Is your dog trying to dominate you? The short answer is no, they are not.
And though that might not come as a surprise to you, what isn't always clear is why it's not true.
Especially because this theory that dogs want to dominate us or some dogs are more "dominate" than others still comes up a lot in dog training.
That's why I want to talk about where this dominance and alpha theory came from, how it's been debunked, and why it still persists even though we now know better.
I believe this information is important because helps us better understand our dog and how they see the world so we can better communicate with them and teach them how we want them to behave in our human world.
As always, the resources I talk about in this episode are listed all below.
In this episode I talk about:
- Where the dominance and alpha theory came from.
- How we now know that there's no such thing as an "alpha" dog in a natural wolf pack.
- Why dominance and alpha theory is still (incorrectly) used.
- What is actually happening when we think we see a "dominate" or "submissive" dog.
- Why I think it's so important to understand the difference.
Press play and enjoy!
Other resources mentioned and related to this episode:
International Wolf Center: An article by the organization that conducted the ordinal study on why they no longer use the term "alpha".
Dave Mech (pronounced "meesh"): An article and video by the scientist that wrote the book that made the "alpha" theory popular on why it's no longer accurate.
YNP #038: The One Thing You Need to Know About Dog Behavior.
YNP #040: How to be Your Dog's Pack Leader
Playtime Paws Academy: A membership for dog and humans no matter where you are in your training journey.
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