When dogs don’t listen, they are aggressive with other dogs, show an exaggerated protective instinct, and do not let anyone near their food, this behavior is usually interpreted as alpha dominance, which must be prevented. But what exactly does alpha dominance mean in dogs? Are only alpha animals dominant dogs and do I have a dominance problem if my dog does not obey?

Life in the wolf pack

Leader or subordinate by nature?

Is the alpha dog a myth?

Where does the fear of dominant dogs come from?

Does alpha dog training make sense?

A dog is not disobedient because he is dominant

What is dominance and how is it detected?

How to Correctly Interpret Problematic Behavior in Dogs

The right training: consistent, but not dictatorial

Life in the wolf pack

Dogs are descended from the wolf and, like wolves, naturally live in packs. Like their ancestors, they know that life in a pack is easier and less tiring than living alone. Together they can better protect themselves from danger and hunt much better than alone. Contrary to popular belief, there is no strict hierarchy in wolf and dog packs that must be upheld through violence and aggressive power struggles. On the contrary: wild dogs and wolves live together in a kind of family group that is guided by the oldest and most experienced animals in the group. However, there are no aggressive fights for the position of the alpha animal, that is, the leader.

Leader or subordinate by nature?

Recent studies on wolves and wild dogs affirm that there is no clear alpha who is always the undisputed leader. Some pack members may indeed display dominant behavior. However, this does not depend on his role in the pack, but on a specific situation. For example, if a dog has a bone, now he is the leader who decides on the bone resource. The other members do not question him and accept that he now has the floor. They thus become subordinates automatically. With this, the owner of the bone does not become the absolute leader who always receives the food first. For example, if a previously subordinate animal gets hold of the prey, it can now decide on it alone and must not hand it over to the supposed alpha first. Whether a dog behaves in a dominant or submissive way depends on each situation and moment.

Is the alpha dog a myth?

If wild wolves show aggression, they usually do so only against wolves that do not belong to their family and that pose a threat to the pack, either because they want to fight for their food or their territory. Contrary to popular belief, neither wolves nor dogs crave a position of power in the pack. Alpha dogs that must prove their rank with dominance fights within the pack do not naturally exist among wild dogs.

Where does the fear of dominant dogs come from?

Despite these discoveries, the theory of the alpha dog showing too much dominance over its human leader persists. If a dog does not obey, this is often interpreted as an attempt to take the lead role from him. He wants to give himself the alpha animal and demonstrate his power to humans. If the training has no effect and the dog fights the handler, this is usually justified by the fact that the dog is very dominant. But what is dominance? Can it be detected by certain disobedience before the reference person? And, conversely, does the dog have to be submissive to obey its handler?

Does alpha dog training make sense?

Experts and trainers have agreed for years that training can only work if the dog accepts that its handler is the leader of the pack. To reinforce this leadership position, methods must be implemented that show the dog his subordinate position in the pack. Today there are still many who think, p. e.g., that a dog should not receive their food until its caregiver has eaten. In addition, the handler must always cross the door in front of the dog and never give way. Sleeping in the caregiver’s bed or sitting in their preferred spot should be prohibited.

The alpha roll technique was described in many dog ​​training books. It consists of keeping the disobedient dog in a submissive position on the ground. Unfortunately, these methods had very little success. Supposed dominance problems, such as leash pulling, ignoring commands, aggressively defending food, or jumping on people, were not resolved by this training. And because?

A dog is not disobedient because he is dominant

The problem with this training for alpha dogs is that it is based on the assumption that dogs naturally want to assume leadership and continually try to impose this desire with dominant behavior. As we said, recent scientific studies on wolves and wild dogs question this instinctive desire for the alpha role. Furthermore, it is uncertain that dogs view their human family as truly a pack. Many experts today believe that dogs only form a pack with their peers. This means that they know perfectly well that they and we are not the same. Therefore, to say that the cause of disobedience, aggressiveness, or stubbornness is the desire for dominance would not only be false but would not correspond to the real desire of the dog. The fact is that a dog is not disobedient because he is dominant, but because he is poorly or poorly trained.

What is dominance and how is it detected?

As easy as it sounds, dominant dogs do not display their behavior by pulling on the leash because they want to call the shots or being aggressive towards strangers because they are in the role of a protective alpha animal. Dominance in dogs is manifested rather with a remarkable presence and inner peace of the dog. Dominant dogs are sure of themselves. They are aware of their superiority and do not need to growl or bark loudly to prove anything. In a group of frolicking dogs, the dominant dog is more likely to be the one that stays relaxed on the sidelines. It’s not that he’s shy, but he doesn’t need these silly fights. His posture is upright and he moves with confidence and stability, with his head and ears raised. A tight tail or rounded back, signs of fear or nervousness, are rarely seen in dominant dogs.

How to Correctly Interpret Problematic Behavior in Dogs

Despite this new knowledge, the real problems behind the fear of dog dominance have not gone away. An alpha-male-looking dog that ignores all rules and commands is a danger. However, instead of excusing the problem with the false reference to dominance, it is convenient to know the real causes of this behavior. Why doesn’t my dog ​​pay attention to me if not because he instinctively dreams of taking charge? With the following five examples we explain the possible causes and how to control the dog’s behavior problem.

“My dog ​​doesn’t obey my commands.”

A dog not obeying the commands to lie down, sit, out, or there is not only exhausting but also dangerous. Walking with a dog that won’t walk by your side or come when called can turn into a drumstick race. But the cause of disobedience is not that the dog is an alpha with a desire for self-determination and freedom. Hard as it may seem, the origin lies in incorrect or insufficient training and, therefore, it is the fault of the caregiver. It doesn’t matter if he’s a confident German shepherd or a nervous terrier: all dogs can learn commands. They are willing to follow their caretaker, as long as they trust him and his abilities. This means that they must be convinced that you always have the situation under control and that it is worth obeying you, either because it is less tiring or stressful or because they will receive a reward.

