Episode 25 – Dominant Dogs – Do they exist?

This is a big topic and one that often sparks quite a bit of controversy!

Dr Katrin unpacks the sometimes-confusing subject of Dominance Theory and why this does not apply to our domesticated dogs and certainly not to their relationships with humans.

In this episode you will learn:

1. The difference between the colloquial use of the word "dominance" and its technical definition in ethology.

2. How our domestic pet dogs differ from wolves in so many ways.

3. Early wolf experiments by biologist David Mech and how these have influenced training methodologies.

4. Why dominance and aversion-based training can be SO harmful for our pet dogs.

5. Better ways of looking at the value of resources and how associative learning plays a big role.

Here are the papers and references Dr Katrin mentions during the podcast:

1. Bradshaw, J. W. S., Blackwell, E. J., & Casey, R. A. (2009). Dominance in domestic dogs-useful construct or bad habit? Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 4(3), 135–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2008.08.004

2. American Veterinary Society on Animal Behavior. (2008). Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory. 1–4. https://avsab.ftlbcdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Dominance_Position_Statement-download.pdf

3. Dominance in Dogs – Fact or Fiction, Barry Eaton, Dogwise Publishing

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