Chances are pretty good that if you’ve ever shared life with a dog, somewhere along the way someone has instructed you about the importance of learning how to dominate your dog. Most dog parents have heard the lingo: alpha dog, pack leader, top dog, dominant, submissive.
The problem is, dominance theory (which has enjoyed an unfortunate resurgence over the last 10 years) is, at best, deeply flawed – and at worst, can actually do serious damage to our relationships with our dogs.
They May Appear Similar, But Dogs Are Not Wolves
Dominance theory is based on a study conducted in the 1930’s and 1940’s by a Swiss animal behaviorist named Rudolph Schenkel, who studied the behavior of wolves in captivity. From his observations, Schenkel concluded that wolves were in constant competition to see who could outrank the others in the group’s social hierarchy. The “winner” was the alpha wolf, who commanded the most respect and aggressively held everyone else in check.
The problem is, wolves in captivity behave very differently from wolves in the wild. Wild wolf packs usually consist of a mated pair and their offspring; the pack may also include 2 or 3 other wolf families. Rather than being competitive, the pack works together to hunt and care for the offspring, and there is very little aggression within the pack. When young wolves grow up, just like human children they eventually leave the pack to start families of their own.
Wolves in captivity behave very differently. When mature wolves are forced to live together for years at a time, unable to get away from each other, they experience a great deal of stress. The tension and competition over resources causes aggressive fights, and some of the strongest wolves become “bullies” who maintain the group hierarchy through displays of aggression.
Unfortunately, the results of this research were then applied to domesticated dogs. But here’s the thing: dogs are not wolves. They are, in fact, quite different species. Eventually the results of Schenkel’s studies were disproved, but by then, the theory of dominance in dogs had become mainstream.
The Theory Behind Dominance-Based Training
Dominance-based training is based upon one simple school of thought: dominate your dog before he has the chance to dominate you. Because all dogs spend their entire days just looking for signs of weakness in humans, so they can… do what? Psychologically manipulate us and mess with our heads? Practice telepathic mind control? Steal the keys to the car?
Let’s think this through for a minute. What’s in it for our dogs to dominate us? What more could they take that they don’t already have? We provide them with food; a warm, safe place to live; medical care; toys; playtime, walks outside, and mental stimulation; and (hopefully) all the love they can handle. The reason why humans and dogs get along so swimmingly is because we are not in competition with them for social status, and they know it.
Unfortunately, the misguided behavior modification techniques behind dominance-based training that are supposed to prevent dogs from elevating their status over humans usually consist of using punishment, intimidation, and fear – exactly the opposite of what dogs really need to be happy, healthy, well-behaved and well-adjusted companions.
These “training” techniques include the use of:
- Alpha rolls (rolling a dog onto his back and pinning him to the ground to show him “who’s boss”)
- Grabbing his muzzle and holding it tightly
- Shaking him by the scruff of the neck
- Cuffing him under the chin
- Aversive tools such as choke, prong, or shock collars for training
- Poking him hard in the chest or side to “get his attention”
- Aggressively staring into his eyes for long periods of time
- Not letting the dog go through doorways ahead of you (I’m still trying to figure out where that one came from)
Sadly, most behavioral problems in dogs don’t stem from a desire to exert power and rank over us; rather, they come from insecurity, fear, and a need to seek safety and comfort. Muzzle grabs and alpha rolls do nothing to assure our dogs that we are in control. Rather, they just make us appear more aggressive, out of control, and untrustworthy, which only increases our dogs’ stress.
Studies have shown that dogs who are punished by being pinned to the ground on their backs or sides experience a sudden flood of the stress hormone cortisol. When this happens, a structure in the brain called the amygdala activates, preparing the dog for fight or flight. When the amygdala is engaged, the brain becomes focused purely on survival, which immediately shuts down all other rational thought, including the learning process.
When this happens, the dog can become so anxious or fearful that he may literally shut down. Those videos you see of dogs being held on their sides “submitting”, or who appear to be calm, are dogs who are actually anything but calm. In reality, they are so insecure, angry, or frightened that they literally freeze, waiting for the threat to go away. If they are continuously pushed beyond this point, they can lash out and bite, which is why so many trainers and dog owners who try to use this training method end up getting bitten.
