Dominance Theory

In the September/October 2011 edition of Bark magazine, Patricia McConnell wrote an interesting article about dominance training entitled Action/Re-Action: The Temptation of the Dominance Fallacy. The practice of establishing dominance over your dog used to be viewed as good training technique. In recent years, though, more animal behaviorists are turning their backs on the approach, favoring positive reinforcement instead.

I have been a dog owner, guardian, companion – whatever term you want to use – for over 20 years. When Perdy came into my life, achieving dominance was something you were supposed to do. Positive reinforcement really was not something I recall as a topic of discussion.

Don’t worry. I am not about to tell you that I beat her into submission because I followed the dominance training techniques. Anyone who has ever had a Dalmatian knows they are happy-go-lucky, albeit stubborn dogs. Both Dino and she would do just about anything for affection. Dino would give me his best used car salesperson look as if to say, “What’s it gonna take to close the deal?” Then, he would go through his whole repertoire of tricks (all 3 of them) to get the treat.

The same thing goes with Gracie. She wants belly rubs and treats. Since she is an anxious, fearful dog, I know that she would shut down with harsh discipline. It has taken two years to gain her trust. Why would I do anything to jeopardize that?

I admit that, at first, I thought the whole backlash against dominance theory meant we were supposed to let dogs run free, do whatever it is they want to do, and never say “no” to the dog. As you have probably gathered from reading my blog, I believe in structure and boundaries.

You still have rules with positive reinforcement. You define them, teach them to the dog, and reward the dog when he/she succeeds, not roll the dog onto its back and say, “Bad dog!! I am the Queen; do my bidding!!” (Well, Kiki still favors that method, but that’s another story.)

The article is definitely worth a read. It is time we all open our minds to a better approach to training. Here is a link to the article, if you are interested: http://www.thebark.com/content/down-dominance

Rescue Mommy