What is a dominant dog?
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.
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.
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.
What is a Dominant Dog?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Dealing with a Dominant Dog
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.
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.
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.
Hi,
I have a 9mo old Shiba Inu and currently her training (although still stubborn at times) is going well. My issue and question arises with the interaction when I bring her to visit and play with her mother at my friends house who owns the mother.
The first meeting that my Shiba and her mother had after seperation was fine, which was still only a week or two after having got her. However now that my Shiba is older, the next interaction the mother was very aggressive dominat toward my Shiba. My Shiba showed complete submission and did not try to defy the dominance yet the mother was agressive to the point the pup yelped and cried out (unsure if this was bc of being hurt or she didn’t like what was going on).
After this “introductory period” though they played fine but the period lasted for close to 5 minutes.
Now I would assume this was a one time thing but EVERYtime I bring my Shiba over there is a “introductory period” where the mother has to be so dominant she is very agressive. One of the interactions I brought the mother over to my house where I also own an older Lab mix that is Alpha in the house and the mother Shiba attacked in agressive domminance my Lab to the point after seperating the dogs my Lab was shaking.
I have spoken with my friend the owner of the mother mentioning I think perhaps the mother Shiba and her pup that I own may need to be more familiar for this aggression to stop. But I have been told that the mother has displayed this before to the other pups in the litter (as they were all adopted by friends of the owner of the Mother) as well as other female and alpha dogs. Yet when you bring the mother to the dog park she is perfectly composed and no issues that I am aware of.
I recently found out the mother can become so agressive that she receltly bit the husband of the owner.
My question is: should I continue to bring my Shiba around her mother if she is going to be that agressive in dominance to her initially despite being told “no” and “stop”? I understand displaying some dominance is normal but the extent of the aggression is not anything I have found “normal” with any dog(s) I’ve owned and I’ve had dogs all my life/growing up (though this is my first time owning a Shiba). My other question is, aside pointing the owners to the suggestions on the site, because I’m not sure what they do at home in training and such with the mother, as well as I don’t want to tell them what to do or how to train their dog, what would you suggest about this situation since the problem is regarding another persons dog? I’m concerned if I step on toes it could cause a major issue so hoping to handle this in best way.
Looking for help w another’s dog
Hello Natalie,
In terms of socialization, I pick my dogs’ playmates carefully and I only let them meet or play with dogs that I know they will be successful with. I want to maximize successes so that they will gain confidence around other dogs, and learn to associate other dogs with play and positive events. This is not always possible, as sometimes, there are loose dogs in my neighborhood and we have gotten charged a bunch of times, but I try my best.
Here is a bit more on my dog socialization experiences.
In terms of someone else’s dog, I generally do not give opinions, advice, or anything else unless asked to. Even then, I try to be very careful because in my experience, people do not like hearing anything even mildly negative about their kids or dogs. On my site I write about experiences with my own dogs, but even then, there are a bunch of people who get angry because what I write does not fully agree with their own view of the World.
I believe that the desire for change must come from the people themselves, when they are ready. I do, however, have control of my own actions, so I choose my dogs’ friends carefully, and at other times, we just avoid.
Just my opinion though. Big hugs to your furry gang! š
I have a question– We have had a 14 month old female Aussie since she was a puppy. She sounds a lot like your Shiba- tests the limits all the time. She has been through a ton of obedience training, but she still acts up around other dogs. She has never been agressive to the point that she has physically hurt another dog, she is very playful and has a ton of energy. We rescued a male Border Collie/Newfoundland mix (hes about 20 months old) mix about 2 weeks ago and I think she is having some trouble adjusting. When we let them outside my Aussie jumps and bites at the scruff of my new dog- she doesn’t give up. I can’t get her to leave him alone, she always did this at daycare and also when we visit the dog park. I also know this is a typical Aussie behavior. I have been able to control the behavior inside, but when she goes outside, its a different story. I have tried drag lines, spray bottles, nothing is working. I have also tried using a high value treat and having her “train” while he is outside. This works, but as soon as I go in, she’s back at it again….Help!
With my dogs, I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules. I supervise during play, manage their excitement level, and make sure everyone follows the rules.
I have a three legged dog, so I do not allow rough play with her, and I do not allow my other dogs to chase her. I always supervise when she is involved in play. I do not leave her outside unsupervised, with another dog.
Here is more on what I do while introducing a new dog.
My dogs are very good at observation. If they see that they can get away with certain behaviors when I am not around, then they will wait until I am not there to do it.
For example, Husky Lara likes to dig. When left alone in the backyard, she will sometimes start to dig, especially if she smells earth critter activity. To train her not to dig, I leave her outside, but I make sure to watch from inside the house. As soon as I notice the digging behavior, I no-mark, and go out to stop her if necessary. If she keeps digging, she loses outside privileges.