Positive-Reinforcement Training: A Better Way
Research shows that dogs who are subjected to dominance-based training methods suffer higher levels of stress and anxiety than dogs who are trained using positive reinforcement methods. The theory behind positive reinforcement is simple: Give your dog a reward (food, praise, or play) when he does something that you like, and he quickly learns that good things happen to him when he repeats that behavior. The key here is that the dog is given a choice: if I do “X” (or stop doing “X”), awesome things will happen. The dog is permitted to make that decision on his own, rather than being forced into doing something, which is far less effective. Setting him up to succeed in this way keeps his trust in you intact and strengthens the bond between you instead of eroding it.
Positive-reinforcement training first came on the scene in the mid 1980’s through the work of a marine mammal trainer named Karen Pryor. Later in the early 1990’s, veterinary behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar founded the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, whose guiding principle was: “We promote the use of reward-based training methods, thereby minimizing the use of aversive techniques.” (The definition of “aversive” is anything that causes someone to want to get away from something because it is unpleasant or painful.)
But here’s the really cool thing about using food rewards during training: it actually works to help rewire the brain by raising levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which regulates emotional response. Research shows that these chemical changes in the brain cause dogs to actually learn more quickly and experience less fear and anxiety. It’s a win for the dog (who loves the treat), and a win for us (when he learns more easily what’s expected of him)!
Why You Simply Don’t Need To Dominate Your Dog
There’s a reason why the title of this article is “Why Trying To Dominate Your Dog Will Backfire.” Not “may” backfire, or “chances are pretty good that it might” backfire, but “will” backfire. Here’s why:
- Dominance-based training is disrespectful to your dog. If you’re convinced that your dog is a sneaky little subversive hell-bent on world domination, can you ever truly let yourself love him and bond with him the way that you should?
- Dogs are, by nature, scavengers and opportunists; it’s in their genes. Harshly punishing your dog for engaging in normal “dog” behaviors (like raiding the trash, jumping onto your bed, or climbing onto the kitchen counter to search for food) will most likely only confuse him. Take the time to figure out how to prevent the behaviors you DON’T want from being reinforced (keep food off the counters, put the trash up, limit access to your bed), and reward him like crazy for the behaviors you DO want.
- Punishment and heavy-handed, coercive training techniques only serve to create fear, anxiety, and a negative emotional state in our dogs. It’s far healthier to establish a loving relationship with them by clearly communicating the rules and allowing them to abide by these rules because they choose to – not because they are afraid of what will happen to them if they don’t.
Don’t Dominate – Communicate!
Unfortunately, there are still some dog trainers out there who stubbornly refuse to let go of training methods based on dominance theory. Even though evidence is abundant that positive reinforcement is a much better solution, they argue that some dogs are just more stubborn, harder to control, aggressive, or need a heavier hand to get them to do what you want them to do. They think that trainers who use positive-reinforcement methods are coddling their dogs, and that as a result those dogs don’t truly “respect” them.
Let’s be clear: all dogs should be trained. Clearly and consistently teaching your dog the house rules will not only make both of your lives better, it will also take a great deal of pressure off your dog if he isn’t having to constantly guess about your expectations of him. No one wants a badly-behaved dog, but you don’t have to sacrifice your relationship with your dog to effectively teach him what is, and is not, acceptable behavior.
Famed veterinarian and animal behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin’s website put it very eloquently: “Every pet needs a human who can lead. Not like a boss, but like a partner in a dance—someone who gives clear signals, rewards desirable behavior as it occurs, removes rewards for inappropriate behavior immediately, and sticks to the plan consistently until the new, good behavior is a habit.”
If our dogs are taught to see us not as “alphas”, but as leaders, they will look to us for guidance to help them make the right choices, and in turn, we will be able to experience a fully-developed and satisfying relationship with them based on mutual respect.
Dogs are dogs, let them be.. 🙂
Hi there
I have absolute confidence in my cross, apart from being a difficult dog to bring up (hyperactive & clumsy often scratching or biting a little too hard, i was often at my wit’s end)
He seems to have a strong sense of self ,natural confidence & an awareness of what’s going on. & he actually comes back when he’s called !
He’s got a very sensitive loving side, but can also “food guard” which l allow him as l respect his wish to be undisturbed when he eats. Unfortunately he thinks he has the right to beg my food off me too ! So sometimes I stare him down or tell him to go to bed.
