Can you train dominance out of a dog?
Lydia Mayert
2025-05-23 01:30:36
Count answers: 3
Dogs are social animals who base their relationships on individual experiences. They can learn how another dog is feeling by reading their body language and changing their own behaviour in response. Positive training methods, using rewards for good behaviour, are much more effective and better for everyone. Using methods that aim to control a dog’s behaviour with physical force and shouting are not a good idea. They will likely result in the dog feeling intimidated and scared. These forms of control can damage the bond between a dog and their owner and might even make the dog’s behaviour worse. Physical discipline could leave the dog feeling anxious, fearful and unlikely to trust their owner.
Eli Jenkins
2025-05-22 23:58:28
Count answers: 1
The act of holding a dog down forcibly as a correction is generally called the "dominance down." It is inappropriate, ethologically absurd, and completely counterproductive when interacting with dogs. Fear doesn’t equal obedience, it just equals fear. I would bet everything I own that what Sophie’s dad did didn’t cause her to be any more obedient when put in that same situation again. It did cause her to distrust him and fear him. These are two states of mind that generally cause disobedience, not obedience. The best trainers train their dogs to be obedient without ever attempting this move. If you just won’t give up on the idea that your dog should submit to you, why don’t you just teach your dog to lie down on his side, then when you want to show him that he should be submissive, you can just ask for it. You can use a treat to lure him into the down position, and when he can reliably lie down on cue, you can start to use the treat to lure his head back toward his shoulder. If you want to show your dog that you are more powerful, intelligent, and dominant, while also teaching him to be obedient, get a handful of treats, then use the treat to lure him into the down position.
Eden Moore
2025-05-22 23:29:21
Count answers: 2
Consistent dog training often eliminates aggressive behavior at an early age, but lack of socialization or failing to discipline dogs when they act aggressively toward people or other animals, especially those showing signs of submission like cowering, actually provides positive reinforcement to those unwanted behaviors. There are several ways to train a dominant dog once you rule out health concerns as the cause. Among them are: 1. Be consistent. Canine companions learn through repetition and positive reinforcement, which means that you need to set rules for acceptable behavior and bad behavior in your home and in public places, like on walks or at a dog park. Reinforce those rules on a regular basis and avoid changing them. Anger or physically aggressive training techniques, like the alpha roll, rarely, if ever, correct dominant behavior: A relaxed dog is more willing to listen and learn than a fearful dog. Professional dog trainers can help you to understand canine communication and use behavior modification methods to undo the most difficult behavior problems.