The Dominance Theory ..... Is it all wrong? - Page 1

Who agrees or disagrees with this guy? He has quite a few training tutorials on youtube, using positives and clicker training.

 

Here is an article about it, too; 

www.dogbehaviorblog.com/2010/03/myths-about-dominance.html

Imho I think he has some good points. I also think he's referring mostly to your average joe public. You know the kind that likes to walk up to you on the beach and tell you that the very obedient dog resting its  head on your lap is "dominating" you..

... If he wants to be taken seriously he has a long way to go. He's making blanket statements frequently that obviously won't apply readily to some dogs.  I think he has good ambition/intentions , but more experience under his belt with multiple dogs of multiple breeds (with a seasoned mentor of course) will help him fine tune his theories.

Anyone who has worked with strong dog, especially one with aggression issues, knows someone has to be in charge. Maybe the "dominance" label isn't always spot on, but between a dog and handler, someone has to come out on top.

I listened to the video, and to be honest, I do believe that he's not entirely wrong.

I believe that he is not correct where he states that dogs and wolves are as different as humans and chimpanzees.  Having observed canine behavior, albeit less than a lot of folks here have, I have a difficult time believing that dominance does not enter into the human/dog relationship. 

He suggests that using traditional dog training methods can potentially harm your dog's psyche, and that only training using positive methods can work. 

Although I believe that some dogs are certainly better off trained with only positive methods, there are dogs that benefit from stronger training methods.  To compare dogs to humans, there are some people who are able to understand that laws apply to them, and there are those who simply don't care, and require stronger lessons.

Basically, when it comes to dog training, I personally feel that there is no "one size fits all" training program.  Each dog is different, and so must the training be different.

Just my opinion,

Crys

 He is all for positive and treats.......I've met a few dogs who did not like praise, treats, or toys.  Good luck in his methods working on those dogs.  I like positive training and use it most of the time, but this guy needs to work with more dogs who have severe problems, dogs of different breeds, temperaments,  etc.  Not to mention I've seen a dog who would take treats from people.....the owner was trying to do a positive experience with the dog and strangers.....well, that dog stopped for a second and realized it was too close to comfort to those strangers, and then bit the person  (not a dog of mine, or a dog I handled or worked with, just stating what I saw)

 

This guy seems to act like dominance doesn't exist, though I do realize he states it does.   Some of his myths were just excited behaviors,  of course, but a dog jumping on you and humping would not be just an "excited" behavior. He didn't mention that though.   I'd love tor this guy to work with dogs who have successfully killed cats or other prey, and get to the point if they even see it they go into flat out rage.  My female Husky has killed a few cats who got into the yard,  corrections work on her,  but with that amount of fixation you could throw a nice stack of juicy ribs in front of her and she wouldn't even know it's there.

 Just something to consider, Extremes in anything usually aren't very good for the long run.

Great article! -- I couldn't watch the video due to the firewall at work, but I appreciate the link.

I think dominance theory is one of the most understood ideas. Way too much attempts by humans to put their feelings and values into the canine hierarchy. The counterside to the dominance issue is the "parential model" which I think is taken too far as well. Both models attempt to justify how humans can wrest control over dogs, and both are apparently based on wolf behavior. Except that dogs aren't wolves; domestication changed more than looks, which often seems overlooked. That would be like using chimp or bonobo behavior to explain humans.

Here's a little experience of my own with a "dominance expert" I encountered at the beach.

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum/57745.html

I have been thinking very similar thougths during the last few years and I tried many things out in practice and basically the man in the video is absolutely right IMO, he mirrors most what I am thinking. People should try to learn about the principals of learning in mammals rather than trying to apply  complex human behaviour onto dogs.
All the best
Ulf

I gave it a look, even looked at a couple of the other offerings .. Not impressed. Thats not what I think of when I think dominate to start with. more whispering.