I found if l give him a “bark” he comes up to me & “guards”, maybe I’m telling him there’s a threat around.
The only annoying thing is that he pulls like a sled dog ,but I’ve a good “no-pull” harness.
I used to own staffies- maybe l was just unlucky with the ones I had.
I’ve a grey brindle greyhound or Dutch shepherd cross, he looks like a stocky greyhound with shepherd ears. When his ears are down he seems to have a greyhound personality. When they’re up he’s more like a shepherd.
I personally believe often crosses can make better dogs.
I’m not sure about “all” dogs, but I am sure about MY dog. I recently put away the prong collar I bought for my smaller, younger dog last summer. Then I bought an H-harness. In the week since I put away the prong collar and disavowed the “pack leader” mentality, I have seen a slow, subtle shift in my dog’s actions and reactions. Ones I’m VERY happy to see.
That is SO great to hear. When you think about it, taking the time to build a solid rapport with our dogs, rather than constantly having to worry about how we need to dominate them, opens the door for better communication – not only for us, but for them. And the fact that your dog’s behavior shifted within a week speaks volumes! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I think this has become too much a “partisan issue”, when the truth is somewhere in between. If a dog has scrappy/aggressive tendencies, there isn’t a clear way on how to ‘positively reinforce’ that behavior out of them, especially in the moment of their aggression. Like a dog just barked loudly and aggressively in your face: Even if he’s communicating anxieties, it’s ultimately not acceptable behavior, and a clear communication of “NO”, and a non-painful dominance display is just fine.
Dogs are dogs, as another commenter said—although they used that expression to mean “don’t discipline them”. Here’s the thing: have you guys seen a mother dog with her pups? Dogs discipline each other. Dogs ARE pack animals, just as humans are. And guess what? You ARE THE LEADER, like quite essentially: You provide the stability, the scheduling, the food—you are the de facto leader.
Like I think people apply all sorts of weird ideological concepts to Dogs—you can see fascist tendencies, but also, you can see coddling/hyper-permissive tendencies as well.
Like there is a way to be a good leader, you don’t need to be afraid of that.
Thank you for this! I have a dog that constantly growls every time something is done that she doesn’t like. An example. I was sitting on the couch. She wanted to get up so I let her. She wanted to come closer, so I let her. She wanted to sit on my lap, so I let her. When she was on my lap her back leg was sticking into my body so I softly adjusted her. She didn’t like it and growled in my face. What was I to do about that????? My thought was to get this dog out of my face before I made another move she didn’t like and I ended up with a bite to the face. I stood up and let her slide to the floor. She didn’t like that either but at least she was away from my face. From now on she has lost the privilege of being on the couch so who wins? No one. She continues to growl and I have a dog I continue to dislike. Keep in mind this is an English Cream Golden Retriever so not a small animal.
I understand this. My 2 yr old lab/retriever/shepherd mix is like that in that he is a velcro dog to me & will claw at my mouse for me to move it if Im on my laptop she he can lay right up against me, but I cant cross my legs or he gets “touchy” with me. If I reach down just to lay my hand on top of him (kinda of like an arm rest), he has turned around & bitten me in a “startled” reaction & then immediately licks me as if to say he’s sorry. Im frightened, yet feel compassion at the same time. So confused as to how to treat him as I love him, but feel he is dominating me & KNOW he’s the Alpha.
You made such valid points I swear because my dog is very hyper and overactive and it’s a rescue dog and like he gets beyond excited to where if I’m not putting on his least fast enough he starts growling at me if I’m trying to help him and he’s overexcited he starts growing at me like I’m literally scared to deal with my own dog because he gets so excited but then it turns into aggression and I don’t know what to do or where it’s coming from but this insight makes more sense than what the article read
Blogs are very good way of exchanging the information and I love to read post and sometime some blogs give me so much of knowledge and this is one kind of those blogs.
I think different situations calls for different methods of training. The basic stuff like sit and stay can be taught with rewards, sure, no problem. But there’s no reward to take away for seriously bad behavior like jumping on tables or jumping up on people. You have to catch them in the act and be vocal, with a firm voice, and say something like NO and go laydown. I do believe it’s right to dominate your dog but only in one situation, when he growls at you. A growling dog is an aggressive dog that I think could bite you at any second and that’s just not acceptable to me. I’m not an expert and I don’t have any studies to prove it. It’s just what my common sense tells me but I could be wrong.