I was very consistent about this during the training period, and she learned that even when I am not there, I am still supervising her. To stop the behavior, I have to make sure to consistently catch it every time, and to be able to stop it quickly, before she gets rewarded for it (for example by catching a mouse, or starting a fun game). If every time she tries to dig, I stop the behavior and she doesn’t get anything, it becomes a very unrewarding behavior.
At the same time, I give her other outlets for her digging energy. I take her to places where she can dig, and we also have an un-landscaped section in the backyard where she can dig.
Hi!
I have an almost 11 years old German Shepperd/Malamute mix, I live with my friend who has a 3 years old Russian Toy Terrier. They’re the best of friends.
Our problem is that our friend is moving in with us and her dogs are untrained dominant and aggressive.
She has one 3 years old female Chinese Shar-Pei, she can play with our dogs and go lay down relax and some hours later just get up and go for the throat on the other dogs. In general she’s calm and submissive to us, but not people she doesn’t know she’s not very trusting.
She also has an 2 years Boerboel. He used to be playful now he’s becoming aggressive and dominant and we can’t get our dogs to get along. I’ve trained my dog rigorously through the years after he had problems getting along with other dogs after being attacked and hurt.
So I can handle him and calm him down and usually get him to get along with other big male dominant dogs if I have to.
But my friend never trained her dog and he’s becoming dangerous, challenging everything and staring back at any command, he’s very food fixated and I’m worried he’s going to attack even people when they take it away from him soon.
We can’t make him even walk calmly beside my dog without him trying to pull off his leash and try to get into a fight.
I feel that I can’t create a safe environment for them to get along when he’s getting aggressive just by the sight of my dog, and my dog responds to that but even after trying many times his owner can’t calm him down and get him out of attacking state. Do you have any tips on how I can handle the situation and what we should do? I know my post is messy but I’m just in over my head and don’t know what to do, I don’t want to come home and find either of the dogs dead on the floor from a fight.
Please help, my dog is already old from age even though it doesn’t show very well, I don’t want to inflict a stressful dangerous environment on him.
Please help
With my dogs, I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules. I supervise new, in-training dogs carefully, and slowly teach them what my house rules are. I *do not* allow my dogs to physically correct each other. If there are conflicts, I deal with it early, before it escalates, which is why supervision is key.
If I am unable to supervise, I keep my dogs safely separated, until I am *absolutely sure* that there will be no problems.
Given what you describe, it is probably best to get help from a good professional trainer.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Hey! I have a few questions! I have a two year old male chocolate lane who is EXTREMLY dominant. With other dogs, if they do something they know is bad and you say their name, they kinda slink away, he does not. He stands tall and square, looks you in the eye and continues. Tonight, I told him to go in his kennel for bed time, and he stood there looking at me. I walked towards him to lead him by his collar, not angry or anything, and he snapped at me. He has never bitten anyone or hardly ever growled at anyone. He continued to growl at me, teeth bared. This is very weird for him, he is a very docile dog, even though he is dominant. He is also EXTREMLY food aggressive. Not to a point of biting us, but we just steer clear while he’s eating. He gets very rigid and eats quickly, moving so you are unable to get by him towards his food. But we’ve never taken his food. Hew as the biggest in his litter. Please help. I have a little brother who plays with him a lot and I don’t want him getting hurt. What do I do?
Based on what you say, it is probably best to get help from a good professional trainer, especially since you have a little brother.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Aggressive dog behavior can occur because of many reasons, including fear, mistakes in conditioning, past experiences, and more.
Here is an article on dominance and aggression from UC Davis.
Here are some things that I do to train my dogs-
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-i-trained-my-husky-puppy
http://shibashake.com/dog/nothing-in-life-is-free-dog-training
http://shibashake.com/dog/pack-leader-to-an-aggressive-dog
Here is a bit more on my experiences with food aggression-
http://shibashake.com/dog/why-dogs-get-aggressive-over-food-toys
http://shibashake.com/dog/stop-food-aggression-stop-resource-guarding
It is very important to note that dog behavior is very dependent on the temperament of the dog, his environment, routine, current context, past experiences, and more. Therefore, each case is different, which is why it is usually best to consult with a good professional trainer who can visit with our dog, and read his body language within the context of his environment. A good trainer can also help us identify the true source of a behavior, come up with a good plan to retrain it, as well as keep everyone safe.
Help!!!
