07/13/2017
"The idea that you should “be the pack leader” is one that is so ingrained in our community that it is considered by most of the general public to be an incontrovertible fact. We have all grown up with the concept of the “top dog” or the “alpha”, and most people believe statements like “he’s a dominant dog” without question.
The idea has been so universally accepted by our culture that telling somebody “there’s no such thing as an alpha in dog training” is met with a knee jerk reaction of denial. Most dog owners hear that statement with the same kind of scepticism they’d feel if they were told the Earth was flat or fire was cold..."
CONTINUE READING AT:
http://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/no-such-thing-as-an-alpha-dog
This article is not about the effectiveness or necessity of punishment, but about whether or not we should consider dominance when training a dog.
Not all trainers that think you should be the pack leader recommend the use of harsh punishments, and not everyone who uses punishment also subscribes to the idea of being dominant.
The concept of whether or not dogs need to be punished as part of their training is a topic for another post. What this post is meant to convey is that you should NEVER punish a dog because you want to be dominant over them.
Many of the more benign type of things that trainers do in the name of being alpha, like not letting dogs go through doors ahead of them, can be quite beneficial to a dog’s training. Not because a dog that is allowed to rush through doorways will think that they are dominant, but because doorway manners will help prevent escapes and keep them safe, and are a good opportunity to practice good manners and impulse control.
Consistency, confidence and boundaries are all necessary for good dog training – but NOT because having them will make you dominant.
Nothing your dog does is an attempt to take over your “status”. Dogs continue behaviours that work – so if being pushy, impulsive and demanding works to get the dog what they want, they will continue those behaviours. Both positive reinforcement and punishment will work to stop a pushy and demanding dog, but neither works by “teaching the dog its place”.
Here are a couple of quotes to think about:
“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” - Neil deGrasse Tyson
“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
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I had originally intended to cover "pack theory" in our series of myth-busting graphics, but the topic is such a sensitive one that I decided it was best handled in a dedicated article.
Many of you will feel the scepticism I mention in the article; if you do, please consider taking the time to read through it. You may be surprised about the origin of ideas that most dog owners consider to be true.
Challenging long term beliefs is never easy. It can cause you to look back on the past with the power of hindsight, and feel guilt that your actions had consequences that were not your intention.
Before I became a trainer I used training methods based on dominance with my fearful and reactive dog, Toby. I yelled at him, hit him, cut off his air with a choke chain and very nearly put him in a shock collar - all in the name of "training". I truly believed that what I was doing was helping him, even though I hated to do it.
When I first began to learn about modern, science based dog training, and the reality of dominance theory, my first reaction was dread and denial. I realised that if it was true that it wasn't necessary to dominate my dog in order to train him, then all the abuse I had been dishing out was unnecessary. It would have been much easier at that stage to deny the evidence before my eyes, and insist that the things I was doing needed to be done.
Instead, I made the choice to make a change. Toby and I embraced positive reinforcement training, and began the journey that led to That Dog Geek.
The guilt over the things in our past still plagues me, but it is most definitely worth it when I see how Toby has blossomed since those early days.
I hope the article helps those of you in similar situations to Toby's and mine.
Happy training Dog Geeks.
