The End of Dominance–No Pain, Force, or Fear
Last month, I celebrated my 30th anniversary as a pet care professional. This is the first of several columns where I’ll discuss how advances in scientific knowledge have improved the lives of our pets since 1995.
One of the things I have enjoyed most about the past 30 years is our increasing knowledge about our pets' abilities and needs, the way we care for them, and the role they play in our lives. I’ve always considered myself a lifelong learner, and I believe I joined the ranks of the pet care profession in a period equivalent to the European Renaissance.
The Dominance Construct Refuted – In 1947, the first study that suggested wolves fight within a pack to establish dominance was published. The study, now considered severely flawed, was based on non-familial captive wolves in a zoo. Sadly, because the domestic dog is descended from the same ancestor as the Grey Wolf, many began applying the dominance construct to dogs, suggesting that dogs would try to assert dominance within their human family. This, in turn, led to the wide use of training methods and tools based on pain, intimidation (fear), and force.
In 1999, a study published based on observations of wolves in the wild found that a wolf pack operates much like a family with parent-offspring dynamics rather than a rigid dominance hierarchy. Additional studies have indicated that the concept of dominance and alpha hierarchy is misleading, counterproductive to the human-dog relationship, and most definitely detrimental to the dog's welfare. Today, experts on dog behavior, such as the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB), and the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) all recommend that dominance play no role in training or living with a dog, as summarized by these quotes from the AVSAB statement:
“Dominance theory is an outdated and often misunderstood construct… Aggressive dogs are not trying to achieve dominance.”
“Confrontational methods… can result in owner injury and can damage the human–animal bond.”
Dr. Jean Donalson was the first person to write about the damage done by the dominance myth in her book The Culture Clash, published in 1996. This book, now considered a classic amongst pet care professionals, was one of the first books I read when I started my career.
In the book, Donaldson reveals how dominance and the idea of dogs having a pack hierarchy have been used to “explain” all of the behaviors we dislike in our dog: biting, aggression, pulling on leash, bathroom accidents, chewing, jumping, not coming when called, begging, and, LOL, going through doorways first. Donaldson explains that some of these behaviors are normal canine actions and that dogs perform them because they work, especially when we fail to meet our dogs' needs.
Donaldson also indicated that a dog is NOT a pack animal with a strict social hierarchy. Raymond and Lorna Coppinger expanded on this in their 2002 book Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution, which is based on their studies of dogs living feral throughout the world. Dogs do not live in packs, and their behavior when living feral is very different than that of wolves.
Sadly, people were also told that the only way they could be the “alpha” and dominant over their dog was to use training methods and tools that caused physical or emotional pain, to intimidate the dog intentionally, and to make them afraid of us. Experts on dog behavior all agree that these tools and methods have no place in the management or training of a pet. This is what the AAHA states about aversives in their 2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines:
This Task Force opposes training methods that use aversive techniques. Aversive training has been associated with detrimental effects on the human-animal bond, problem-solving ability, and the physical and behavioral health of the patient.
Aversive techniques include prong (pinch) or choke collars, cattle prods, alpha rolls, dominance downs, electronic shock collars, lunge whips, starving or withholding food, entrapment, and beating. None of those tools and methods should be used to either teach or alter behavior.
This Task Force strongly endorses techniques that focus on rewarding correct behaviors and removing rewards for unwanted behaviors.
While I know of no reputable pet care professionals telling people to be dominant and to use pain, fear, and force to train or manage their pet, this is still occurring. As your pet's parent, steward, caregiver, or owner, your pet depends on you to do what is best for him. Please, avoid the dominance, pack hierarchy, and aversive nonsense.
Don Hanson lives in Bangor, Maine, where he is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop (greenacreskennel.com) and the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. He is a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A) accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB)and a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Don is a member of thePet Professional Guild (PPG), where he serves on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee and chairs the Advocacy Committee. He is also a founding director of Pet Advocacy International (PIAI). In addition, Don produces and co-hosts The Woof Meow Showpodcast,available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/,the Apple Podcast app, and Don's blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com.The opinions in this post are those of Don Hanson.