No such thing as a 'leader of the pack' with dogs

Dog training: why there's no point in trying to dominate your dog
Posted By: Peter Wedderburn at May 22, 2009 at 08:09:03 [General]
Posted in: UK Correspondents
Tags:
behaviour, dog training, dominance, pack order, research

So we've all been wrong, for all these years. A study released yesterday confirms that there's no such thing as the "leader of the pack" in the dog world.

Analysis of dogs in a rehoming centre combined with reviews of work done on feral dogs has shown that there isn't a "pack order" in dog society after all. All those efforts that people make to dominate their dogs are a waste of time.

It's with a little trepidation that I step into this arena: dog behaviour is a complex area, and one that some dog behavioural "experts" feel that vets should leave alone. They maintain that vets should stick to physical illnesses, leaving the animal behaviour to those whose training and experience is entirely dedicated to the subject. They back up this view with stories of bad advice given by some vets over the years.

In defence of my profession, a considerable chunk of the veterinary curriculum is given over to learning about animal behaviour. Vets discuss behavioural issues with owners on a daily basis. When we go to conferences, there are streams of lectures dedicated to animal behaviour. Vets would never claim to be behavioural specialists, but many of us do have enough training, understanding and experience of the area to be able to offer considerable help to our clients. Part of our training is to know our limits, and to know when we need to refer a difficult case to a true behavioural specialist.

So back to the issue about the structure of the canine pack. If there isn't an order of dominance, what is going on? I've learned about this from my own two dogs, and I find it easier to talk about the concept of "confidence" rather than "dominance". Each of my dogs is more confident in different situations, and each one could appear to be "dominant" depending on what's happening.
My territorial terrier, Spot, is in charge when the property needs defended. He barks, and rushes to the fore when a stranger appears. He looks like the "top dog" when you see him like this, but it's just that he's full of confidence when it comes to this part of his life.

My food-obsessed Labrador, Bessie, is less confident when it comes to defending the home, hiding behind Spot, but when it comes to food, she's definitely in charge. If a scrap of food falls to the ground, she'll see Spot out of the way. She loves food so much that when it's available, she's highly motivated and she's learned that in this situation, she can be the "top dog".

So you see, the "top dog" concept varies through the day, and as such, it's not very useful. The old theory suggested that the "top dog" dominated the rest of the pack in every situation, and that each animal was vying with the others to be dominant over each other. Old behavioural methods tried to teach owners to dominate their pets, to ensure that they remained in charge. Harsh methods, including punishment, were used to allow an owner to maintain this role.

The new research explains that dogs' minds don't work like this after all, and efforts to dominate pets can simply induce fear, anxiety and even aggression rather than creating a stable household.
Animal behaviour is difficult to understand, and we'll probably never fully appreciate what's going on inside their heads. There will always be different theories, and training concepts that work in some situations, but not in others.

To me, the biggest problems with dog behaviour happen when owners like treat their pets like spoiled children. People don't like to lay down boundaries, finding it difficult to be firm and consistent. One moment, the dog is sitting in their lap, being fed treats. Next, he's allowed up on the sofa, and when he growls, everyone backs off and leaves him alone. One situation is OK, the other is not OK, but to the dog, they seem similar.

The advantage of the old pack dominance theory was that it provided an easy way of explaining to people the importance of being consistent in their attitude to their pets. It gave owners justification to be more confident than they might otherwise feel.

The question is this: now that owners are no longer "allowed" to be dominant over their pets, how can they be taught to be consistent and confident so that they don't have their lives ruined by pushy little dogs?

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22/05/2009 13:25
TV dog behaviour programmes 'useless and dangerous'

Television dog trainers use “ridiculous” techniques that can do more harm than good, according to
scientists.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent
Last Updated: 8:45PM BST 21 May 2009


Researchers found that methods to
assert dominance over pets, used by
the late Barbara Woodhouse, could
increase aggression in animals.
They claimed that each series “puts
back animal behaviour by 10 years”
because they are built on the false
assumption that dogs are constantly
trying to dominate the pack – whether
that be other animals or humans – and
must be put in their place.

Experts at the University of Bristol’s Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences said it was far more effective to train
dogs through reward rather than punishment. Behaving aggressively only made dogs scared and confused and more
likely to lash out, they said.
“The problem is that some trainers are not qualified,” said Dr Rachel Casey, a senior lecturer in companion animal
behaviour and welfare.

“They are just hired to look good. There are huge welfare implications in having this stuff on television.”

Dr Casey and her team spent six months studying dogs at a Dogs Trust rehoming centre, and reanalysing data from
studies of feral dogs. They found that rather than fighting to be head of the pack, dogs were much more co-operative
and tended to treat others like they were treated themselves. The researchers concluded that training aimed at
“dominance reduction” was therefore worthless and being aggressive only made dogs more likely to copy such
behaviour.
Dr Casey, who published the findings in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour: Clinical Applications and Research, said
that methods such as instructing owners to eat before their dog or go through doors first would not influence a dog’s
perception of its relationship with its owner.
Techniques such as pinning dogs to the floor, grabbing jowls, blasting hooters or using an electric collar made them
anxious about their owner and potentially more aggressive, she claimed. “The blanket assumption that every dog is
motivated by some innate desire to control people and other dogs is frankly ridiculous,” said Dr Casey.
“Owners are often horrified when we explain that their dog is terrified of them, and is showing aggression because of
the techniques they have used, but it’s not their fault when they have been advised to do so, or watched
recommending such techniques on TV. Being consistent and rewarding good behaviour is so much better than
punishment.” Chris Laurence, a veterinary director at the Dogs Trust, said: “We can tell when a dog comes in to us
which has been subjected to the 'dominance reduction technique’ so beloved of TV dog trainers. Sadly, many
techniques used to teach a dog that his owner is leader of the pack is counter-productive — you won’t get a better
behaved dog, but you will either end up with a dog so fearful it has suppressed all its natural behaviours, or one so
aggressive it’s dangerous to be around.”
A spokesman for Victoria Stilwell said: “Victoria has been a vocal opponent of dog trainers on TV and in private
practice that continue to promote outdated dominance-based philosophies.
“As a passionate advocate of positive reinforcement training methods, Victoria is firmly against and has never
advocated practices such as going through the door before the dog, pinning dogs to the floor, grabbing jowls or using
electric shock collars (against which she has campaigned for years). She remains committed to debunking myths
surrounding outdated, scientifically-flawed, dominance-based philosophies.”
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2009

