely to scratch at the door because he knows he'll get a treat when he stops?
BPO projects
BPO that is contracted outside a company's country is called offshore outsourcing. BPO that is contracted to a company's neighboring country is called nearshore outsourcing. ==================== <a href="http://www.sapiencebpo.com" rel="dofollow">BPO projects</a>
Do Dogs Use Their Body Language With the Intent to Communicate?
Hi, Dog Lovers! My latest article at PsychologyToday.com is on canine body language. <a href="http://ow.ly/29pa9">Do Dogs Intentionally Use Their Body Language to Communicate?<a> I hope you enjoy it! <a href="http://www.LeeCharlesKelley.com">LCK<a> <i>”Changing the World, One Dog at a Time”</i> <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-puppy-my-self">My Psychology Today Blog<a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/LeeCharlesKelley">Join Me on Facebook!<a> <a href="http://twitter.com/_LCK">Follow Me on Twitter!<a>
DOG Health
The dog health is a well studied area in veterinary medicine. Infectious diseases that affect dogs are important not only from a veterinary standpoint, but also because of the risk to public health; an example of this is rabies. Genetic disorders also affect dogs, often due to selective breeding to produce individual dog breeds. Due to the popularity of both commercial and homemade dog foods, nutrition is also a heavily-studied subject. <a href="http://medicalhealthblog.com" rel="dofollow">Medical Health Blog</a>