Some people attribute all problem behaviors to “dominance“, while others do not want to use the “dominant dog” label at all. The truth, as always, is somewhere in-between.

It is useful to recognize dominant behaviors in our dog, so that we can better manage him, keep him safe, and set him up for success. Refusing to use the word dominance, or denying its existence in dogs, is unhelpful.

Any pack animal including humans and dogs, have to deal with dominance issues, because it is part of pack dynamics.

Similarly, trying to explain everything away by using the dominant dog label or excuse, is also unhelpful. To really fix a problem behavior, we want to fully understand it, and correctly identify its source. For example, a dog may show aggression because of dominance. However, dog aggression can also be the result of fear, stress, play, curiosity, boredom, or something else.

Dealing with Dominance in Dogs.

Dog Dominance

Dominance is a fluid concept.

Dog Dominance - Dominance, is a fluid concept.

Dogs are not dominant all of the time.

For example, many dogs will show greater dominance when they are on home turf, or when their owners are around. Under different circumstances, these same dogs may become less assertive, or may even become submissive.

Observe our dog carefully, and identify when he is more likely to show dominance, and why.

Dogs are not dominant all of the time.

Dominance is a relative concept.

My Shiba Inu, for example, is more dominant than most dogs I have owned. He challenges me more frequently, and is constantly testing his boundaries. He has a dominant body posture, and he will not back down when challenged by other dogs.

My Siberian Husky, is a more submissive dog. She usually stops whatever she is doing, when I tell her to. She very quickly backs down, and uses submissive body language, when confronted by other dogs.

However, this does not mean that my Husky will always back down, or never show any dominance behavior. She simply prefers to avoid conflict, and has learned that she usually gets more, by seeking a peaceful resolution. I make sure to encourage this behavior, by rewarding calmness and conflict avoidance very well.

Dominance is a relative concept.

What is a Dominant Dog?

What is a Dominant Dog?

My Shiba Inu challenges me more frequently, and is constantly testing his boundaries.

1. A dominant dog will likely respond with aggression when he is frustrated, or when he feels threatened. He may also redirect that aggression onto us, if we try to physically engage him.
2. A dominant dog is more forceful when it comes to fulfilling his own needs and goals. He is not afraid to challenge those around him, and to continually test his boundaries. My Shiba Inu is always testing to see if particular rules, such as the no getting on furniture rule, still hold true.
3. A dominant dog is more likely to fight, and less likely to submit or run away. My Shiba Inu likes playing with other dogs, but he generally does not get along with dogs who try to dominate him. If challenged, he will not back down, and this can result in a dog fight.

More likely to fight when challenged.

Dealing with a Dominant Dog

Calm and decisive pack leader.

1. Calm and decisive pack leader

Being angry and shouting at our dog, will only worsen his behavior. Fear and uncertainty will increase his level of stress, and cause him to behave in a more erratic fashion.

The best way to deal with a dominant dog is to remain calm, and firmly remove him from the environment or object, that is causing him to act out.

2. Avoid physical corrections

Contrary to common belief, physical force or physical corrections is NOT a good way to deal with dominant dogs. If not perfectly executed (with perfect timing, force, and technique), a physical correction may further frustrate our dog, and cause him to get more aggressive.

Instead, stay calm, keep physical interactions to a minimum, and quickly leave the stressful situation. In addition, using physical force against a dog, may end up teaching him the wrong lesson; in particular, use violence against violence.

True alpha dogs lead by controlling the pack’s resources. We can control our dog’s resources by following the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program, and using reward obedience training.

3. Management and supervision

We want to step in and stop any aggressive behaviors, before our dog escalates and loses control. Prevention is key when dealing with a dominant dog. It stops him from practicing aggressive behaviors, and it enforces the important lesson that we are calm and in charge.

Calm and decisive pack leader.

Consistent rules.

Frequent obedience training sessions.

4. Consistent rules

To become a good pack leader, it is important to develop a set of house rules and some structure, for our dog to follow. Always be consistent with enforcing all of those rules.

My Shiba Inu’s most important house rules include –

• No getting on furniture,
• No biting on people,
• No leash biting, and
• No food aggression or resource guarding.

5. Frequent obedience training sessions

Schedule at least two or more short (10 – 15 minutes) obedience training sessions with our dog, every day. It is a good idea to keep up with obedience exercises, throughout a dog’s life. This keeps him mentally sharp, and makes it clear that we are in charge.

6. Use proper equipment to control our dog

When dealing with aggression, safety should always be a primary concern.

Use whatever equipment is necessary, to keep all the people around our dominant dog safe. A drag lead may also be useful because it gives us good control of our dog, without having to lay hands on him or his collar, and without resorting to chasing games.

If our dog has a bite history, it may be necessary to use a muzzle. I like the basket muzzle because it does not overly constrain a dog’s mouth, and is more comfortable. A basket muzzle will still allow a dog to eat and pant.

