Dominance theory is outdated and harmful
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 112711.htm |
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| When we know better, we do better. In the past 20 years the field of ethology has exploded with information and we know better! There is alot of information available for folks who are interested in the science which has debunked many highly held and believed myths about dogs including the role of dominance. More resources are available to both pet and performance dog people for information and instruction on methods based on mutual respect and cooperation, species appropropriate leadership, and learning about canine cognition, how dogs learn and how best to teach them. Katherine Smith Shaggeypaws |
Yes...we are! In very, very many ways. The "Dominance Theory" that this article talks about, was (in my opinion...take with as many grains of salt as you like  ) a silly fad that very few serious dog people ever subscribed to. It came out of that whole "dogs are wolves" thing that was big a while back. Dogs are not wolves, any more than people are cro-magnons  evolution marches on, folks, try to keep up  That doesn't mean, though, that some dogs are not more "dominant" than others, especially in their interactions with other dogs.I feel that every dog is an individual. Training methods, etc should be flexible and suited to that dog's needs, and not just to whatever technique happens to be fashionable at the moment. |
I just got done telling someone humping was a dominance thing.  So what IS humping and what is the best way to quickly and efficiently put an end this behavior? Not only is it rude for a puppy to grab hold of a human this way, it physically hurts... I can only imagine an adult doing this.  I don't roll my dogs but I did roll this boy as a puppy to let him know once and for all that I would never tolerate it. |
ravenmoonart wrote: I feel that every dog is an individual. Training methods, etc should be flexible and suited to that dog's needs, and not just to whatever technique happens to be fashionable at the moment. TOTALLY agree with this! |
| To be fair this is only one study done by very few people with very few dogs. Dogs are animals, as are people... yes we have evolved to rationalize and not live solely on instinct and dogs have evolved past only instinct too but they are still dogs and I do believe much of what they do is based on instinct and much of what they learn from us is best learned if taught with their instincts in mind. |
Willowsprite wrote: To be fair this is only one study done by very few people with very few dogs. Dogs are animals, as are people... yes we have evolved to rationalize and not live solely on instinct and dogs have evolved past only instinct too but they are still dogs and I do believe much of what they do is based on instinct and much of what they learn from us is best learned if taught with their instincts in mind. Absolutely agreed! I think the problem is: which instinct? Its the over-simplification that bugs me...people wanting to ascribe virtually all unwanted dog behavior to one thing, like dominance or fear. It doesn't work for humans either: like Freud putting everything down to sex!  |
| I think there is alot of confusion about the term "dominance" and there are some trainers who refrain from using this often highly charged word because of decades of misuse and misunderstanding. "The ethological concept of dominance refers to competitive control over a resource in a limited circumstance and to the ability of a higher-ranking animal to displace a lower-ranking one from that resource. Dominance is not interchangeable with a hierarchical rank.” I think this is one of the most important distinctions; dominance is not rank. Submissive behavior is associated with fear and pain and subordinated behaviors are deferential behaviors which imply recognition and respect of hierarchical rank. The Merck manual continues: “Dominance ranks, particularly those that are linear in which a ‘dominant’ animal is identified, are largely artifacts of experimental or manipulated situations. A ‘dominant’ animal is not the one engaged in most fighting and combat. Most high-ranking animals seldom have to contest their right to access of a resource or control of that access. Instead, high-ranking animals are usually better identified by the character and frequency of deferential behaviors exhibited by others in their social group.” Katherine Smith Shaggeypaws . Katherine Smith Shaggeypaws |
| Instincts are both survival and social. Instincts: "a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason" In general, an instinct is usually considered to be an innate, unlearned response to a stimulus, and is more complex than a simple reflex. I think what are often referred to as "instincts" in dogs are modal action patterns. A Modal Action Pattern (formerly known as fixed action pattern) being a behavior pattern involving the external and/or internal environment and feedback mechanisms that "update" the expression of the behavior. In working with our dogs we must take into consideration both instincts and MAP's. Chasing is a MAP in herding dogs so we need to instill in our dogs impulse control and frustration tolerance. There is an endorphin release in herding dogs when chasing things. The more it is practiced by the dog, the more the it learns to seek the pleasure response. The dog learns to get the animal (things) moving so it can chase it and "feel good". Chasing cars, skate boards, geese, horses, etc. is often perilous and not appropriate behavior in our pet dogs so we need to control the environment in order to prevent the dog from having the opportunity to practice this behavior. It is very important not to allow that neurological pathway to "heat up" so the dog seeks out the behavior. In addition to management (controlling the environment) we need to teach the dog an alternative incompatible behavior , such as sit with release. Once the trained behavior is fluent, we should start proofing the behavior with the gradual introduction of arousing distractions and then move onto varying the contexts. So yes, how successfully we manage our dogs' environment to prevent rehearsal opportunity of unwanted behaviors, and how successfully we instill skills will have an affect on how successful we are in overriding the genetic grain in extinguishing unwanted "instinctual" behaviors. Hope this provides some clarity. Katherine Smith Shaggeypaws |
| Humping behavior is usually driven by arousal. A highly excited aroused adolescent dog with play skills deficts may habitually hump other dogs. Dogs who are "best buddies" will often engage in reciprocal humping, and sometimes dogs, especially young dogs are just so excited they don't know what to do so they hump! Anytime we want to extinguish an unwanted behavior we need to think about what is rewarding the dog for the behavior and remove the reward. If reduction of stress or arousal is rewarding the dog's humping behavior we want to prevent the dog from having the opportunity to practice the behavior. Practice makes perfect. Having the dog on a dropped lead in the house will prevent the dog from humping. If you see the dog is getting aroused, stop the play or other activity and request a calmer behavior such as a down. I have a great "go wild and freeze" exercise for this. If the dog is humping the owner out of attachment, excitement over being reunited after a brief separation etc. then we want to interrupt the behavior (take the dog gently but firmly by the collar and remove him from your leg) and ask the dog for an incompatible behavior (such as sit or down) and reward the dog for that behavior. If the dog is so aroused he is unable to give the sit, then his humping behavior just earned him a 10 minute "time out" in his crate or behind a baby gate. He will learn to associate humping = loss of social contact with my person. Sitting, hand targeting, or other tricks = my person stays around and gives me attention. Just like with the young of our own species, when overly stimulated a time out gives the child/dog a chance to self calm and reduce the level of arousal. Most dogs will self calm in about 20 minutes. Keep in mind there is always an extinction burst period when removing the rewards of an unwanted behavior and working through this takes time and patience. Physically manipulating and shouting at the dog will only increase the dog's arousal and therefore contribute to what is driving the humping behavior. Katherine Smith Shaggeypaws |
| Just another theory, that may work for some people with some dogs, that many experts won't necessarily agree with. Shellie |
| I think its worth remembering too, that just because the thoery's wrong doesnt mean all the techniques dont work. It just means that those that work, work for other reasons. Including in some cases scaring the dog. |
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