Dominance: Dog training's dirty word

Thursday March 31st, 2011

There may be no surer way to stir up a group of dog trainers than to bring up dominance training. Some see value in forcefully letting your dog know who's boss, by pinning him on his back, among other tactics. Others believe the process can be ineffective, and even downright harmful. Regularly scare or physically force your dog into submission and you may well end up with one who's timid or frustrated.

What's flawed about the approach, say critics, is the assumption that your dog wants to dominate you. True, in the absence of obvious leadership, many dogs will step into the role. (Someone's gotta set the rules, right?). But he certainly doesn't sit up nights plotting a hostile takeover. Like people, dogs just want to know where they stand and what's expected of them.

Try benevolent leadership

Many trainers believe there's a much better way to frame your thinking around training--and by "better," we mean humane, rational, and effective. Instead of attempting to dominate your dog, act as a benevolent leader. A benevolent leader uses positive reinforcement, sets clear boundaries, and remains consistent in his rules and expectations.

The result? A benevolent follower, a self-assured, happy dog who listens to and respects (rather than fears) her leader. As leader, it is your job to protect your pet from any form of physical or mental harm--both of which can happen in some types of dominance training. So don't let her down.

See effective ways to train and correct your dog's behavior.

Tags Aggression Toward Dogs, Aggression Toward People, Basic Obedience Commands, Can't Miss Articles, Dog Behavior, Dog Socialization, Dog Training, Dog Trainers, News

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	My 4 month old black lab has alot of energy. Sometimes, after a walk, during a walk or when just playing in the backyard he will stop, look at me then basically "atttack" me... He jumps up starts biting at me. I have tried the "ignoring" thing and the "rolling on the back and "muzzling" thing as well, he reacts better to the dominance roll. Any suggestions? 27 days ago by kris
	In a group of dogs or any animals there is a leader and rank, most people shouldn't try physical training because they don't know how to read the dog and the correct timing, but when done correctly I think it can be better than reward training. But for most people reward training is the only way to go because, they can't physically train their dog properly which leads to problems, but reward training is much easier to understand and for most people can't be done improperly. 8 months ago by kk
	I disagree that dogs don't understand dominance. When a dog stands over another dog or human member of the pack her or she is showing dominance. They may not know how to describe but they know it when they see it and demonstrate it. over 1 year ago by Anonymous
	Lol, I'm not so sure about dominance training, but I think I use some sort of informal form of it. My dog's been trained positively, using a clicker but sometimes when he's acting up I'll stare him down to let him know I'm upset with him and he needs to behave himself. And for the most part it works. over 3 years ago by Anonymous

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