You can’t remove a reward to stop a dog from growling at you. Of course, there’s always a reason for the growling. Usually it’s when bathing your dog. But just because it has a good reason this time doesn’t mean it should be accepted. I think it’s actually a good time to dominate the dog and teach it that aggression is not acceptable. Teach it that people are much bigger and that we can easily over power them anytime we want. I suggest quickly pinning it down by the neck for 10 to 20 seconds and saying NO until it calms down and submits or the time is up. It might continue to growl a little but it won’t be as loud or aggressive. Do not squeeze it’s neck or bash it’s head or hurt it in any way!! Just quickly but gently control it by it’s neck without hurting it. One moment of control won’t cancel out all the petting and love you’ve given your dog. Minutes later it will be right back on your lap or snuggling with you in bed. Of course, if your dog weighs more than you do then you might not want to be the one to train it not to growl or be aggressive.
Dogs are aggressive animals. The fact is what we can’t just explain consequences to them. They learn by actions and reactions. Again, I’m not an expert but I think it’s just common sense. You could try to avoid upsetting your dog all it’s life or only using a firm voice to train them but I think the consequences are to severe and that many just won’t listen to verbal commands when they’re in an aggressive state of mind. Of course, you can try verbal commands and stop what’s causing the behavior. You don’t have to dominate it every time. I think it only takes a couple of times throughout their lives. You can say NO most of the time and ignore the little quiet growl perhaps.
So you think that you can teach a dog how not to be aggressive by being aggressive towards it? 🤔 I don’t even think you understand the contradictions and do as I say, not as I do in all of your statements.
I feel very sorry for any dog that you own…very sad 😔
What contradictions? Please point them out. Maybe I wasn’t clear or maybe you didn’t understand the point. Do you think dogs understand words? They don’t. They remember sounds but they don’t really know the full meaning of words. You can’t explain consequences and expect them to understand. They do understand aggression and dominance. Once they respect you as the leader of the pack they will obey you and learn from you without needing to always be aggressive. So yes I absolutely think you can teach a dog not to be aggressive and respect you as it’s leader by being by dominating it. That’s what they understand. They’re not brain surgeons. They’re not human and you’re not some abusive father. You are a smart human who understands the animal’s mental limitations and how to make it obey you with the least amount of force as possible. You’re also smart enough to know if it doesn’t obey you someone could die. The animal you’re responsible for could kill someone. And they don’t need to learn aggression from you. It’s an instinct they all have. They’re not some friendly bunny rabbits. They’re not much different from wild animals. Heck even if you do a great job dominating them and getting their respect they could still revert to their base instincts in some situations. It’s so important that when they hear you say no they listen to you as quickly as possible. We’re talking about human life at risk here. I think 20 seconds of dominating your pet is worth the lives it saves. Maybe you’re confusing dominating with beating. Maybe you don’t get that you’re simply showing the animal that you can take total control of it anytime you want and that you are it’s master. Basically you’re just restraining it from moving to show it your power. If you’re not the boss it will be and it will live by it’s own vicious instincts and natural laws. All the treats and love in the world will not control it. If I’m wrong then sure it’s very sad. But I’d rather be safe than sorry. If there was any way I could know 100% for sure I was wrong that would be great. But I think it’s not that kind of issue. There’s no concrete proof. And people will have different opinions. I think mine is better because of the logic I use. I don’t see any logic that you or anyone against it have stated that seems more logical. You haven’t even presented any arguments. I think that’s because it’s hard to find any or you would have spit them out. You just don’t like what I’m saying or it sounds bad to you so you’re expressing anger without any logical arguments. To me it makes sense and I’m not alone. I actually learned this from an experienced dog handler. It made total sense when I listen to him explain it. He explained showing you’re the leader makes them feel safe and removes the burden of them needing to be the leader. It just all makes sense when you stop and think about it. They are animals. They are not your kids. They are pets with tiny brains. They don’t understand much. They make mistakes, get emotional and react on instincts. Being able to get their attention and have them obey you quickly is extremely important for safety imo. If I’m wrong it’s not like I cut off it’s nuts or traumatized it for life. It’s like I held your wrists when you were threatening to to punch me for 20 seconds. That’s not going to scar you for life. You’ll just learn that I’m bigger and stronger. And that’s why I think it’s worth it for the safety and life it could save. It’s not super painful or scaring as someone might initially imagine. Plus you might actually just be defending yourself and protecting yourself from a angry wet dog. It chose to growl and not trust you. Why didn’t it stop growling when I said no if it’s so smart? It didn’t stop because it’s not smart. It doesn’t even realize you’re hundreds of pounds heavier and so much stronger. You have to educate it but it doesn’t understand words. It understands power. So just show it your power without really hurting it.