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Applied Animal Behaviour Science
Volume 117, Issues 1-2, February 2009, Pages 47-54

Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors


Meghan E. Herron, a, , Frances S. Shofera and Ilana R. Reisnera

Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6010, USA


Accepted 22 December 2008. Available online 24 January 2009.
Abstract

Prior to seeking the counsel of a veterinary behaviorist many dog owners have attempted behavior modification techniques suggested by a variety of sources. Recommendations often include aversive training techniques which may provoke fearful or defensively aggressive behavior. The purpose of this study was to assess the behavioral effects and safety risks of techniques used historically by owners of dogs with behavior problems.

A 30-item survey of previous interventions was included in a behavioral questionnaire distributed to all dog owners making appointments at a referral behavior service over a 1-year period. For each intervention applied, owners were asked to indicate whether there was a positive, negative, or lack of effect on the dog's behavior, and whether aggressive behavior was seen in association with the method used. Owners were also asked to indicate the source of each recommendation. One-hundred-and-forty surveys were completed. The most frequently listed recommendation sources were “self” and “trainers”. Several confrontational methods such as “hit or kick dog for undesirable behavior” (43%), “growl at dog” (41%), “physically force the release of an item from a dog's mouth” (39%), “alpha roll” (31%), “stare at or stare [dog] down” (30%), “dominance down” (29%), and “grab dog by jowls and shake” (26%) elicited an aggressive response from at least a quarter of the dogs on which they were attempted. Dogs presenting for aggression to familiar people were more likely to respond aggressively to the confrontational techniques “alpha roll” and yelling “no” compared to dogs with other presenting complaints (P < 0.001). In conclusion, confrontational methods applied by dog owners before their pets were presented for a behavior consultation were associated with aggressive responses in many cases. It is thus important for primary care veterinarians to advise owners about risks associated with such training methods and provide guidance and resources for safe management of behavior problems.

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I can't say I personally agree because I have personally seen much the contrary within both feral and pet dogs. I really want to find a study that measures the trainability and happiness levels using all the different methods.

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Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat

ScienceDaily (May 25, 2009) —
A new study shows how the behaviour of dogs has been misunderstood for generations: in fact using misplaced ideas about dog behaviour and training is likely to cause rather than cure unwanted behaviour. The findings challenge many of the dominance related interpretations of behaviour and training techniques suggested by current TV dog trainers.

Contrary to popular belief, aggressive dogs are NOT trying to assert their dominance over their canine or human “pack”, according to research published by academics at the University of Bristol’s Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research.

The researchers spent six months studying dogs freely interacting at a Dogs Trust rehoming centre, and reanalysing data from studies of feral dogs, before concluding that individual relationships between dogs are learnt through experience rather than motivated by a desire to assert “dominance”.

The study shows that dogs are not motivated by maintaining their place in the pecking order of their pack, as many well-known dog trainers preach.
Far from being helpful, the academics say, training approaches aimed at “dominance reduction” vary from being worthless in treatment to being actually dangerous and likely to make behaviours worse.

Instructing owners to eat before their dog or go through doors first will not influence the dog’s overall perception of the relationship – merely teach them what to expect in these specific situations. Much worse, techniques such as pinning the dog to the floor, grabbing jowls, or blasting hooters at dogs will make dogs anxious, often about their owner, and potentially lead to an escalation of aggression.

Dr Rachel Casey, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Bristol University, said: “The blanket assumption that every dog is motivated by some innate desire to control people and other dogs is frankly ridiculous. It hugely underestimates the complex communicative and learning abilities of dogs. It also leads to the use of coercive training techniques, which compromise welfare, and actually cause problem behaviours.

“In our referral clinic we very often see dogs which have learnt to show aggression to avoid anticipated punishment. Owners are often horrified when we explain that their dog is terrified of them, and is showing aggression because of the techniques they have used – but its not their fault when they have been advised to do so, or watched unqualified ‘behaviourists’ recommending such techniques on TV.”

At Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, rehoming centre staff see the results of misguided dog training all the time. Veterinary Director Chris Laurence MBE, added: “We can tell when a dog comes in to us which has been subjected to the ‘dominance reduction technique’ so beloved of TV dog trainers. They can be very fearful, which can lead to aggression towards people.

“Sadly, many techniques used to teach a dog that his owner is leader of the pack is counter-productive; you won’t get a better behaved dog, but you will either end up with a dog so fearful it has suppressed all its natural behaviours and will just do nothing, or one so aggressive it’s dangerous to be around.”

Journal reference:
John W.S., Bradshaw , Emily J., Blackwell , Rachel A., Casey. Dominance in domestic dogs -- useful construct or bad habit? Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, May/June 2009, Pages 135-144 [link]

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