Adam goes on a rant about common misunderstandings about dominance in dogs and how some prominent dog trainers are espousing views on dominant dog training without having a deep enough understanding about the nature of relationship-based training as it relates to dominance.
From the lecture:
Dominance In Dogs
free mini-lecture below
Today we’re going to be talking about dominant dogs. Specifically, we were listening to a lecture given by a fairly prominent dog trainer in the sport dog community, who, I have a lot of respect for. I haven’t met him. But apparently he is a very good sport dog trainer.
But he gave a lecture on dominant dogs and aggression and I have some issues that I completely disagree with and thought I would share them with you, today.
Starting out: This dog trainer mentions in his lecture he mentions that some dogs are extremely pain sensitive and– in the process of being asked to do something– they show aggression. But… it’s not that they’re dominant. This is just a super pain sensitive response, like: Some dogs that if you step on their foot, they’ll bite you. That’s not dominance, that’s pain sensitivity.
Totally reactive.
And he goes on to say that you can correct them all you want for that but you’re not going to make them stop biting.
Not Dominance In Dogs But Rather Reactivity? Oh Really?
Folks, this is plainly, flatly, completely… not true. I’ve been working with dogs for over 20 years now. You can fix this type of behavior. There are many dogs that are reactive in the sense that if you step on their foot… they will try to bite you, because: They see themselves as being dominant to you.
Listen to the full audio of this program– a free (five minute) audio mini lecture about dominance in dogs– below:
Listen to my my free (five minute) audio mini lecture about dominance in dogs by clicking on the play button on the youtube video, above.