Debunking Dominance:Your Dog Isn’t Trying to Take Over

⏳ Reading Time: 5-7 minutes

Dominance. It’s one of the most persistent myths in dog training. Trainers, owners, and even casual observers throw the word around as if it explains everything.

But here’s the truth: it doesn’t.

The idea that dogs misbehave because they’re trying to dominate us isn’t just outdated—it was never correct to begin with. In this post, we’re unpacking the dominance myth, why it’s harmful, and what’s actually driving your dog’s behaviour.

Where Did the Dominance Myth Come From?

The dominance theory in dog training stems from flawed wolf research conducted in the 1940s. Early studies on captive wolves concluded that their social structure was based on a rigid hierarchy, with an “alpha” leading the pack.

But modern research has debunked this. Wild wolf packs don’t operate this way, and even if they did, dogs are not wolves—no more than we are chimpanzees.

Yet, because humans naturally organize themselves in hierarchies, the idea of dominance in dogs stuck. Worse, it became a convenient excuse for using force and intimidation in training.

Dominance is a Label, Not a Solution

When people think a dog is “dominant,” they assume they have to make the dog submit somehow. This belief creates unnecessary conflict, leading to:

🚫 Escalating punishments
🚫 Reliance on intimidation
🚫 Missing the bigger picture

Instead of focusing on why a behaviour is happening, people get caught in a power struggle. But true training isn’t about control—it’s about understanding and communication.

What Should You Do Instead?

A far more effective approach is to drop the labels and focus on behaviour change:

✔ Describe the behaviour. What is your dog actually doing?
✔ Decide what you want them to do instead.
✔ Create a plan to reinforce that behaviour.

Dogs don’t act out because they’re trying to take over your household. They behave in ways that benefit them and keep them safe.

What About Dog-to-Dog “Dominance”?

A lot of people assume that when one dog “submits” to another, it means the other dog is dominant. But that’s not how it works.

Dogs don’t live in a constant battle for rank. Instead, they navigate social situations through:

🐶 Body language
🐶 Space and movement
🐶 Calming signals

What Are Calming Signals?

Calming signals are subtle behaviours dogs use to diffuse tension and communicate peaceful intent. These can include:

✔ Lip licking
✔ Turning the head away
✔ Yawning
✔ Softening their eyes
✔ Slow movements

When a dog steps aside, lowers their head, or avoids direct eye contact, they aren’t submitting to a higher-ranked dog. If a resource like a chew is involved, one dog may defer to the other.

This isn’t about dominance—it’s a choice to prevent conflict.

The reality? Dogs that use force or intimidation aren’t dominant—they’re likely insecure, unsure, or frustrated. Confident dogs don’t need to “prove” anything.

Punishment Feels Good—But It’s Not Good Training

Punishment reinforces the punisher. When a dog acts out, many people don’t ask why—they just want it to stop. And when it does, they feel like they’ve “won.”

But here’s the problem: the behaviour isn’t gone. The dog still has the same fear, frustration, or unmet need—now, they just suppress it. And suppression isn’t training.

Instead of punishing, ask yourself:

✔ Why is this happening?
✔ How can I help my dog feel safe?
✔ What behaviour can I reinforce instead?

Dogs don’t misbehave because they’re trying to challenge us. They do what works for them, based on past experiences, reinforcement, and emotional state.

A Real-Life Example: Is It Dominance or Discomfort?

Let’s say a 10-year-old dog with hip dysplasia growls when someone sits next to them on the couch.

A dominance-based trainer might say the dog is “claiming” the couch.

But let’s rethink that:

🔹 The dog is comfortable where they are.
🔹 It physically hurts to move.
🔹 They don’t want to be touched because it might cause pain.

So they growl. If we listen instead of punishing, we can take action:

✔ Get a vet check.
✔ Adjust their diet, exercise, and pain management.
✔ Meet their needs so they don’t have to growl.

And guess what? Once the dog feels better, they might not even want to be on the couch anymore!

The key takeaway? Behaviour is information. When we address the root cause, the behaviour often resolves itself.

The Science is Clear—Dominance Training is Harmful

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and many other experts actively discourage dominance-based training.

They recommend that veterinarians only refer clients to trainers who use:

✔ Positive reinforcement
✔ Operant conditioning
✔ Counterconditioning

At the end of the day, our job isn’t to dominate our dogs. It’s to guide them, support them, and create an environment where they feel safe enough to succeed.

Final Thoughts: What Now?

If you’ve been told that your dog is being dominant, take a step back. Ask yourself:

❓ Is my dog feeling safe, comfortable, and understood?
❓ What is actually reinforcing this behaviour?
❓ How can I set them up for success?

Training isn’t about control—it’s about connection. The more we understand why dogs behave the way they do, the better we can support them.

🚀 Want to learn more? Join the Must Love Dogs membership or book a training consultation today!

What I love about training

I’ve had brutal cold for the last few days and life has sucked at Casa del Bulldogge. While some people’s dogs seem to be sympathetic to their guardian’s suffering, Hank is not on of those dogs.

Boredom can take on many forms, and in Hank’s case, Penelope has been far more interesting than she’s ever been. Normally he doesn’t give her the time of day even when she’s launching assaults from the table as he passes by. I found him following her around the basement no doubt assessing if she’s worth trying to play with. Or so I assume.

Last night Hank did something else that was out of character for him. He picked up Hazel's ChuckIt! ball and brought it over to me as I lay wheezing on the couch. Now you’re probably thinking “and this is interesting why exactly?” Allow me to explain.

Recently Hank and I have been working on retrieving. He’s gotten pretty good at fetch to hand and picking up different objects and dropping them into a box. We’ve built a solid reinforcement history at this point, working upstairs in the dog room.

Having tried his usual approach of wiggling his big bum and barking to get me off my ass, he decided to put his new skills to use by bringing me that ball. That in and of itself is very cool but what’s really impressive about it is that he was able to apply the behaviour in a different context. Outside of a training session, without being prompted and without the usual context cues of boxes and toys lying on the floor.

That’s what dog training is all about for me. It’s about teaching our dogs skills, however silly or pointless they may seem. Those skills allow our dogs new ways to interact with us and to move around their environment. A very human-centric environment. Learning new skills builds confidence, reduces stress, frustration and anxiety. It makes them smarter, calmer and ready to take on more challenges. It enables them to seek attention, feedback or information in much less offensive ways than the barking, scratching, jumping and other annoying behaviours.

It goes beyond bids for attention and boredom though. Lucy provided another example this week. We’ve been working on crawling under my legs while I’m sitting down, under tables and chairs. Normally when my feet are up on the ottoman she’ll wait for me to lift them up so she can hop up on the couch beside me. She surprised me by confidently shoving her way under my legs to claim her spot. Another “trick” put to good use!