Last month my family and I, along with our two dogs moved into an RV. Recently, our female (German Shorthair Pointer/Greyhound mix) has been “staring down” & attacking our male (German Shorthair Pointer/Beagle mix). We seperate them when they are being fed and try to seperate them so they can have their space. Sombra (female) is larger than Eddie (male) & is also dominant. We have had Eddie for 6 years & adopted Sombra 2 years ago. They are roughly three years apart. Most of the time they play or sleep near each other, but lately Sombra has been very mean to Eddie. We take them to a park nearby where they run and play. Please help!! We love them both very much but it’s a big problem!!
Thanks!
-Danielle
Moving can be very stressful for both people and dogs, especially if there is now less space. When I moved, I quickly set up a routine and consistent set of rules for my dogs. This creates certainty, which helps to reduce stress. It also helps them to understand what to expect from each other, what to expect from the people in the house, and what I expect from them in return.
More on what I do to help my dogs get along.
I also increased the length of my Shiba Inu’s daily walks so he had a good positive outlet to release his stressful energy.
Dog behavior is very context dependent though, so the temperament and environment of the dogs matter a lot. In cases of aggression, it can be especially helpful to consult with a good professional trainer. I visited with several when I was having difficulties with my Shiba.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Dear Shiba expert,
I’ve been reading up on your Shiba blog and I’ve been trying to get your expertise on something.
I recently adopted two Shibas, about a month ago. They were brothers from the same litter, are both 1.5 years of age, but with drastically different personalities. One of them, besides being food obsessed and having the occasional accident is the perfect pet. He doesn’t whine, doesn’t poo in his kennel, gets along well with my Lab, and will approach and be nice to every dog and human he ever meets.
The other one, however, is an absolute TERROR. He is ferocious with my lab, and is aggressive towards any foreign thing that he sees, whether it be human, squirrel, cat, or dog. When he sees said foreign objects, he will do the infamous SHIBA SCREAM, over and over and over again and will absolutely not stop and possibly try to attack said foreign object. He also cannot be crated. The first few days with us, he did not whine, but that was before he developed an attachment to us. After that, he always does the infamous SHIBA SCREAM. Over and over again. Nothing could deter this dog. He does not tire, his brother’s company in the crate does not comfort him, and toys or bones do not soothe him. He will scream 24/7. The extent of his separation anxiety is beyond explanation.
However, inside, he is a really sweet dog. He gives hugs and kisses incessantly and is not aggressive towards me and my family. We all love him to pieces too. However, I don’t know how much longer my family or the neighbors can take the SHIBA SCREAM. I want to take responsibility for adopting him and don’t want to separate him from his brother, but I am honestly at a loss for what to do.
PLEASE HELP,
Cecille
Heh, I am no Shiba expert. I actually had a very difficult time with my Shiba in the beginning, which is why I started this site to write about our experiences.
In terms of separation anxiety, Sephy had some of it in the beginning. I helped him get over it by very slowly getting him used to alone time. I first start with very very short periods of alone time (a few seconds) and I slowly build it up from there. Here is a bit more on what I did.
Sephy sleeps with us at night in the bedroom. Being close to us and being able to see us really helped him to settle down, especially in the beginning.
Here is a bit more on how I got Sephy comfortable with his crate.
I hand raised my dogsince she was just 5 days old (did it wrong, didnt set rules etc ) . she became very very dominant agressive , attacked me for silly reasons , I got professional help and she has never growled/attacked me since.INfact she is a GREAT DOG , but only around me . put her around my mom(whos pretty soft ) and its disastrous. Also when Im sleeping she sits by my bed and gaurds me ie.no one can enter the room . If shes sleeping in the room ( any room) she growls at anyone who enters excluding me . So shes prefect with me. How do react when she growls at others ? I say no and she stops , but Im not always in the room or in the house .
Hi,
My parents just moved to Bali down the road from where my uncle lives (we are originally from Australia). About two weeks ago, my uncle found three puppies being attacked by the side of the road and started to care for them. He later found out that they had been taken from a man who stole them to sell to the government for $7.50 each, and he had them tied by the neck to the handle of his motorbike.
The dogs all look completely different, but the vet said they were from the same litter. There are 2 boys and 1 girl. The girl is very aggressive and dominant, while one boy is the runt and quite small, and the other boy is very quiet and just sleeps all the time. The girl has begun to fight the two boys a lot in the last few days. Just today, she attacked the quiet boy and bit his neck, we had to spray her with a hose to get her to stop. If we pat one of the boys, she will push through so we can pat her. She steals all of their food and whatever toy they have. She even sits on them. The boys are starting to learn to fight back but they aren’t as big or strong.
I have read a few articles saying that we should treat her as the dominant dog and give her her food first etc but it sounds very unfair. My uncle is keeping two of the puppies to be guard dogs (the girl will obviously be very good at it, not so much the quiet one) and my parents will be keeping the runt who will hopefully be a bit of a guard dog. The articles have said that 99% of the time the dogs will only fight in the presence of the owners, but that isn’t the case with these puppies.
