I’m not a scientist claiming to have the definitive answers to the dominance theory, but I might have some thoughts on the dominance that I hope will make you think. The dominance question is an extremely polarizing one. Typically you’ll hear dog trainers emphatically proclaim that the dominance theory has been 100% debunked. The other tribe seems to think that if a dog steps on his owner’s foot he’s clearly a dominant dog.
I personally have met some seriously dominant dogs in my career as a dog trainer who specializes in rehabilitation aggressive dogs, but they are very few and far between.
Maybe I’m skewed on the topic because I don’t like extremes. Or maybe it’s just what I am seeing every day. Last night I sat down with a client who had a common question. “I’m wondering if I should stop playing tug with my dog because I heard that it can produce more dominance in my dog unless I win the tug game every single time.” I love questions like this, they are authentic. Allow me to define the term as I see fit. Dominance is the desire for order and justice.
Given my definition, I can imagine a lot of people are reading this thinking… But, I thought dominance was more like, the desire to rule, a dog that is aggressive, a dog that always has to have his way.
To that I say, No, those are what we in the industry call Assholes. Otherwise known as Bullies. Dogs that are ultimately insecure, who make themselves feel better about their lack of confidence by pushing other dogs or people around.
I believe that dominance exists in dogs, but it’s extremely rare to see it at an abnormally high level that could present a problem for normal pet dog homes.
To take it one step further, I don’t think that dominance is a bad thing to have in a dog. I know a dog with an abnormally high level of dominance, but it’s not an issue because he knows that order and structure are my problems, not his. Dominant dogs don’t want to keep order, they do it because no one else is.
In a pet dog setting, maybe one or two of every 100 dogs is a truly dominant dog. Let’s muddy the water. Can dogs have low, moderate, high, and extreme levels of dominance? They sure can.
With a potentially new view on what dominance is, let’s outline some of the traits I’ve seen in this handful of dominant dogs.
They never start fights with other dogs, but they will engage in a fight if needed to keep order.
They don’t micromanage other dogs or people. They are naturally self-confident. They only step in if they absolutely have to.
The thing they desire most in life is for their utopian dream to come to fruition. The desire lack of conflict.
They have a natural confidence about them. It’s like watching President Obama in a CNN interview. He’s so calm, so confident, doesn’t blame others, it’s magical to watch.
Dominant dogs don’t walk around trying to convince other dogs how tough they are, because they know how tough they are.
Insecure dogs are easy to spot, they start fights, they do bratty things to get attention, and they spend their entire lives trying to convince everyone around them that they are more confident then they actually are.
In closing, maybe I’m trying to convince you that the word dominance has been overused over the years. It’s also been misused to outline the behavior of insecure dogs. If you hate my position, awesome, prove you hate it by sharing on it facebook. I’d appreciate that.
Dominant dogs are just trying to get through the day with the least amount of drama as possible. Don’t poke the bear, and you don’t have an issue. Dominant dogs don’t start fights, they resolve conflict.
With love and respect, I hope I made you think.