Let me first start off by saying that this is an intensely complicated subject, that to even touch upon it in this venue is very difficult. Volumes have been written about it. And many people who read this will have varying opinions. And I would welcome the feedback. You can go to my website and email me from there.
In the dog community there are many terms that are circulated frequently. One is dominance, the other is aggression. Most of the time, both of these terms are misused.
Much of the time, both dominance and aggression are nurtured. Sometimes it is genetic. Almost all the time, neither is treated correctly, if at all. First let’s talk about temperament. That is the personality of the dog. I like to put dogs into 2 categories: hard dogs and soft dogs. A hard dog, is a dog that if you gave him a strong correction with a prong collar, he would turn around and look at you as if to say “is that the best you can do”? And a soft dog, is a dog like my Dachshund, that if you yell at him too harshly, he will just roll over as if to say “you win, I give up”. If you have a soft dog, generally no problem. But if you have a hard dog, than listen up.
I have said this on several occasions. Many people get the wrong dogs. They get a dog for a variety of reasons. They either like the way the dog looks or its coat or some other superficial reason. Take my German Shepherd. She is a dominant dog. She is a personal protection dog that has competed in protection sports. Yet she is also a certified therapy dog that has been in hospitals and nursing homes making many people happy. How does this happen. How do you go from one to another? Yes she is dominant, and I allow her to be. But I’m more dominant, and she takes her orders from me. That’s my dog. Not my boss. We have to keep it all in perspective. I am ALWAYS in control. Now let’s take Fritz my Dachshund. I hate to say it, but he can get away with murder. Why. Because I love him, he is not a danger to anyone, and I don’t go through life like a drill sergeant.
A very high percentage of a dogs DNA is wolf. Now before some people out there start hootin’ and hollerin’ about the “alpha” theory and how flawed it is, lest I remind you, it is just that, a “theory”. That being said, in a wolf pack the “Alpha” is usually a female. And rank is a big deal. In your home, if you have a dominant dog, that dog should be the lowest ranking member of your pack. That doesn’t mean you have to mistreat the animal. But what it does mean is that, the dog has to have boundaries. And rules it has to abide by. It cannot go on the couch or bed unless you invite it. It doesn’t get away with stealing food off the counter. It doesn’t get away with eliminating in the house. You get the picture, right? And as for toys. All the toys belong to you. And you let the dog play with them, as you see fit. Then they go back to you. There is an order here. Once more, you don’t have to go through life like a drill Sargent, but you have to have control. If you are not willing to or can’t step up to the plate and take charge over this animal, than re-homing the dog may be a viable option.
Crating. That’s the next thing. For the first two years of a dog’s life, if not under your direct supervision, they’re in a crate. This is for several reasons. I am a positive trainer. Almost all interaction with you must be a positive experience. If your dog has the run of the house, and tears something up, you HAVE to address it. Usually this is going to be a negative encounter. So if you limit negative encounters, and save them from themselves, you are going to have a better relationship with your dog.
Puppy biting is a frequently brought up topic. Puppies experience all the new things in the world through their mouth. They don’t have hands, so there mouth takes over. Little nipping and biting is typical “puppy stuff” and dogs will grow out of it. What you should never do is to get the puppy worked up into a frenzy, even though it may be cute, where the puppy is growling and biting something. You’re starting to teach the dog that they can control their world through aggressive behavior. Playing tug is a whole other subject and I’ll briefly touch upon it. There is a major component to playing tug. And that’s the “out”. Teaching the dog that releasing something doesn’t mean losing it. World champion Ivan Balabanov demonstrated this superbly in his training series “Obedience without conflict” video series.
Dog on dog aggression comes in many forms. One form is “T ing” off. That is when one dog, gets on another’s back, crossways (like a “T”). This is a demonstration of dominance and should be discouraged. Watch body English. If a dog sees another dog, starts to stare, stiffens up, tail is raised over the back, hackles come up (hair over the back right after the neck, called a pilo erection), you’re looking at the beginnings of a dog fight. I’ve split up a few in my day and I’ll tell you, it aint fun. The way to split up two dogs is to grab each by their hind legs and pull them apart. When they are in this heightened state, they can easily turn on you through re-directed aggression, and bite their handlers. Also this throws them off balance and it is easier to separate them.
Dogs have several “drives” in them. One is prey, the other is defense. If a dog has weak nerves, it will not be confident, little things can set them off, and they will always be “on guard”. Sometimes they have a hair trigger, and they learn to control their environment by displays of aggression.
One of the most incredibly “stupid” things I have ever seen done on TV is the “alpha role”. This is where you role the dog over on its side to dominate it. Dogs don’t do this to each other. The dog can react to this one of two ways. Submit to you in fear or bite you in the face thinking you are trying to kill it. DON’T DO THIS!
Dominance and aggression are topics that we can speak about all day. If you think you dog has problems with either, consult a qualified trainer/behaviorist. Do your homework, get references and address this issue before it bites you, you know where.
