So what is ‘dominance’ anyway?
By Mary Huntsberry, MA, ACAAB
Ask any reputable trainer or behaviorist and you might hear a new perspective on the highly contentious topic of defining dominance. This is because for many pet owners, dominance has taken on a meaning animal behavior scientists never intended it to have (Mech, 1999).
The problem originated in the ’60s with the idea that dogs are wolves and human families are packs. If a human isn’t the pack leader or “alpha”, the dog will fill the role and dominate their owner. With the misperception that the alpha wolf uses aggression to control it’s pack, pet owners feel justified using punitive methods to frighten and, at times, hurt their dogs (Bradshaw, et al., 2009).
Through thousands of years of domestication in which dogs were selectively bred to be our companions and working partners, as well as almost 60 years of additional research, we now know that dogs don’t see humans as canids or pack members (Bradshaw, et al., 2009). They have evolved from a common ancestor of the wolf to naturally form bonds with humans who intrinsically enjoy taking care of them (Nagasawa, et al., 2015).
With this information, we can explain why punishment can be so harmful to the dog-human relationship and even contribute to owner-directed aggression. Dog behavior is motivated by satisfaction of basic needs like food, play, sleep, alleviation of fear, and friendly social interaction. From their perspective, the use of punishment makes the owner unpredictable and aggressive, which at best is confusing, but often frightens many dogs. As an owner continues to punish, increasing fear and arousal can be elicited in a dog when punishment is perceived. This perception can escalate to fear aggressive threats motivated by self defense.
This is not to say that aspects of social dominance between dogs in a pet home doesn’t exist, but it may be unclear as roles can change overtime and depending on context. Individuals in a relationship may compete for control over food, territory, a sexual partner, resources (toys, bedding, bones, an owner, etc), and even the behavior of the other individual by initiating interaction or leading an activity. To maintain a peaceful and cooperative living situation, each dog takes turns occupying the dominate and submissive role. This means that while one dog may have control in one context, the same dog could behave submissively in another context. While the individual with the most control may be considered to have a more dominant status in that context (but can change in others), there is no such thing as a “dominant dog” (Schilder, et al., 2014).
Well-matched dogs develop relationships that remain peaceful because they defer to one another. Dogs who repeatedly threaten each other in the same contexts aren’t effectively communicating their needs to one another and are unlikely to work out the problem on their own. Furthermore, use of too much force and unprovoked aggression from one dog to a fearful or nonthreatening dog (the victim dog) is inappropriate, NOT a display of dominance. Allowing it to continue is a a humane issue for the victim dog and can lead to increasing aggression or injury.
Threatening behavior towards an owner or between family dogs is a problem. Always contact a qualified behavior professional at the first sign of aggression before the problem becomes too dangerous to be addressed.
Bradshaw, J.W.S., Blackwell, E. J., & Casey, R.A. (2009). Dominance in domestic dogs - useful construct of bad habit. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 4, 135-144.
Mech, L.D. (1999). Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor in wolf packs. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 77, 1196-1203.
Nagasawa, M, et al (2015). Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds. Science, 17, 333-336
Schilder, M.B.H., Vinke, C.M., & van der Borg, J.A.M. (2014). Dominance is domestic dogs revisited: Useful habit and useful construct?. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 9, 184-191.
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