I often hear the word ‘dominant’ used to describe dogs. But what does dominance actually mean and is it a useful concept in dog training?
Defining dominance
When we’re talking about complex behavioural concepts, it’s always good to start with a definition – I’ll try not to get too technical! The Oxford Dictionary of Animal Behaviour defines dominance as ‘a feature of social organisation in which some individuals acquire a high status, usually as a result of aggression, while other individuals retain a low status’. In flocks of chickens, for example, dominant individuals will peck subordinate individuals when they come in range; this allows dominant individuals to gain priority access to resources such as food or mating opportunities. The term dominance, then, describes a relationship that is the product of interactions between animals in a group. That brings me to the first truth about dominance: it is not a character trait of an animal (or a particular breed/species of animal), but instead describes the relationship between animals in a hierarchy in relation to a resource. ‘Dominance’ is therefore not a fixed quality; it fluctuates depending on the resource involved and the actions taken by different animals in a group to establish their place in the ‘pecking order’.
Dominance in wolves (and dogs)
Phew, glad that’s out of the way! Now let’s look at how the concept has been applied to dogs and their ancestors, wolves. Most people have heard of the concept of the ‘alpha wolf’; this term was coined by David Mech in a book published in 1970, and was based on his observations of captive wolf packs. The idea was that the ‘alpha’ would compete with others to become ‘top dog’ by winning contests or battles. However, what many people don’t know is that Mech later rejected his own theory after observing wolf packs in the wild. He realised that captive wolves were acting in this way due to being forced to live together with other, unrelated wolves in a very small territory, which was highly unnatural for them. In the wild, wolf packs actually form family units where the ‘alpha male’ is just the main breeding male, and the ‘alpha female’ is the breeding female. So the second truth about dominance is that there is no such thing as an alpha wolf!
The third truth about dominance is that even if it were to apply to wolf packs, that does not necessarily mean that it applies to domestic dogs. There is a common misconception that domestic dogs are nothing more than tame wolves, taken in as pups by our human ancestors then raised and trained to help them with hunting. However, projects where wolves have been hand-reared by humans from birth in research centres have shown that these animals never become truly domesticated, and any ‘tameness’ they do develop is not passed down from one wolf to their offspring. A more likely theory is that those wolves that were less frightened of humans were able to benefit from scavenging opportunities at village dumps, gradually becoming tamer and more numerous until they eventually evolved into the domestic dogs we know and love today. In actual fact, there is a huge divide in evolutionary terms between dogs and their wolf ancestors; think of them more like distant cousins (several times removed). That is why we must be cautious when making comparisons between wolves and dogs, as they are not quite so closely related as you might think.
Can we be the ‘pack leader’?
Now for the fourth truth about dominance: even if dogs were to adopt a kind of dominance hierarchy within their social groups, that does not mean they would include humans in that hierarchy. When trainers advise people to make sure they eat before their dogs or always walk through doorways in front of their dogs in order to establish their role as ‘pack leader’, they assume that the dog will understand this as a dominance-establishing act. In reality, whether or not you eat before or after your dog makes no odds to them – they will still get fed the same amount and the same quality of food regardless. In fact, our dogs are probably looking at us wondering why we’re looking so chuffed with ourselves when they’re the one sat there eating their dinner while our plates are empty.
Dominance as a concept in training
The fifth and final truth about dominance is that regardless of whether or not it exists, its application in dog training is at best misunderstood, and at worst actively harmful. Most people who claim to have taught their dog that they are the ‘alpha’ have usually achieved this through some form of physical punishment, for example by yanking on a slip lead every time their dog pulls. Once the dog finally starts walking to heel, they attribute this to the dog respecting their ‘pack leader’ status. In reality, this is what is called avoidance learning. The dog has learned that when they pull on the lead they get hurt, so they stop pulling in order to avoid the pain of the slip lead tightening around their throat. They don’t think their owner is the boss, they’re just avoiding something unpleasant.
In the worst case scenario, punishment-based training centred around the idea that you need to ‘dominate’ your dog can result in serious behaviour problems and irreparable damage to the dog-human relationship. For example, one study found that the use of ‘techniques’ such as alpha rolls (where the handler tackles the dog and rolls them onto their back into a ‘submissive’ posture) often results in increased aggression. This is not surprising when you think about it – if I went into work one day and my boss picked me up and dumped me onto my back, I’d probably be pretty mad about it too. So even if these techniques do work, like in the case of the dog walked on a slip lead, you might end up seeing other, more severe issues arise later down the line.
It’s all about the relationship
Ultimately, what this whole debate boils down to is not whether dominance exists, or even how to define it; it is a question of the relationship we want with our dogs. Personally, I don’t want my dogs to listen to me because they’re terrified of what I will do if they don’t; nor do I want a dog who feels like they will get punished whatever they do so they shut down altogether. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than watching Lyra turn on a dime and come sprinting back to me midway through chasing a rabbit because she wants to play with the tug toy I’m about to whip out of my pocket (that’s right, positive reinforcement works for dogs with a high prey drive too). My advice? Stop worrying about your dog ‘being dominant’ and consider building a stronger relationship with them through positive, fun training and play so that getting to play and train with you is far more rewarding than any unwanted behaviours they might be getting up to!