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Name & Shame: The Dominance Theory...

Jaq Bunn

It’s hard to believe that some people in the canine education industry, i.e.
dog trainers and behaviourists are still promoting the ‘Dominance Theory’.

In recent years we have come full circle since this theory first started being
distributed through dog training clubs, books and the media. We have come
to realise that the relationship between dog and human cannot have the
same ‘rules’ as the relationship between dog and dog, and are adjusting the
way we interact with our dogs as a result.

Yes, dogs are pack animals. You have more than two dogs living together
and you can see the pack instincts coming through. Dogs have a unique
and complex ritualistic method of communication that humans are only just
beginning to understand after 15,000 years of living alongside them... Dogs
learned to read us long before now!

We are not dogs. We are a totally separate species. Trainers in the past have
told us how we cannot communicate with dogs because we don't share their
anatomy, i.e. can't wag our tails or lick our lips, so they have devised a 'Rank
Reduction Programme' to communicate our superiority and leadership to our
dogs... But hang on, they've taught us that the two species can't
communicate - so why on earth would a dog understand why we are eating
something right in front of him while his dinner is sitting on the kitchen top?
What message is that relaying to him? Likewise, this instinct-driven 'wolf-in-
dog’s-clothing' is to be chastised when it is naturally excited at the prospect
of going out into the big wide world for a walk so that he can explore and
have fun and tries to get through the door first?

It doesn’t work both ways…

So let's get this straight once and for all...

DOGS ARE NOT WOLVES!

In the same way that we are not primates, comparing a dog to a wolf in the
context of dog/human relationships is outdated and now regarded as
ridiculous by all of the world's leading canine behaviourists.

Some aspects of the 'Dominance' theory have merit, i.e. consistency of

commands, the introduction of discipline and order, a more structured
approach to the relationship, but it was merely these few concepts that gave
owners the tools they needed to make the theory a partial success and it was

©Copyright Jacqueline Bunn 2009

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this partial success that gave owners false hope and their dogs, depression
and frustration.

Furthermore, some of the theories such as puppy type behaviour needing to

be checked because it is a sign of dominance are simply ridiculous. Nowhere
in this theory does it allow for the fact that, after 15,000 years of co-existence
with us, some dogs actually like to invite us to play! Yes it can be a distracting
behaviour, i.e. you give the dog a command to sit and the dog play-bows
and ducks and dives playfully having learned that this behaviour makes you
laugh and may distract you from enforcing the command, but what is
'dominant' about that? According to the 'Dominance' theory, we are never
to play with our dogs unless WE initiate it. The dog is a sentient, intelligent
animal that has moods and emotions and actively seeks out our company for
no other reason at times than just to engage in play. We should be grateful
that an intelligent species finds us so engaging, not worried about the dog
dominating us with its demands.

The cure to the curse that was ‘Dominance’ was the 'Rank Reduction
Programme' and although had some success with some dogs, this was more
to do with the fact that owners were applying consistency to the way they
interacted with their dogs - nothing more, nothing less.

Detailed below are elements of a typical ‘Rank Reduction Programme’

handed out to unsuspecting owners of ‘Dominant’ dogs…

o Feed AFTER humans eat and pretend to eat from their bowl before
feeding.
o Dogs always go through all doorways and entrances AFTER humans.
o Never play tug-of-war with your dog.
o If you stare at your dog, the dog must avert gaze first.
o Games with toys, especially fetch, are only ever initiated by the owner.
Toys are then put away.
o Never put yourself in an equal or lesser height position than your dog.
People are not allowed to sit on the floor. The dog must never be
allowed to sit at the top of the stairs.
o Petting or attention to the dog should be given when you decide
attention is to be given (absolutely no interaction when the dog nudges
or paws you or your hand)
o When on a walk, dog must not be allowed to sniff or eliminate/toilet
anywhere he wants until you get to the park.
o The dog should NEVER be allowed on furniture.
o Dogs should NEVER be left with anybody who cannot maintain
leadership over dog.
o When given a command, if playful, puppy-like behaviour is displayed,
this is actually a refusal to comply and must be stopped.

©Copyright Jacqueline Bunn 2009

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o The dog must be made to move if in your path on a floor or stairway,

etc. even if you are able to step over him.
o The dog is a pack animal. Treated incorrectly, a dog will become
stressed, aggressive, or depressed, and could end up with serious
behavioural traits.

In ALL of the 'rules' above, where does it say to interact positively with your
dog? Where does it say to make your dog's tail wag with happiness? Where
does it say allow for breed differences, i.e. the average mastiff breed does at
times lay down where it is 'inconvenient' to us simply because of its size, but if
a dog has dysplasia or arthritis, do we then, as in the rank reduction
programme, move it every single time and cause it pain or discomfort? Even
more importantly, remember that a mastiff type would only be comfortable
with someone it trusted implicitly stepping over it; with some dogs weighing up
to 18 stones, mutual trust is more important than the ability to force it to move
whenever we feel like it...

This was the main fault running through the whole Rank Reduction
Programme craze of the eighties and nineties - people followed all of these
negative rules to the letter, but nowhere were they told to balance this with
play and mutually enjoyable interaction. Countless dogs relapsed with more
serious behavioural problems stemming from depression and frustration where
the relationship with their human was no longer one of trust and joy, but
control and dominance.

One of the checklist rules above is actually highly inadvisable; 'If you establish
eye contact, the dog must avert gaze first'. This implies that you are to stare
directly into the eyes of the dog until it turns away. Be under no
misapprehension, this kind of nose-to-nose stare out makes the most amiable
dog uncomfortable, and can have far more serious effects with a confident,
naturally wary mastiff-type that probably weighs more than you do...

So let me reiterate, in the worrying event that you found the above Rank
Reduction Programme promising:

DOGS ARE NOT WOLVES!!! WE DO NOT HAVE TO BE ‘ALPHA’!!!

They are a similar but altogether separate species and when living in multi-
dog households, will display similar behaviours to wolves when interacting with
each other...

But not with us.

The relationships between dog/dog and dog/human are fundamentally

different and it is simply not feasible to apply the same rules to both types of
relationship.

©Copyright Jacqueline Bunn 2009

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One thing in the above listing that is actually correct is the final comment
about your dog becoming stressed, aggressive or depressed if treated
incorrectly.

Rank Reduction Programmes can invoke negative, disrespectful, one-sided

relationships with dogs, causing them to become stressed, aggressive and
depressed. If this is the case, would it not be fair to conclude that to follow
one of these programmes to the letter, according to this final comment, is
treating them incorrectly?

Food for thought… And here’s some more:

Balance is the key... By all means have discipline in the relationship with your
dog, but never forget how to make his tail wag!

About the Author:

Jaq Bunn is a qualified, professional behaviourist in South East England with over 25 years of
dog training and behaviour experience. She is affiliated with the UKRCB, CFBA, CABTSG and
AABC and is currently working towards accreditation of the Kennel Club Accreditation
Scheme for Instructors in Dog Training and Canine Behaviour. Jaq is also the consultant
behaviourist for Neapolitan Mastiff Welfare.

©Copyright Jacqueline Bunn 2009