Dog Behavior

Readers prepare thyselves as post is a rant.  Dan just returned from an appointment with a wonderfully dedicated owner whose dog is displaying symptoms of separation anxiety – becoming destructive and howling about 10 minutes after the owner leaves.  Previously he had worked with an “animal behaviorist” (who wasn’t) who told him the dog needed “structure” and that he needed to be a better “pack leader”. 

We just received a message in our inbox from a reader with an 8 month old kitten that her husband’s dog has been aggressive since they brought the cat into the home at 12 weeks.  They consulted an “animal behaviorist” (who wasn’t) who they said was “quite aggressive” and into the “dominance stuff”.  Their meeting apparently was not a pleasant experience. 

Every day we fight the dominance myths.  Separation anxiety has nothing to do with “dominance”.  Helping a dog accept a small kitten has nothing to do with being “dominant” over the dog. 

There will be readers who swear that after implementing “dominance techniques” their dog’s behavior improved.  Being consistent about which behaviors will be rewarded and which ones won’t, and requiring your dog to display a desirable behavior, such as sitting quietly, before giving him what he wants can certainly result in a dog that is better behaved, but this has nothing to do with dominance. 

Intimidation techniques that are often part of the “dominance” mythology can also work – temporarily at least – with some dogs to suppress behavior.  That doesn’t mean intimidation is appropriate or the best approach to solving a problem.  It just means that the dog is more afraid of the person doing the intimidating than he is motivated to perform the unwanted behavior.

And intimidation comes at a cost, which includes the risk of being bitten, when the dog attempts to defend himself or decides he’s had enough of someone grabbing him and throwing him to the ground in a so-called “alpha roll”.  It’s quite easy for dogs that have been man-handled in this way to decide that anyone reaching toward them quickly is going to do the same thing so they bite to prevent it.  Then they get labeled as “dominant dogs” when in reality they are reacting defensively.

The myths get worse.  We talked to a family who was told by their trainer that they and their 12 year old son had to “hump” their dog in order to establish their dominance over him. So they spent half an hour with the trainer chasing the dog around the backyard trying to mount him.  Now the dog won’t come when called and doesn’t want to have much to do with them.  Is anyone surprised?

We would guess that more harm has come to dogs in the name of being dominant over them than has happened with purposeful acts of cruelty.  If you believe or have been told you have a “dominant or alpha dog” – you probably don’t.  And if you’ve been told your dog’s problems are a result of you not being a good pack leader – they aren’t.

For more information, get our “Dangers of Dominance” DVD today, a program Dr. Hetts has delivered to a number of audiences including pet dog trainers in Australia and several national veterinary conferences in the U.S.  Or register for our telecourse – “Alternatives to ‘Dominance’ and ‘Pack Leader’ Myths” so you can avoid damaging your relationship with your dog and creating, rather than solving – behavior problems using outdated methods.