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What Does "Dominance" Mean?
In order to understand why your dog is acting "dominant," it’s important
to know some things about canine social systems. Animals who live in social
groups, including domestic dogs and wolves, establish a social structure
called a dominance hierarchy within their group. This hierarchy serves to
maintain order, reduce conflict and promote cooperation among group members.
A position within the dominance hierarchy is established by each member
of the group, based on the outcomes of interactions between themselves and
the other pack members. The more dominant animals can control access to
valued items such as food, den sites and mates. For domestic dogs, valued
items might be food, toys, sleeping or resting places, as well as attention
from their owner.
In order for your home to be a safe and happy place for
pets and people, it’s best that the humans in the household assume the
highest positions in the dominance hierarchy. Most dogs assume a neutral
or submissive role toward people, but some dogs will challenge their owners
for dominance. A dominant dog may stare, bark, growl, snap or even bite
when you give him a command or ask him to give up a toy, treat or resting
place. Sometimes even hugging, petting or grooming can be interpreted
as gestures of dominance and, therefore, provoke a growl or snap because
of the similarity of these actions to behaviors that are displayed by
dominant dogs. Nevertheless, a dominant dog may still be very affectionate
and may even solicit petting and attention from you.
You May Have A Dominance Issue With Your Dog If:
- He resists obeying commands that he knows well.
- He won’t move out of your way when required.
- He nudges your hand, takes you’re arm in his mouth
or insists on being petted or played with (in other words, ordering
you to obey him).
- He defends his food bowl, toys or other objects from
you.
- He growls or bares his teeth at you under any circumstances.
- He won’t let anyone (you, the vet, the groomer) give
him medication or handle him.
- He gets up on furniture without permission and won’t
get down.
- He snaps at you.
What To Do If You Recognize Signs
of Dominance In Your Dog
f you recognize the beginning signs of dominance aggression in your dog,
you should immediately consult an animal behavior specialist. No physical
punishment should be used. Getting physical with a dominant dog may cause
the dog to intensify his aggression, posing the risk of injury to you.
With a dog that has shown signs of dominance aggression, you should always
take precautions to ensure the safety of your family and others who may
encounter your dog by:
- Avoiding situations that elicit the aggressive behavior.
- During the times your dog is acting aggressively, back
off and use "happy talk" to relieve the tenseness of the situation.
- Supervise, confine and/or restrict your dog’s activities
as necessary, especially when children or other pets are present.
- When you’re outdoors with your dog, use a "Gentle Leader"
or muzzle.
- When you’re indoors with your dog, control access to
the entire house by using baby gates and/or by crating your dog. You
can also use a cage-type muzzle, or a "Gentle Leader" and leash, but
only when you can closely supervise your dog.
Dominance aggression problems are unlikely to go away
without your taking steps to resolve them. Treatment of dominance aggression
problems should always be supervised by an animal behavior specialist,
since dominant aggressive dogs can be potentially dangerous.
The following techniques (which don’t require a physical
confrontation with your dog) can help you gain some control:
- Spay or neuter your dog to reduce hormonal contributions
to aggression. NOTE: After a mature animal has been spayed or neutered,
it may take time for those hormones to clear from the system. Also,
long-standing behavior patterns may continue even after the hormones
or other causes no longer exist.
- "Nothing in Life is Free" is a safe, non-confrontational
way to establish your leadership and requires your dog to work for everything
he gets from you (see our handout: "Nothing in Life is Free"). Have your dog obey at
least one command (such as "sit") before you pet him, give him dinner,
put on his leash or throw a toy for him. If your dog doesn’t know any
commands or doesn’t perform them reliably, you’ll first have to teach
him, using positive reinforcement, and practice with him
daily. You may need to seek professional help if your dog is not obeying
each time you ask after two to three weeks of working on a command.
- Don’t feed your dog people food from the table and
don’t allow begging.
- Don’t play "tug of war," wrestle or play roughly with
your dog.
- gnore barking and jumping up.
- Don’t allow your dog on the furniture or your bed,
as this is a privilege reserved for leaders. If your dog growls or snaps
when you try to remove him from the furniture, use a treat to lure him
off. Otherwise, try to limit his access to your bed and/or furniture
by using baby gates, a crate, or by closing doors.
- Always remember to reward good behavior.
- Consult your veterinarian about acupuncture, massage
therapy or drug therapy.
- Obedience classes may be helpful in establishing a
relationship between you and your dog in which you give commands and
he obeys them (be sure to choose a trainer who uses positive reinforcement methods). Obedience classes
alone, however, won’t necessarily prevent or reduce dominance aggression.
A Note About Children and Dogs
From your dog’s point of view, children, too, have a place in the dominance
hierarchy.Because children are smaller and get down on the dog’s level
to play, dogs often consider them to be playmates, rather than superiors.
Small children and dogs should not be left alone together without adult
supervision. Older children should be taught how to play and interact
appropriately and safely with dogs; however, no child should be left alone
with a dog who has displayed signs of aggression.
Why Our Behavior Helpline Can’t
Help
While it’s sometimes possible to successfully resolve aggressive behavior
problems related to dominance, this is not a process that can be done
by our Behavior Helpline staff and volunteers. Very detailed questioning
in order to obtain a complete behavioral history, plus direct observation
of your pet in his own environment, is necessary before recommendations
to resolve the problem can be made. Our Behavior Helpline is limited to
telephone assistance (see our handout: "When the Helpline Can’t Help").
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