Be careful not to aggravate our dog’s aggressive behavior by overly constraining him, and causing barrier frustration. When in doubt, consult a professional trainer.

7. Set our dog up for success

Try to minimize the number of dominant displays. Identify objects (e.g. other dogs, cats) and environmental conditions (e.g. loud noise) that trigger dominant behaviors, and avoid those triggers.

Then, gradually desensitize our dog to those events, in a controlled fashion.

Always set our dominant dog up for success.

Many dog behavioral issues, including resource guarding, biting people, dog-to-dog aggression, sensitivity to handling, growling at humans, and general disobedience, are often attributed to “the dominant dog”.

However, each of these problems are unique, and complex. They are usually the result of many factors, one of which may be dominance. In fact, many behavioral issues are the result of stress and fear, and have nothing whatsoever to do with dominance.

When dealing with dog behavioral issues, it is best to keep an open mind.

Observe our dog and his environment carefully. Identify the triggers for his aggressive behavior, and try to understand why he is responding in this way. If his aggression is extreme (e.g. he is breaking skin, and/or causing puncture wounds), hire a professional trainer to help us carefully trouble-shoot the problems.

When dealing with dog behavioral issues, it is best to keep an open mind.

Here is what Nicco said –

Nothing wrong with being nice to people and dogs. Being the educated dog owner that you are though, I’m sure you’re aware that there are certain things people do that we consider respectful to one another but don’t have the same meaning to dogs. These are things like allowing your dog on the couch or your bed without your permission, letting the dog rush out the door before you, giving in to a dog’s persistent demand for attention, moving out of their way instead of making them move out of YOUR way, etc, I could go on forever.

The dog may not be trying to dominate your household, but what we see as being “nice”, the dog sees as winning small battles. A training book I read called “Training the Hard to Train Dog” describes these battles as small points that the dog wins. The more points he wins, the more control he gains over the house. Again, it may not necessarily be a dominance thing, I think it’s more of a survival thing. If this were nature, he would be exploring all of his resources to maximize his chances of survival.

So the point of my rant is, it’s great to be nice to a dog, so long as it’s fulfilling for a dog and not indulging him. Again, being the responsible owner that you are, I’m sure you’re not letting your dogs run wild around the house, but there are certainly owners who make the mistake of being “nice” in human terms, and they’ve lost control of their dog.

Did You Win or Did Your Dog Win?

I think Nicco brings up some really important and interesting points within dog training.

All dogs need some discipline and structure.

1. All dogs need some discipline and structure

A dog owner should have sufficient control over their dog so that the dog does not become a danger to himself and to the people and animals around him.

2. What rules to institute with your dog?

Some dog owners do not allow their dogs up on furniture. I also have the no-getting-on-furniture rule for both my dogs. One of my dogs is a three-legged dog and I do not want her stressing her joints from furniture jumping.

My other dog, the Shiba Inu, likes getting into mischief, and frequently causes some kind of chaos when he gets onto furniture. Therefore, the no-furniture rule is a good way to curb his inappropriate behaviors.

However, not all dogs need this rule. I have seen dogs who get on furniture and behave like a perfect Lassie. I think the important thing is to tailor your rules to fit your dog’s needs. We should be consistent but flexible.

What rules to institute with your dog?

3. Battles and winning points

Battles and winning points

Personally, I do not see interaction with my dogs as a series of battles. Rather, I see us as working together to achieve a lifestyle that suits us all.

For example, my Shiba Inu likes playing with my other dog inside the house. I let them do this in most areas that are dog safe. However, they are not allowed to play on the stairs for safety reasons.

When they do that, I tell them to stop. If they do, they get rewarded. If they don’t, play stops until they cool down.

With dogs it is almost all about shaping behavior and communicating with them in a consistent manner so that they can understand you.  If play always stops when they rough-house on the stairs, then they will naturally stop playing on the stairs because that gets them bad results.

There are no battles – instead, there is a cooperative learning process. There is no winning and losing, because by working together, everybody wins.

There are no battles – instead, there is a cooperative learning process. There is no winning and losing, because by working together, everybody wins.

When my dogs win and are happy, I win and am happy too.

When my dogs win and are happy, I win and am happy too.

Sometimes, I also indulge my dogs by giving them a lot of tummy rubs and yummy healthy chicken. I don’t think there is anything wrong with indulging a dog – that for me, is part of the fun of dog ownership.

I think problems only arise when dog owners do not communicate with their dogs properly – i.e. they reward the dog for inappropriate behaviors, and do not communicate to the dog what is desirable and what is undesirable.

Mis-communication, I believe is at the root of almost all bad dog behavior. The other part has to do with not fulfilling the dog’s needs.

This whole notion of winning and losing, I believe, is unnecessary and creates an antagonistic relationship with our dogs. Ultimately we create the strongest bonds with our dogs by working cooperatively with them to achieve common goals.

Ultimately we create the strongest bonds with our dogs by working cooperatively with them to achieve common goals.