Do you ever feel like your dog has you better trained than you have him trained? If so, you likely have a dominant dog. A dominant dog is one who believes he is the leader of the pack. A pack could be a pack of dogs or could be a family of people who own a dog. The dog does not see you as his family, he sees you as his “pack”. In a pack there are many roles that make the pack function and co-exist in harmony. The leader of the pack is the most dominant dog. The reason this is such an issue with today’s dogs is because we as humans treat our dogs like one of us. In order to start to live in harmony with a dominant dog we need to understand what our dog sees in our behaviour and how our dogs think, because it is much different than human thought and behavior. When our children are misbehaving we can reason with them. We can talk to them and give them effective punishments for their behaviour. Dogs don’t view “time outs” as a punishment. If you put your dog in their crate after they have nipped at you they don’t sit there and dwell on the fact that they nipped you and that they shouldn’t have done that. All they know is that you are upset and they’re in their crate…but they don’t put the two events together.

How do you know if the behavioral issues you are dealing with are due to a dominance issue? Let’s go over your everyday life with your dog, if your dog demonstrates all or some of these behaviors then you are dealing with dominance on some level.

• your dog pushes his way past your legs when going through a doorway or down stairs
• he/she blocks your way when you are trying to get somewhere
• he/she growls when you try to take food, toys or other objects away from him
• he/she is allowed on the bed/furniture and growls when you try to remove him
• he/she pulls you on your walk
• he/she often doesn’t listen to your commands even though he knows them
• he/she has ever put their teeth on you (gently or not so gently)

If you are experiencing all of these then you have a very dominant dog and need to make some changes in routine. Even if you are only experiencing a few of these issues they may lead to more in the future. Let’s first understand how the dog views our behavior. If you try to remove your dog from the couch and he growls and bares his teeth at you; if you back off and sit in a chair or, even worse, on the floor; you have just made it very clear in the dogs mind that he is the dominant one in the relationship. In a pack of dogs the top dog gets the best spot in the den and he will defend that spot. This is what your dog is doing to you when he growls at you for trying to remove him from the couch. When you back off and let him keep that seat he is then assured that he is the dominant one. The same is true of situations involving objects or food that you are trying to take from the dog, if they bare their teeth, growl or snap at you and you back off then they are learning to control you with their teeth which is a dominant behavior. Pushing their way through doorways before you, blocking your way and pulling you when on a leash are all more subtle dominant behaviors but still need to be addressed.

How do you begin fixing these behaviors? The first thing you should do is consult a professional that has experience working with dominant aggressive dogs. It is always best to consult a professional when you are dealing with a dog that has shown any sort of aggressive behavior, even if they have only growled and never snapped at you. Here are a few pointers to get you started while you shop around for a good trainer. In a pack of dogs the top dog would aggressively challenge the weaker dogs to maintain a dominant role in the pack. As humans it is not only unfair but also unacceptable to aggressively challenge our dogs. So we have had to establish our dominance in other ways, here are a few rules for living with a dominant dog:

• teach your dog to heel and be sure that you are always a step ahead of him on a walk
• "Top dog" always eats first. Therefore, you eat first and feed your dog when you are done
• make the furniture off limits. It is better to prevent the problem than come face to face with the challenge. Buy your dog their own pillow and make the couch and bed yours
• make your dog work for EVERYTHING! This can be as simple as making the dog sit before they get a treat or have their dinner or go outside. If they WANT something from you, first make them DO something for you.
• if your dog pushes their way past you, make them sit and teach them to wait until you have gone through the doorway before they are allowed through. This also helps if your dog has a habit of running away, this rule applies to ALL doorways (even the front door!). When you are practicing this routine with your dog please ensure that they are wearing proper I.D. A tag or personalized dog collar with their name and your contact number is one of the best forms of identification.
• never back down or show fear. If your dog shows aggression towards you they only learn to do it more when you back down to them. Put your dogs leash on and let them drag it around the house while you are home with them, if they show aggressive behavior you can take hold of the leash to gain control and keep your hands out of the “danger zone” which is by the mouth. If they are an extreme case you may need to muzzle the dog as well as leashing him.

It is possible to live in harmony with a dominant dog and have a long and lasting relationship as long as you follow these few simple rules to ensure you remain the "top dog"!

Written by;
Amy McClung
Master Trainer
Paws Above The Rest (905)682-4727
"Committed to creating and maintaining quality companionship"