The dominance theory and seeing dogs as the alpha type have stemmed from studies in the 1900s to be utilised in training. After the findings are debunked as a myth and irrelevant to use in dog training methods, let’s explore what it is and why this has happened.
What Is Dominance Theory In Dogs?
The dominance theory in dogs is a way to explain a dog’s aggressive behaviour as being seen as the alpha dog. A dog would use aggression to achieve a higher social status (or the alpha) amongst other dogs and people around them. Owners seeing a dog’s aggressive behaviour this way meant that training stemmed from this ideology to remove their alpha status.
Where Did The Theory Originate From?
The dominance theory originated from various animal studies but became widely known from a study with wolves during the 1940s, where wolf and dog behaviour was blended to be thought of as the same.
Studies show that wolves had to be assertive and dominant to get what they needed to survive, using aggressive behaviour towards others. The surrounding resources were only claimed by asserting their dominance and becoming the alpha.
Why & How Has The Dominance Theory Been Debunked?
The conditions of the studies were that the resources and the environment of the wolves were unnatural, proving that it is not accurate to assume dogs would behave in the same way. Captivity and wild wolves have proven to behave differently, and aggression towards each other is rarely seen in the wild. Instead, they live together in a more relaxed and respectful environment with each other and share their resources.
Using it to train dogs, therefore, is outdated, irrelevant and won’t have the desired effect.
What Is The Issue With The Dominance Theory?
The issue of using studies with conditions that are not transferable into real-world scenarios makes the findings irrelevant in this case. Trainers using these methods to assert dominance will not be effective for aggression training.
Owners would have used forceful and aggressive methods towards their dogs to assert dominance to correct their behaviour and their dogs to back down. They would want to be seen as the alpha in the hierarchy rather than their dog, so bad behaviours would be corrected. Training domestic dogs this way is not accurate and as simple as saying aggression is about seeking a higher social place.
Where Does Dog Aggression Come From?
The dominance theory overlooks the root causes of aggression. Dogs are more complex to feel different types of emotion and aggressive behaviours are often a feeling of frustration, fear, pain, anxiety, and confusion to their environment or situations happening around them. Instead, specialist reactive dog training can be done to reverse these behaviour types.
Owner and Dog Bonding
If you use aggressive tactics to train your dog, being seen as an ‘alpha’ distances the bond between you and your dog. It removes the other emotions in a bond, such as love and compassion, if you create this hierarchy type in your household. By doing this, a negative and harmful impact can be placed on your overall bond and further responsiveness to training.
What Is The Alternative?
There are many more ethical and effective types of dog training. These include:
- Clicker training
- Positive reinforcement training
- Science-based training
- Mirror training
By doing these, they are proven ways to train dogs for a variety of outcomes, such as improved obedience or rectifying specific behaviours. It often involves treats, positivity and repetitive actions for your dog to learn.
Discover more resources with our best dog training methods and dog training tips!
Effective Training With A&T Trained Dogs
As we have discovered, the dominance theory has now been debunked – meaning there are other methods to use to rectify dog behaviour or teach them something new. Our specialist dog trainers have a vast range of experience in dog training that works, creating bespoke plans and handovers to suit your goals. With countless success stories and exceptional training facilities, get in touch with our team or call us on 01524 587315 to start your dog training journey.
