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.
We have had Jackson out Bassett hound ( Jackson)for 5 years, and our shorkie for 4 years. We just rescued a shih tzu (dusty)who is 7 and came from a home where he wasn’t alpha. However, dusty isn’t neutered. I don’t see dusty showing behaviors of alpha. But Jackson won’t stop attacking him. Any toys, treats I understand. But dusty will just be walking by Jackson and Jackson will full on attack dusty. We give them all the same attention. However, I do get scared and yell when Jackson attacks, then lick him in time out for 30 minutes. I know I’m doing this all wrong. Jackson will attack the shorkie once in a while, but will attack dusty everytime he walks near. I don’t know what to do. Help!
Dogs may show aggressive behavior for a variety of reasons.
ASPCA article on different types of dog aggression-
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/aggression-dogs
UCDavis article on dominance and aggression-
http://behavior.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/local-assets/pdfs/The_Truth_About_Aggression__Dominance_dogs.pdf
My take on dominance and bad dog behavior.
What is the daily routine of the dogs? What is their level of training? What method of training are they used to? What are their house rules?
What I do to help my dogs get along.
However, dog behavior is very dependent on context, therefore each dog and each situation is different. This is why in cases of aggression, it is usually best and safest to get help from a good professional trainer, especially given the complexity of multi-dog interactions.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Hello,
I have a 8 month old border collie lab great pyreneese mix. We adopted him at 4.5 months old after being returned from his previous owners for his fear of the husband. At first he would pee whenever my husband went to pet him. We were able to work through that in a few days. We thought that was a sign of being submissive.
Now we are running into extreme fits when we leave. Our neighbors have mentioned his barking a time or two. We left him outside he destroyed the door frame. We put him in his kennel and he goes berserk. He refuses to eat any treats when in the crate and will actually push them or his favorite toy out of the crate. He did go potty in there twice. It’s a wire crate and he’s managed to eat the handles off and also bend the frame itself trying to get out. He also destroyed the bed that was in there. (He has a crate upstairs that he sleeps in no problem, loves going in there, sleeps like a lamb).
We aren’t sure if this signs of separation anxiety, or if it’s dominance behavior and we have allowed him to believe he is pack leader and he is upset we are leaving him without him saying it was OK.
He gets a walk in the am and a walk in the pm and swimming when I get home if it’s hot.
I did let him sit on my lap (Bad girl, I know, I didn’t know that was bad thing at the time, he’s not allowed to do that anymore). When he did sit on my lap it was up and high above my head.
He also will try to run us over to get through the doorway first or go up and down stairs.
He ignores commands he knows. 8 tries to get him to sit/down/stay etc.. He will beg or whine and try to walk around us, anything but do what we are asking. (Not always, but this has been increasing each day).
He knows there are places he isn’t allowed but deliberately goes back there anyway. He gets yelled at but he doesn’t really seem to care. Or he does.. sorta.. but it isn’t anything to stop him from hoping back over there.
We also will leave him in the house to go into the garage or get the mail, he doesn’t destroy anything, but starts crying and barking like a mad man. And when we come back into the house he barks at us and jumps up.
This has all started just in the beginning of June. We are a little dumbfounded and aren’t sure what to do.
We have started no attention without earning it first, again, 8 tries later..
I’m scared he’s going to hurt himself by trying to get out of the crate, and I am concerned about his mental health, because I know he’s extremely stressed.
Help?? Ideas? Anything?
Thanks,
Erin
Dog behavior is very context dependent, so each dog and situation is different. It is difficult to say what the source of the behavior is without looking at the dog and his environment. However, just based on what you describe, it sounds like separation anxiety to me.
This article from the ASPCA has some good information on separation anxiety.
What I do to help my dogs with separation anxiety.
There is a lot of conflicting information on the web about dog dominance.
Here is an article from UCDavis about dog dominance.
My take on dog dominance and bad dog behavior.
Where I get information about dog behavior and dog training.
I achieve pack leadership by controlling my dog’s resources. I also set up a fixed routine, a structured environment, and a consistent set of rules. In this way, my dogs know exactly what to expect from me, what to expect from others, and what I expect from them in return. This creates certainty, and certainty helps to reduce stress.
More on dog anxiety.
Hello, I have a 1 year old Siberian Husky. He just graduated beginner training. And is doing great!
However; whenever we take him to the dog park he is a little too rough when playing with the other dogs which always doesn’t work out too well. He is a big alpha dog. But when he’s playing too rough it sometimes ends with the other dogs getting upset. Is there any way to get him to play in a manor that isn’t too rough or frustrates the other dogs? Also, I can’t always tell if he’s just playing or getting aggressive.
What seems to work well with my dogs is to have small, structured, and supervised play groups. In this way I can-
1. Set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules and slowly teach them those rules in a structured environment.
