Dominance in Dogs

Dominance in Dogs

by Greg Farmer © 2008

Quite possibly, one of the biggest areas of disagreement among dog trainers is the subject of dominance. The basic theory of dominance is pretty simple and essentially undisputed. The disagreement is about when, where, how much, and how often to apply the theory.

Let's start with a basic overview of dominance theory. In a nutshell, dominance refers to the ranking order of the members within a group. One of the biggest mistakes I see dog trainers make is to apply this theory to dogs only. This rank order applies to every kind of social animal in existence. The rank order provides organization for the group to function cohesively. Ants and bees have a queen that lays the eggs and workers that collect food and materials for the nest. Fish, birds, and cats are also social animals, and as such, they also have rank ordering instincts. The rank ordering instinct is also very strong in humans. The military command structure, the organizational structure of corporations, and even the basic family structure are all examples of rank ordering in humans.

The dominance order serves an important function for any social group. It provides structure and organization. When the group has a strong leader, all of the members can work together as a team to achieve whatever goals the group might have. Even in informal gatherings such as a Bible study or book club meeting, an informal rank order tends to form. It usually happens without any of the members noticing it, but there is typically a person who tends to ask questions, lead the discussion, make sure everyone is included, or resolve conflicts. There are often members within a group who will do some of those things instinctively without even realizing they are doing it.

A dog pack naturally develops a rank order in a manner similar to the informal gathering of humans. One dog may tend to find interesting smells and encourage the others to help investigate them. Another dog may encourage the others to play. Another may gently nudge a shy dog to join the rest of the pack. Another dog may feel the need to be in control, while another dog may be good at resolving conflicts. The interesting thing about domestic dogs is that in a different situation, a different dog may be the dominant pack member. This is a little different from wolves, which have a clearer dominance order in which the higher ranking members may retain their positions for years. The difference may be due to the fact that wolves, being wild animals, have to fend themselves and are usually in survival mode. The rigid structure is a vital tool for survival.

Domestic dogs, on the other hand, usually have their basic needs met by their human owners. Since they are usually not in survival mode, they are free to play and enjoy life. In that case, the rigid rank order is not necessary. Even wild wolves tend to drop the ranks during play. Wolf biologists have observed low ranking wolves taking the dominant role during play while the pack leader takes the submissive role. During playtime, a wolf pack is not in survival mode, and they can relax the dominance order.

A domestic dog who lives on the streets without proper care, or one who has fear issues, insecurities, or even just a lack of socialization may be mentally in survival mode, and as result, they may want or need the more rigid rank order that tends to go with it. Such dogs may want to dominate other dogs, usually by mounting or attempting to mount them. In some cases, they may also want to mount humans, or they may be very aloof around humans. That is the extent of dominance issues in domestic dogs.

One important thing to understand about dominance is that all domestic breeds of dogs have been bred to be naturally submissive to humans. I don't mean submissive in that dogs should be afraid of humans, but that trust, attentiveness, and a desire to please should come naturally to them. So a good leadership program should focus on building trust, encouraging the dog to pay attention, and rewarding good behaviors.

My biggest pet peeve concerning dominance issues is that so many people, and even some dog trainers and behaviorists, blame every behavior problem ever conceived on dominance. My dog pulls on the leash. Oh, he's dominant! My dog jumps on me. Oh, she's dominant! My dog tries to lick me. Oh, he's dominant! My dog is a submissive urinater. Oh, she's dominant!

To set the record straight, let's look at some issues that are often attributed to dominance and see what they really are. My dog jumps on me and licks my face. For dogs, licking is a normal greeting, and they greet one another face to face. The reason the dog jumps up on humans is because that's the only way he can reach a human's face. That may be considered bad manners, but it is not dominance.

Another issue is stubbornness. Because a stubborn dog is often hard to train, it is easy to confuse stubbornness for dominance. Stubbornness is mostly just difficulty in accepting changes. It takes time and consistency to change the mindset of a stubborn dog, but once the dog's mindset is changed, the change will stick. A stubborn dog who is well trained is usually a very obedient dog, which is a strong indication that stubbornness is not dominance.

What about a dog who pulls on the leash? She certainly seems to be taking the lead and expecting the human to follow. The truth is that it does look that way. Think of it another way. I am fascinated by trains, and when I see them, I love to watch them pass by. With the sounds of the horn, the engines, and the rumbling of the wheels, as well as the variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and markings on the locomotives and freight cars, a passing train can be a real treat for the senses. One day, when I was at the park, I had just met someone with a beagle, and as I was talking to him, a train passed by. I wanted to watch the train, and it took a great deal of effort on my part to keep my attention focused on the person I was talking to because the train was such a powerful distraction for me. The same thing happens to a dog when you take her for a walk. Any outdoor environment has a wide variety of interesting sights, sounds, and smells, and any normal dog is going to want to check them out. In this case, the dog is not motivated by a dominant mindset; she is motivated by curiosity. She is fascinated by the world around her and wants to explore it. Just as the train was a distraction for me, the sights, sounds, and smells of the environment are distracting for dogs. Many dog trainers and behaviorists say that you have to be more interesting than whatever is distracting the dog. The problem with trying to be more interesting than the distraction is that it is a short-term solution, and it is not always possible. Ultimately, to get a dog to stop pulling on the leash, she has to be trained in proper leash manners.

We can see that many of the problems that are usually attributed to dominance really don't have anything to do with it, but what about issues that really are dominance-related? How do we handle those? My advice is to never treat any behavior problem as a dominance issue, even if it is. There are three reasons for this. The first is that many of the issues that are often perceived as dominance really are not, as in the three previous examples. The second reason is that it is just too easy to blame a problem on dominance, and doing so tends to get in the way of finding the real cause of the problem. The third reason is that dominance is not normal in domestic dogs. When a domestic dog has dominance issues, or appears to have them, there is always some other problem underneath it. It is usually a fear or insecurity. In those cases, for the dominance issues to be corrected, the fear or insecurity must be addressed. Again, just treating the problem as dominance tends to get in the way of addressing the underlying issues.

Finally, I don't want to give the impression that dominance issues are not serious or diminish the need for a solid leadership program. Dominance issues do lead to several problems. The central problem with dominance issues is that domestic dogs are not mentally equipped to be pack leaders, at least not among humans. They were bred to be submissive to humans. If a dog senses a leadership vacuum and thinks he has to take over, it is very stressful for the dog. Furthermore, the behavior problems associated with dominance also create stress for the humans in the household. A good leadership program can help to prevent or correct dominance issues and should be included in any training program. I have a leadership program incorporated into my obedience training course which includes several exercises designed to get the dog to pay attention as well as exercises in communication, discipline, and manners.

Although dominance issues can be real, and a sound leadership program is important, it is just as important to understand that most of the "common knowledge" about dominance is not true. Even when dominance issues are real, there is always an underlying problem that needs be addressed, and the issue will not go away until the underlying problem is addressed. Most importantly, I hope that the information presented here will eliminate some of the paranoia concerning dominance and allow humans and dogs alike to enjoy their relationships with each other.