Hi!
I've just joined, as you can see, and am eager to learn more about dog training.
However I have just two questions. I have recently researched into the dominance technique, and I did previously to use it, but now I prefer positive training (it seems so much more effective!)
My first question is: do our dogs need leadership from us, and if so in what ways?
And my second: Do dogs have hierarchies in the way that the dominance theory says, or is it completely different? I understand that they are not on a quest for dominance or whatever but I'm a little unsure on this.
Thanks for taking time to read this,
~Nebula
Hi, and two questions.
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Re: Hi, and two questions.
Hi, and welcome to the forum Your dog looks lovely - what sort is he/she?
'Leadership': it's all about vocabulary, isn't it? Some people think that leadership means that your dog should be utterly obedient, just because you say so. I'd say yes, a dog does need you to be a leader, but more in the sense of a guide. Someone you respect because you trust them totally. Think of a team where someone is given the position of 'team leader' just so you don't spend all your time discussing what to do and never getting anything done.
So on a walk, my dog can tell me which direction he would like to go in and I may choose to listen to him and indulge him. But if I want to go the other way (usually because he wants to go where the deer are) I expect him to follow me with reasonable good grace.
Where it gets interesting is when he won't follow me - and that's when we have to use our superior brains, not force, or intimidation, either to avoid the situation or train so that going where we want to go becomes a habit and they see it as a good option.
As for hierarchies in dogs - I think they tend to be contextual, and are much more fluid than people suppose. Where they exist, it's for convenience, to avoid conflict. Just as in some situations I will follow my husband's lead and in others, he will follow mine.
'Leadership': it's all about vocabulary, isn't it? Some people think that leadership means that your dog should be utterly obedient, just because you say so. I'd say yes, a dog does need you to be a leader, but more in the sense of a guide. Someone you respect because you trust them totally. Think of a team where someone is given the position of 'team leader' just so you don't spend all your time discussing what to do and never getting anything done.
So on a walk, my dog can tell me which direction he would like to go in and I may choose to listen to him and indulge him. But if I want to go the other way (usually because he wants to go where the deer are) I expect him to follow me with reasonable good grace.
Where it gets interesting is when he won't follow me - and that's when we have to use our superior brains, not force, or intimidation, either to avoid the situation or train so that going where we want to go becomes a habit and they see it as a good option.
As for hierarchies in dogs - I think they tend to be contextual, and are much more fluid than people suppose. Where they exist, it's for convenience, to avoid conflict. Just as in some situations I will follow my husband's lead and in others, he will follow mine.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Re: Hi, and two questions.
Oh, that dog is just an American Pit Bull terrier off Google - I don't have any pictures of my own dog, unfortunately, but he's a black Labrador mix.
That makes sense; thank you for the explanation! I know two dogs that live together, and now that I think about it, it's like you said - who is in charge changes in different situations. Anyway, thanks again!
That makes sense; thank you for the explanation! I know two dogs that live together, and now that I think about it, it's like you said - who is in charge changes in different situations. Anyway, thanks again!