2. Manage their excitement level. I throw in many play breaks so that they don’t get over-excited and lose control of themselves.
3. Carefully pick compatible playmates so that everyone will have fun and their experiences with other dogs will be positive.
More on what I do during play sessions with my dogs.
More on our earlier dog park experiences and why we switched to play-groups.
Big hugs to your Husky boy!
Hi there,
We have 2 boy siberian huskys.We have only recently taken one on two days ago as friends were moving. Our boy Kaizer made his stand the first night and was very dominate being in his own home they had 2 very haunting fights 1 we could break up the other Drew blood from they new boys ear so we separated them for a while. Today they played fine few niggles now and then but is Kaizer just being TOO dominate?? took them for a run and when Kaizer seen Shogun (new boy) being faster he went to attack him. He stands on him and growls, standing over him and bites him were shogun will lie down and then Kaizer will walk off once shogun bows to him. If shogun goes somewhere Kaizer usually sits he’ll go to bite and growl him stand on him etc what’s the best way to treat the situation ?? Thanks as I don’t want shogun to become stressed and nervous
Some things that help keep things friendly with my dogs-
1. I set up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules.
2. I manage their excitement level.
3. I supervise closely during play, food, and other times where there may be conflict, so that I can redirect or resolve before they escalate.
More on what I do to keep the peace at home with my dogs.
However, given that the dogs are fighting, it is probably best to get help from a good professional trainer so that both people and dogs stay safe. We visited with several trainers when going through a difficult period with our Shiba Inu.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Hi there, need a bit of assistance. We have 2 siberian husky pups, they are sisters from the same litter. They have been good at settling into our home. We have a 6 year old daughter who loves them dearly and they love her. We have now come across a problem, they are both getting jealous. My daughter tries to give them both loving at the same time, but as soon as she is out the way they both attack each other to the point that they have drawn blood several times now. I’m worried that they are going to hurt each other badly or hurt me or my daughter as I can not break up the fight! Is this a phase they will grow out of, or is this something more serious?!!
How old are they? How long have you had them? What kind of training are they used to? What is their routine like? How much daily exercise do they get?
In cases of aggression, it is usually best to get help from a good professional trainer, especially when there is a young child in the household. Dog behavior is very context dependent, so it is often helpful to have a good trainer visit with the dogs, read their body language, as well as see their routine and environment.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Some things that I do to help keep the peace at home –
1. I set up a fixed routine and a consistent set of rules, including clear dog to dog interaction rules.
2. I supervise them closely during play and food time so that I can manage their excitement level and prevent any conflicts from occurring. If there are any conflicts, I make sure to stop things *before* they escalate into anything serious. While under supervision, I use management equipment such as a flat collar and leashes if needed.
3. I try to set them up for success. I do group obedience training and make sure to reward them extremely well when they are calm and working together for me. I try to maximize successful together time and minimize negative encounters.
4. I follow the Nothing in Life is Free program with all of my dogs.
5. I try to give them many positive outlets to release their energy, e.g. long daily walks, structured games with me, working for their food, etc.
More on what I do to help my dogs get along.
More on what I do to retrain my dog’s bad behavior.
My sheba that’s a female dominates me when I go to give my mom a goodnight hug and kiss, why is this?(if she’s laying on my dad’s lap when I say goodnight she doesn’t but she watches me.) How can I get her to stop other than having my dad yelling at her?
What exactly do you mean by “dominates” you? Does she show aggression? What exactly does she do? What does your mom do when that happens? What kind of training is she used to? Who mostly trains her? Who mostly feeds and exercises her? Are there rules in the house? What is her routine like? What is your regular daily interaction with her?
I have 3.5 year old male Labrador that has not been neutered. He is a very social able dog who gets a lot of attention. He is around myself or my dad for a majority of the nights, morning, and evenings. He is in a large pen with two other smaller dogs. He does not food guard and for the most parts listens well. He probably gets away with a lot of bad habits like sleeping on the bed with me and begging. I believe he favors my dad and recognizes my dad as the alpha male. Recently my Father was out of town for 12 days so it was just me and my lab. Typically I get home later and the evening and he has been fed and is at my parents house and I take him from there and he usually settles in for the night. Lately, he has begun to growl when I first make contact with him, just petting. The first time I scolded him verbally and he continued to growl and then changed my tone and called him to me and continued to pet him and he was fine the rest of the night. The second night very similar growled, I did not scold him just backed off came back with a different tone. I did however test it out a little. I stared him directly in the eye with a scowl and he would growl and then I would change my tone and demeanor. I tried this a couple times and that was the typical outcome. And again he went home with me and everything was fine. Finally tonight (third time) He didn’t come greet me when I came in he still I called him and fed him a few treats and went about my business eating my dinner. When it was time to go I bent over to pet him and he growled again I sat on the floor and changed my tone and he was fine. It seems like he may be scared or is he challenging me. I am not sure, I have noticed similar behavior with one of the other dog most cases when they see each other he approaches the other dog with his hackles and tale straight up and that dog rolls over very submissive like and they are fine the rest of the day. He has growled and lunged at other dogs on occasion but he is always on the leash and I pull him back and scold him. I would appreciate another perspective and I have tried to provide a lot of case.
