Dominant Behaviour in Dogs
Dominant Behaviour In Dogs
Dominant Behaviour In Dogs
Dominant dogs are canines that are natural pack leaders. Dominance is not the same as aggression, however many dominant dogs are also aggressive. There are dominant dogs in almost any breed and typically intact males and intact females tend to be more dominant in nature. Some dominance is hormonally driven, especially in intact female and males where they will become more dominant when breeding and then less dominant during other parts of the reproductive cycle. Dominant breeds include both small or large dogs but they all have the characteristics of wanting to control what is going on.
In the wild Canine
A dominant male or female rarely has to become aggressive, rather the other submissive or subordinate dogs realize they risk injury by challenging the dominant dog.
In the domestic Canine
Dominance is often more of a bluff in domestic dogs with a lot of growling, pacing and raised hackles all that is needed to assert that they are the top dog with other canine and non-canine pets. However if a dominant dog is challenged either by another dog or a person they will resort to aggression, often very quickly.
Unfortunately a dominant dog doesn't just try to control or boss around the pets in the house, he or she will also attempt to control the humans. Dominant dogs aren't doing this because they crave power or control; they only exercise this type of behaviour because the humans in the house aren't. Dominant dogs that are well trained and socialized are happy and content knowing that the people are in charge and are able to keep the pack together.
Every puppy will go through a phase in their development where they test the hierarchy in the household. Think of this stage, usually occurring at about the six to eight month mark, as the time when the puppy is pushing the envelope with regards to who is the boss. If, during this time, the humans in the household are firm, consistent and positive in their training and expectations, the puppy will settle in to be a good pack member within the family. If, however, the people let the puppy get away with things, reward dominant or challenging behaviour or simply give commands and don't follow through if the dog does or doesn't respond, the puppy begins to see his or herself as the boss. Once this happens your dog actually becomes the leader in the household, at least in the dog's eyes.
Many toy and small dogs exhibit very dominant behaviour towards the people in their family. This is often because during the critical period between six months and a year the puppy was not trained or was spoiled or even rewarded for dominant behaviour. Once this pattern has been established it is difficult but not impossible to retrain and restructure the family hierarchy.
Dominant dogs will definitely benefit from working with a professional trainer. It is essential that the humans also learn how to be the leaders in the family with regard to the dog. Trainers like myself can help but so can regular, routine obedience work, consistent and routine training activities and lots of time spent with the dog.