Ammmmmmen!!!!!!
This is kinda what I am feeling about my 2yr old dog. He doesnt respond too well to the “dominate me to teach me who the Alpha is” stuff. That seems to cause him to become aggressive in a defensive way. I DO NOT think “one size fits all” for training dogs as this is the 1st time I’ve ever had a problem with any dog I’ve ever had in my lifetime & Im 64. The one & only thing that will give my dog pause is for me to YELL at him & stand over him. He will then avoid eye contact with me & get in down position. I just dont want to scream at him his/my whole life. He will then slowly come crawling to me. Very emotionally draining..
My husband did what you recommend with our EBT. Everytime it made her more aggressive. So I showed him, by being calm and reassuring her that everything is okay, she settled straight away. If something bothered her, we removed it; or removed her from the situation.; always calmly and without being forceful. Beginning with her lead. Now we have no problems. So that’s my experience and not just opinion. My last dog, a staffy; tried to dominate me as a pup. As we had very young children at the time, and she was obsessed with my husbands attention; I knew I had to nip this in the bud early. So I ignored her completely when she wanted my attention, only returning a pat if she behaved herself. She ended up becoming the most obedient dog I’ve ever owned. There is something to be said about positive reinforcement. I’m not sure your point is necessary if there are more positive ways that actually work.
Very informative answer with excellent advice!
I agree, we always had farm dogs, my Dad loved them, but if they stepped out of line , like chasing cars or wandering, he was cross with them… they quickly learned what wasn’t acceptable, and they loved him back, too many neighbours never told their dogs what was acceptable, ended up with stupid useless uncontrollable creatures 😞
I am teaching my dog to wait for me to go through a doorway first. It has nothing to do with dominance. It’s because she will race out and not look, and I’m afraid she will get into trouble with a bear or a truck someday. Making her wait (by a simple wait command) teaches her to check-in with me first. The idea is that soon she will go through doorways without me, but only because she’s checked in with with me that it’s safe to do so.
Also, nothing like tripping out of a door (we have a big step down) because your dog has no manners…
Hi Michelle, thank you for the reminder that there are very good reasons to teach your dog to wait at a doorway! When I wrote the article, I was thinking only about how that related to dominance theory, and not about all the practical reasons for teaching this command. Thanks again for pointing these out!
Exactly! The 7 basic commands are 1.sit 2.stay3.down4.come.5.off6.heel and 7.no Dog trainer Brandon McMillan uses positive reinforcement training. He stress the most important command is the “stay”command because if a dog is a “door dasher” and doesn’t know the stay command, your dog could run out and end up getting hit by a car. Brandon rescues dogs from shelters and trains them before placing them in loving homes. You might have seen him on the show “Lucky Dog “ He is truly amazing and proves that love and positive reinforcement training is the best method for man’s best friend!
Of all the commands my pup doesn’t consistently follow. He ALWAYS follows sit, stay and wait. My goodness if wait is not the most useful command ever! I live in an apartment and he does not step outside of the door unless I go outside first and then he comes behind me when prompted. When we are on walks, he goes wherever he wants but we are still working on leash training. With as many road trips as we take, the dog parks we go to, any unexpected situation we encounter, I am so freaking glad he picked up wait command so quickly! It’s so important to make sure there is no car zooming by to run over your dog as he dashes out the door blindly without looking, same goes for gas stations, even for you stepping out of car etc. when I open my car door, he waits for me to check that his leash and harness is on properly, that there is no cars around and no muggers around. If your dog can’t sit and wait in the car while your car’s door is open you’ve got a problem! Not only for your pup but you risk exposing yourself to danger too. It’s such a huge difference when your dog is patient and you expect it to be calm even with the car door wide open that you’re able to assess your surroundings and watch out for anyone who quickly pulls up behind you to mug you. You’re a sitting target if you’ve got a dog that is impatient to get out while you’re checking to see if his harness/leash is on properly. You’re distracted and it can easily cost your life or both you and your dogs if your dog isn’t trained properly to at least sit, stay and wait. So yeah, the whole me outside the door first thing is a must in our household for my beloved fur baby’s safety! He is my world, gotta protect him!
