Is dog dominance real, or a myth? Does dominance cause most bad dog behaviors? How do we deal with a dominant dog? We consider dog dominance – what is fact and what is fiction.
The Dominant Dog – Dealing with Dominance in Dogs
What is the dominant dog? Some people attribute all bad dog behaviors to “dominance”, while others do not want to use the “dominant dog” label at all. We examine dominance in dogs and present techniques for handling this issue.
Alpha Male or Alpha Female?
An alpha dog is the one that usually takes the lead, controls the resources, and the one that the other dogs defer to. In a multi-dog household, is it more common to have a male or female alpha dog? Which do you think is more common?
Did Your Dog Win or Did You Win?
Some people see interacting with their dog as a constant battle for dominance and ‘points’. We win when we accumulate the most points. Is it really useful to view interactions with our dog in this way? If we win, does that mean our dog loses. If so, how can we truly win?