I’m very scared that the girl will severely hurt the other two as they are much smaller than her and have less energy. None of the puppies are going to be inside dogs and sleep/eat outside. Could you please give us some advice on what to do? We haven’t even been able to teach them their names yet or any other commands so it’s very difficult.
Thank you so much!
Emma
Hello Emma,
For such aggression issues, it is usually best to get help from a professional trainer. This will help ensure the safety of all the people as well as the dogs.
I have a three legged dog, so in my house I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules. I *do not* allow any bullying, stealing, or other anti-social behavior. I also set up a fixed routine and clear boundaries so that my dogs understand what I expect from them and what they can expect from me.
Here is an article on how I trained my Husky puppy.
Here is a bit more on how I teach my dogs to get along.
Here is more on how dogs learn.
Note however, that dog behavior is very dependent on temperament and surrounding context. My dogs are companion dogs. They can stay in the house or go outside as they please, but most of the time they prefer to stay inside with the family. They get daily walks and structured exercise, and they are with me most of the time. Each situation is different, which is why in cases of aggression, it is usually best to consult with a professional trainer.
Here are some articles on dominance from the ASPCA, the APDT, and Dr. Sophia Yin.
Here is a bit more on guard dogs.
Hi, I am from India. I owned two dogs 1. rottweiler F, 3yrs 2. Lab mix M, 3.5 yrs.
last year i picked up a stray female dog and brought her home now 18 months old.
all the three dogs had gelled quite well together, however lately i have been noticing a very dominant behaviour in the stray. She growls and bites the Rottwieler whenever the rott tries to come near me. She doesnot do the same in case of the male dog.
i am now trying to keep her(the stray) tied during the day hoping it will ease down the aggression.
Otherwise she is extremely active till the level of being hyper.
PLease suggest some help
One common reason for conflicts between dogs is because of resources. When both dogs want the same thing at the same time, and neither is willing to back down, then a conflict will arise. This may occur over food and toys, but it may also occur over affection or attention from us.
What helps with my dogs is to set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules, especially rules over resources. When there are valued resources around, I make sure to supervise so that I can prevent conflicts or deal with them before they escalate into aggression.
I also manage my dogs’ excitement levels by using play-breaks. Here is more on what I do with my dogs to help them get along.
Tethering a dog for long periods of time, especially without supervision, can often lead to aggression. Here is why. Another article on tethering.
thanks for the very informative reply š
First and Foremost, I want to ask, are you showing them equal attention??? That could be one of the main reasons why she does that. Second, you must correct it immediately cause that can turn into a big fight. Seperating them when you are not home is a great idea, preferably a crate not being leashed up. Remember all dogs live as a pack so do not disrupt their pack stance as alpha and beta. But do correct the unnecessary behavior right away.
I recently rescued Joey-a male (fixed) boarder collie/mix, about 1-2 years old. I also rescued another at the same time, a cattle dog/mix, who is only 6 months old, and allows Joey to be dominant at home. Joey knows he cannot be dominant over humans, and this is not at all an issue. However, only recently I’ve noticed him wanting to be dominant over other dogs, mostly males. The first incident was over a Frisbee.. another dog went to take it from Joey and it turned into a growling/wrestle fight (no bites, thank god- but it definitely was not playful). Since then he growls at other dogs and will be a bully, especially at the dog park. He gets alone fine with small dogs and others who submit, but not well with others who also want to be dominant. He put his head over another dog’s shoulders before but I very quickly removed him from the situation. I’ve been stricter with him at home and I thought he was doing better… but today I took him back to the park and there was a very dominant dog there (Doberman/mix) and the two did not get along at all… this one put his head on Joey’s shoulders which got Joey worked up. I am meeting with a trainer specialized on aggression/dominance this week but I was hoping someone could give me a few tips on dog-only dominance in the meantime. Keep in mind, it’s selective dominance- some dogs he has no problem with, others it’s an instant dominant issue.
Yeah, Sephy my Shiba Inu also picked up some bad habits at the dog park. Here are some of our dog park experiences.
Sephy does much better in smaller play-groups, with more structure, and greater supervision. He likes playing with friendly dogs that a not dominant, and who are interested in chasing and wrestling. Therefore, I would organize play-sessions with friendly neighborhood dogs at our place. I supervise them for the entire play session, manage their excitement levels with play-breaks, and teach Sephy what are acceptable dog-to-dog interaction behaviors and what are not.
I also did a lot of dog-to-dog desensitization exercises with Sephy at our local SPCA. This helped him to stay more calm around other dogs, and to learn to associate other dogs with positive events.
Here is an interesting article on dominance and dog training from the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.