How do you show dominance to a dog?
Willy Stanton
2025-06-06 21:52:17
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Dominance theory in pet training, which promotes the use of force and submission to address behavioral issues, is an outdated and ineffective approach. This theory suggests that animals misbehave to assert dominance, but research now shows that many undesirable behaviors stem from unintentional reinforcement, not a desire for rank. AVSAB recommends against using dominance-based methods and urges trainers to focus on reinforcing desirable behaviors and addressing underlying emotional or medical factors.
Elyse Schamberger
2025-06-06 19:58:14
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The theory is that dogs will show aggression to achieve dominance.
People assumed that dogs saw their owners as competition for the position of ‘top dog’.
These types of training techniques claim that people need to ‘show the dog their place’ at the bottom of the ‘pack’.
If an owner believes that their dog is trying to be the boss, they might feel they have to make it clear to the dog that they are not.
An owner might do this by using punishment and discipline, which could scare and hurt the dog.
Examples of such training methods are:
pushing or pulling a dog into a position
holding a dog down
using a choke chain
using an electric shock collar
shouting
smacking.
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