I have a 2 month old central Asian Shepherd who is about 9kg. When we get back from going outside so he can go to the toilet he goes crazy and wont stop biting me and my partner. He doesn’t stop when we use a verb command or if we try and hold him back. It doesn’t seem like playing and if we stay no and then try to redirect his biting to one of his toys he still tries to bite one of us or our clothes. We are trying not to show aggression towards him but he is powerful already and he hurts us. I’ve tried yelping in pain to see if he reacts but he doesn’t seem to take any notice and carries on. I’ve tried praising and rewarding him when he does play with his toys. I’ve tried removing myself slowly and calm from near him to give him time to calm down but he is likely to carry on and follow me. He goes into a kind of frenzy. I sometimes remove him from the situation to a room on his own but I won’t be able to pick him up for much longer as he is getting bigger. Do you have any suggestions?? It doesn’t seem like positive reinforcement is having any effect, he also does do certain commands like sit and lie down for a treat but not when he is in that mood.
Hi Holly! In this situation you’re getting the double whammy of a very common puppy behavior added to the fact that your Asian Shepherd puppy is a herding breed. To follow and nip whatever moves is actually very common at this age for puppies, and for herding breeds in particular because it’s been bred into them. All puppies between 6-10 weeks old are beginning to do a lot of exploring with their mouths, and they’re learning what is, and is not, acceptable behavior. If your puppy were still with his littermates, you would probably see all of them exhibiting the same behavior because it’s a common developmental behavior. If they were all still together (or with Mama),they would eventually learn from each other (or from her) what behaviors are acceptable and what aren’t…but in this case, your puppy will be learning it from you.
So to summarize, this is very common! I wrote another article that addresses this very issue (based on personal experience) with suggestions on how to deal with it called “Puppy Mouthing and Nipping: A Survival Story”. You can check it out here: https://www.goodpetparent.com/2015/07/12/puppy-mouthing-and-nipping-survival-story/
The important thing to know is that your puppy is still a baby and is learning about the world and about his relationship with you. The last thing you want to do is to punish him, or try to intimidate him with tactics like yelling, pinning him to the ground, grabbing his neck and shaking it, or any other outdated methods that have consistently been proven based on research to be not only ineffective, but can also be physically and psychologically damaging to a puppy. You can also reference another article I wrote regarding this entitled “When The Good Old Days Weren’t All That Good” here: https://www.goodpetparent.com/2015/12/19/good-old-days/
So don’t get discouraged! Your puppy’s behavior is very common, and although it may take a few weeks to figure out what he responds to and how to successfully redirect him away from this behavior (reference the “Puppy Mouthing and Nipping” article for suggestions), with lots of patience, love, and consistency your puppy will grow into a happy, trusting, well-adjusted and confident dog. 🙂
My Australian Shepard is 27 months old. He is for the most part a sweet dog, but has issues with protecting our Mastiff (female) Today I went to put a rug down outside on the handicap ramp so our Mastiff could feel sure footed in the snow. Our Aussie bit me 4 times. Out of no where he barked then bit ABOVE my boots 3 times on one leg and once on the other. I was bleeding like crazy, crying and sad. He obeys me to the point where he comes when called and goes to the living room when I tell him to. His weird protection of our much larger Mastiff (140 pounds to his 97 pounds) is baffling. I need help. He has been to trainers and he doesn’t act like this with them. ONLY ME and I’m home with them 24/7. My husband they are on their best behavior. So they respect him but not me.
Hopefully the author is on some extended boat trip without Internet access and it’s nothing serious that has kept you from being able to get a response for as long as it’s been.
Is my second attempt at a response lol. I got a call in the middle of my first one and it deleted.