Large changes in a dog’s environment and routine, e.g. someone important being away, can create uncertainty and stress for a dog, and this can lead to changes in behavior. Staring down our dog when he is already anxious, can create more uncertainty and stress, and may make him feel more threatened.
I help my dog by setting up a fixed routine and a consistent set of rules. This helps him to understand what to expect from me, and what I expect from him in return. I further reinforce leadership by making my dog work for the things that he wants most.
I set my dog up for success by –
a) Building trust through exercise, play, walks, and more,
b) Managing his environment and excitement level,
c) Protecting him from stressful situations that he is not ready to handle.
Hi I have a female husky/border collie mix that is very dominant over the other two dogs I have (male and female) who are both very submissive. She never fights with them but often guards food and snarls if there is food around.
I think she was actually the runt of the litter! And she will never look me in the eye if I give out to her so I also think she can be a bit of a coward.
She was never aggressive towards other dogs unless they were in my house then she would get into a fight. Whenever she encounters another dog when I bring all of them out for a run she sticks her back hair up and puts her head down low and looks aggressive however she never used to do anything, her tail would be wagging within a few minutes and she would play with the other dog. This still happens sometimes but she has also started to fight with some of them, i noticed a few months ago she started resting her head on the back of dogs necks in a dominant way, this soon escalated into fights if the other dog didn’t like it.
She never draws blood from the other dog when she fights but it still looks serious and scary, today she lay completely on top of the other dog and pinned it to the ground and stayed like that for a few minutes. She has met the dog she fought with today before and has never had a problem with it until today, I noticed she was playing with it until I walked up, then she started growling at it and it turned into a fight.
She fights with boy and girl dogs (sometime I think she thinks she’s a boy as she pees with her leg up against trees?). She always snarling at me when she is excited (she never bites just makes husky noises and snarls) and also she always puts her paw on me as she wants attention a lot.
I don’t know what to do I feel like I’ve tried everything .eg giving out and smacking her and also I tried being nice and talking to her in a calm voice and petting her when her back hair sticks up but nothing seems to work. she is extremely independent and likes to run off and do what she wants and will not listen to me unless I have treats she will sometimes run back. I Feel so embaressed when she fights other dogs and feel like shes getting worse no matter how hard I try, just wondering if you have any advice, thanks š
Hello Etain,
As I understand it, aggressive behavior can be the result of many things, including fear. For example, fearful dogs may fight back when they “feel” threatened and do not think they have any other options available. My Huskies are more submissive, and they usually do not like to keep eye contact for long. My Shiba is a more dominant dog, and he is very comfortable with staring back at people.
Here is a short article from UCDavis on aggression and dominance.
My Shiba is also very sensitive to my energy and to the energy of the people around him. If I am fearful, stressed, frustrated, or angry, he will pick up on that, get stressed himself, and act even more crazy. He started behaving much better after I started controlling my own energy.
I help my dogs get along at home by setting up clear dog-to-dog interaction rules, and then slowly teaching them those rules. I try to be calm and very consistent while training them. In this way, they fully understand what to expect from each other, what to expect from me, and what I expect from them. The key with my dogs is to minimize bad experiences and maximize successes. The more calm, positive experiences they have with each other, the more relaxed they become in the future. The opposite is also true.
More on what I do to help my dogs get along.
With my Shiba Inu, I also did dog-to-dog desensitization exercises to teach him to be more calm with other dogs.
I pick my dogs’ friends carefully, supervise them closely during play, manage their excitement level, and try my best to set them up for success. When we were having problems with Shiba, we also visited with several good professional trainers who could observe him interacting with other dogs, and help us develop a plan for retraining. In cases of aggression, it is usually safest to get help from a professional trainer.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Hi,
I have a female German Shepherd who, although submissive, friendly, and obedient to humans and male dogs, gets very dominant to other female dogs, no matter their age or whether they are fixed or not. She is extremely playful and gentle with male dogs, children, and other people, but is very unreliable around female dogs. Do you have any suggestions to help overcome or control this dominant behavior towards other female dogs?
Thank you!
-Amanda
Is your dog spayed?
With my Shiba Inu, dog-to-dog desensitization exercises helped him to be more calm around other dogs. However, it took a lot of repetition and practice, and I also had to be very careful to use distance and management to always keep him below threshold.
http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression#desensitize