4 August, 2007

 
One afternoon, when Pinket, our long-haired Chihuahua, was still a pup, we had some friends over for dinner.  Pinket is an affection bug.  We kid and say that he was a massage therapist in his past life and now it's his turn to be on the receiving end.  Well, during the course of the evening, one of the women sat on the floor near the warmth of the fire place and Pinket went over and leaned up against her.  Her husband looked at her and knowingly said, "He's dominating you."

Over the years I have heard just about every look or movement from a dog described as dominance.  A dog walks ahead of you:  he is being dominant.  He gets up on the couch:  he is being dominant.  A dog growls: he is being dominant.   A dog jumps up on you: he is being dominant.  Or a dog's tail goes up and he too is being dominant.  And on and on.

Thinking about dogs as either submissive or dominant is extremely simplistic, is it not?  What follows is that dogs have two modes of being, dominant or submissive.   This is a very black and white way to view such a wonderful and complex creature as the dog. 

A dog leaning against a person might mean that he'd like a chest or belly rub if you'd be so kind, or that he is seeking warmth.  Or it could mean that he is afraid and the contact with you gives him comfort or reassurance.  It could just be the behavior of a dog who likes physical contact, a friendly sort of behavior.  Or a dog might be unsettled or stressed  and wants to make sure he knows where you are.  Another possibility is that a dog might want to control the movement of the person he is leaning against.  

You cannot interact with a dog who is looking for a belly rub in the same manner as you would with a dog who is fearful, and you cannot interact with a fearful dog in the same manner as a dog who is trying to control your movement.

You might be thinking that this is all obvious, but is it really?  If we  don't take the time to think about such things, we don't identify exactly where our thinking goes wrong.  The concept of dominance does not serve the dog, nor does it lead to understanding and right action.

Take a dog who is walking in front of you.  Dogs are curious and often energetic and we are very, very slow compared to a dog.  So this is natural behavior.  If you want your dog to walk at your pace, then you must train him.  He is not being dominant by exploring the world around him, nor by dashing through doorways ahead of you. 

How about a dog sleeping on the couch, or your bed?  Think: soft, comfortable and warm.  And then there is also the aspect of companionship (dogs are social creatures, remember).  I do recommend training a dog who lounges on the sofa, or on your bed, to get off the couch or bed on request, but be nice about it!  

Then there is the growling dog.  Why might the dog be growling?  For such an important form of communication as a growl, a specialist in dog behavior is invaluable.  We are trained to understand and interpret dog behavior.  But to interpret dog growling as being dominant behavior is extremely simplistic.  

A few weeks ago someone told me their dog was being dominant because his tail was held high.  In reality a tail held high shows us that a dog is in a heightened state of arousal (or excitement).  It reflects the dog's emotional and physiological state of being.  Mitzie Rose, my gentle female, has her tail up when we set out on a walk.  She is excited.  Once she has been trotting along for a while, the tail goes down to the relaxed position.  She sees a squirrel, and up it goes!  Wakelee's tail will go up when he sees another dog.  He checks out the other dog, and then it progresses from there.  The initial contact is with tail high.  He is not being dominant.  He could, though, threaten the other dog, or he could play, depending on how he feels about this other dog.
  
A respected veterinarian wrote that a dog jumping up on people showed dominance in the dog.  This is not true!  Most often it is friendly behavior.  The dog is trying to get closer to say hi.  I've seen dogs jump up as an appeasement gesture (I'm sorry!), or as attention getting.  We might not appreciate it, or we might love it, or both, but in most cases, it is not dominant behavior.  Furthermore, it is often a learned behavior.  We teach it to our dogs. 

Bernard never jumped up.  I thought it was because of his build; he is long, with short thick legs.  Then at about seven months old he made a little hop in greeting my husband, Eric.  Eric, loving all attention from dogs, pulled Bernard up higher and petted him and fussed over him.  Bernard loved it!  So he jumped on me a day or so later, and I did the same.  And a behavior was born.  After a month or so, he began launching himself at us with full force.  I guess he thought that if a little is good, more is better.  The behavior has been hard to stop because Eric and I both like our dogs to jump up on us in greeting, so we cannot be consistent in working with this behavior.  And in order to change a behavior, we must, absolutely, be consistent.

Behavior professionals say that dominance is momentary, that it is fluid.  For example, after all my dogs have been out for a walk on a warm day, they are thirsty.  Mitzie Rose really wants the water, and she will have first crack at the water bowl, no matter what.  She really, really feels strongly in this situation.  Bus, on the other hand, is the quickest dog, and to him it is really important to go in and out the door first, before the other dogs.  It's just his personality.  Neither Mitzie nor Bus are "dominant dogs".  They just feel strongly in certain situations.   

When Wakelee wants to come in the house first because he thinks my husband is hiding, Bus will voluntarily step to the side and let Wakelee inside first.  If Mitzie Rose walks too close to Wakelee, she will immediately look away and leave.  If Pinket is on my lap and I am eating smoked salmon, Pinket (9 lbs) will growl at Wakelee (104 lbs) and Wakelee will leave.  But if Pinket is drinking and Bernard comes up to drink, Pinket will leave.  If Pinket is eating and Bernard walks too close, Bernard will leave.

Everyone has their 'things' that are important to them, and they act on this.  Mitzie's is water, Bus' is doorways, Wakelee's is space, Pinket's is food, and Bernard...well, Bernard wants everything first, and gets nothing first.  He's not a submissive dog, though.  But he's nice enough not to fight about things, which is very good.

Earlier in this writing I wrote about Bernard jumping up on us, and how this was clearly a learned behavior.  This is a behavior that did not exist, Eric and I reinforced it when it did happen, and Bernard ran (or jumped) with it.  He is a smart dog and learns quickly.  The opposite can also be true.  A behavior that is incorrectly labeled 'dominant' can also be unlearned. 

When Bus was a puppy, he had a thing about dog toys.  He would pile them all together in a little pile near the dining room table and he would guard them. He got testy when I, or anyone else, went near them.  This might (incorrectly) be called dominant behavior by some.  I set about teaching him that when I got one of the toys, a great game would possibly start.  Then he learned that if another dog had a toy, a fun game might also ensue  (whereas if he had the toy, no game will happen).  Bus learned that sharing toys was a whole lot better than guarding them, so the guarding behavior disappeared.  Bus, who may have been (incorrectly) labeled dominant, was simply taught another way of being.   

In conclusion to a long and complex topic briefly addressed here, I would like to ask you to take the word dominance and dominant (and alpha too!) out of your vocabulary and put your dog's actual behavior into real terms.   This is not to say that there is no such thing as dominance.  What I am saying is that in many, many cases what is thought to be dominance is not really dominance.  If you need help identifying what is going on, consider working with a dog behavior professional, but one who also stays away from the simplistic point of view of dominance and submission in dogs. 


*Please note that every dog is an individual, and you may need to work with a dog behavior consultant to safely work with your dog.