Thus the brevity.
I am unfamiliar with your pets and this is generic advice that I have seen work for others and has worked for me. hopefully it works for you also.
Resource control is an easy way to establish oneself as the leader.
1) Establish a waiting area for them 5-8 feet from the immediate place where they normally eat. Ensure there is enough room for them to be required to take at least a few steps when called; it needs to be within their line-of-sight to the food area.
2) Once they are sitting or laying in the waiting area, only look at or acknowledge them to correct disobedience or if they approach the food area. Put down on the counter any food you may be holding and step away from the food area when have you have to do this.
3) Once youve prepared their food as normal, keep it on the counter.
4) The leader eats first. It’s that simple. A slice of bread or some candy or a piece of fruit or some other small item that can be finished in a couple of minutes. Again, don’t make eye contact or acknowledge them while you are eating. If they require correction for disobedience, put down your food and move away from the food area first. You don’t want to be seen as guarding resources.
5) Once you are done, immediately call them over to the food area, then put down their food dishes and allow them to eat.
6) This is NOT a free-for-all! Tail wagging and being happy are good. But they shouldn’t race over. They shouldn’t be competing for the food. They shouldnt rush eat. They shouldn’t become food aggressive or protective. Be watchful for undesirable behaviors and be ready to adjust and correct.
They depend on you. However, perhaps your own behaviors have fostered a perception that you are subservient. It may be worth it to really focus in on how you conduct yourself in their presence, including the way that you talk to them.
If they seem to quote respect” your husband, maybe watch the way that he interacts with them and pay attention to the behaviors that he may not even be aware of.
None of this is attempting to change the behaviors of your pets. However, you are changing your own behavior as it pertains to your pets. They will respond to your behavior changes. If they respond in a way that pleases you, reward the behavior that you wish to see continued and keep doing whatever caused that response.
If they respond in a way that does not please you, examine your behavior first and see if you can adjust it in a way that is comfortable and makes sense to you. If not, establish the routine you want, and require compliance. For example, when you call them to the food area, do not put down their food until they sit or whatever other behavior you want to see.
The only thing you’re doing is changing your behavior in a way that clearly establishes your expectations and then enforcing compliance. Once you have established that you are viewed as the leader, maybe you won’t need to eat something every single time you feed them but it will always something that you can go back to when needed.
I am trying SO HARD to find some advice on what to do. My 2.5 yr old chihuahua bit me yesterday for the first time. No blood, but somewhere in between a warning shot and a real bite. This is not a jumping-on-the-counter problem – this is serious! What do I do about this?? Thank you in advance.
Dog breeds will not bite for no reason whatsoever. Have you tried studying a dog’s behaviour? Dogs do not bite first, just like cats, a dog will give you warnings before an actual bite. Yawning and licking their lips can indicate that your dog may need some space, this could mean your dog feels uncomfortable or some boundaries are crossed. When your dog begins to crinkle their nose, with their ears pointing backward, immediately give your dog space.
However, you do not want to have a lower status than your dog. For example, letting your dog eat before you is basically letting your dog know that you’re submissive and that your dog is the dominant one. Always, eat first before your dog, no matter how cute their begging face is. Never, ever growl at your dog or attempt to physically dominate them, this will only make your dog feel heartbroken from you and will only increase fear.
Chihuahuas are very stubborn dogs and may misbehave if not taught such manners at a young age. Have you tried using a more firm voice and using commandments. Dogs do not understand English, but they do recognise the tone and fierceness of a voice that tells them that you are saying “No’. Don’t yell, but also don’t use your friendly voice, rather a more serious firm voice. When your dog starts showing these behaviours, you can also leave the room. You also may use ” time outs “, usually leave the room and come back after 15 minutes.
Physical reinforcements may cause your dog to fear you and distrust you, basically you are an abusive bully to your dog. Positive reinforcements are a better way to teach your dogs manners. Positive reinforcements may include, treats and only giving their favourite toy when they commit good behaviours. Praising your dog in a nice, calm tone may also increase positive reinforcements. Please let me know the behaviour that your dog is showing.
-D
I’ve found that my breed of dog I have to do both, positive reinforcement when he behaves but I do have to dominate him when he misbehaves as no other technique works. And we’ve bonded pretty well.