Flying Poodles

Dominant or Not?

In the last few days, I ran across Kathy Sdao’s discussion of “dominance theory” in dog training yet again. Now, Sdao is one of those dog trainers with a great reputation. She can, it is said in dog circles, take a bone out of a puppy’s mouth and have the puppy love her for it.

She can also write very well. Here’s her article: Forget About Being Alpha and here’s my favorite bit from the article:

“Dogs are lovable scavengers. Their evolution has made them dependent on humans to provide food. This concept of humans as feeders, rather than as “leaders of the pack” forms the foundation for a logical, reward-based approach to dog-training.”

This article from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) also talks about dominance theory, but not quite as engagingly: Position Statement on Dominance Theory.