Earn your dog’s trust

One of the most frequent causes of disobedience is that the dog does not trust the orders or their consistency. This happens, p. eg, if they are not clear, are repeated constantly (nothing happens), or are contradictory. Dogs pay close attention to body language. If this does not correspond to the order, this may be a reason for disobedience. For example, if you tell him to lie down, but you run from one side to the other without stopping, your dog will not understand why he has to lie down quietly. Therefore, make sure that your dog can trust the accuracy of your commands.

Your orders must always be unambiguous. In addition, they must correspond to your posture and occur at the right time. Like praise and reprimands, dogs only understand commands if they are directly related to actions. Scolding a dog hours later because he has peed on the carpet is useless. It is also useless to explain to him on the way to the supermarket that later when you arrive, he has to wait for you.

“My dog ​​pulls on the leash.”

When dogs pull on the leash, many excuse themselves by saying that they are dominant dogs and want to decide the way. In reality, no dog pulls on the leash because it is dominant, but because the person on the leash allows it. Some keepers laugh as they stumble after their playful pup and, when he is an adult, wonder why he always pulls on the leash. If your dog learns that it’s worth pulling on the leash because he gets to go where he wants, he’ll try again every time. Good Leash control is not a matter of submission or alpha dominance, but of training. Teach your dog that pulling on the leash will get him nowhere.

An effective technique is to stop as soon as the dog begins to pull on the leash or even take a few steps back. Do not move forward until the leash is loose again. Keep this exercise with perseverance. If you let him pull the leash from time to time because you are in a hurry and you have to get him out quickly, in the end, you will have more work than if you try from the beginning to always learn to go in your direction.

“My dog ​​is aggressive towards strangers.”

It is proven that a dog is not born aggressive. There are races, such as the rottweiler, the german shepherd, the Doberman, or the pit bull, which have a somewhat stronger protective instinct by nature and a lower arousal threshold than e.g. eg, a golden retriever or a labrador. But no dog attacks another dog or a person because he does or because he likes to show his superiority. Aggression is not a problem for alpha dogs, but for those that feel insecure or uncomfortable.

One of the most frequent causes of aggression towards strangers is that the dog perceives your insecurity. Therefore, he believes that he must defend and protect you. If you get nervous when you meet a passerby in the woods and you fear that your dog will start barking aggressively as soon as you get close, your dog will surely notice it and will end up showing this behavior. Attempts to reassure him with good words or caresses will only confirm his behavior.

Show your dog that you have the situation under control:  You have to convince your dog that there is no reason for him to defend or protect you. Never show him fear or nervousness. He acts with poise and tries to ignore the dog’s aggressiveness if the situation allows. Never go to him and pet him and praise him only when he has managed to stay calm before the stranger.

“My dog ​​won’t let anyone near his food.”

Dogs are selfish by nature and care about their well-being. Therefore, defending vital resources, such as food, is not a consequence of alpha dominance, but of the innate self-preservation instinct. The defense of prey in packs of wolves and wild dogs are natural and a right of all members. On the other hand, when living with people, when the dog begins to growl when its caregiver approaches the trough is a problem. He needs to learn that he does not have to defend his food to his human caretaker. A good way to do this is to give him something to eat out of his hand, apart from the feeder (a bone or a candy ). Thus, the dog will perceive the presence of the person next to his food as something positive. Another riskier option is to remove the feeder and not give it to him until he calmly waits and patiently accepts your closeness.

“My dog ​​is always fighting with other dogs.”

Aggression against other dogs can have many causes. The two most frequent are that the dog believes that he has to defend you from the other dog (read “My dog ​​is aggressive with strangers”) or that he perceives him as a rival, either in the fight for his food, his favorite bed, or your attention. The latter has nothing to do with jealousy, but simply with the fact that the dog looks for his benefit by nature. It is also not about hurting the other dog, but about getting the best for yourself. If two or more dogs live in a household, these fights for resources occur from time to time. As is often the case, the problem is not the behavior of dogs, but that of people.

If several dogs live in a household:  as a dog sitter multiple dogs, you want to treat them as fairly as possible. It pains us to see how one dog always grabs the treat or goes through the door first while the other has to give in. We want to ban this behavior, but by doing so we only make things worse. Dogs don’t take it personally when they lose out. They establish hierarchies in each situation between them and accept that their congener is the most dominant in many of them. If you give preference to the supposedly weaker dog by giving him the treat first and berating the alpha dog for his selfishness, you will harm the relationship between them. Instead of seeking peace, you must encourage confrontation. Even if it’s difficult for you, show them that you accept their hierarchy and that you don’t have to constantly prove it.

The right training: consistent, but not dictatorial

As you can see, disobedient and mischievous behavior, aggressiveness and rivalry have nothing to do with alpha dominance. In general, dogs simply have never learned that their behavior is unwanted. So, the problem is ours, as almost always.

When a dog, in our opinion, behaves dominantly, in most cases it is simply poorly trained. Dogs are guided by people and logically test which behavior pays off and which has consequences. They don’t do it to take on the role of alpha dog, but to fit in with society. Therefore, making it clear to them that they are submissive to the man with alpha training methods usually does not help at all. It is much more important that you become a trusted companion for your dog. Show him that he can trust your judgment and offer clear guidance in every situation. To show him the right path you must not act like a dictator, but with sovereignty, self-confidence, and, above all, consequence.