Dominance

[Dennis.scott1024]

If the dog brings the tug rope or a ball is that showing dominance or attention?

[JMFS]

If s/he is bringing it to you? That's attention, and some articles I've read have pointed to science saying it's affection. :) They trust you with their prized possessions. I'm sure Adrienne will have a better fleshed out answer, but for now that's my short reply.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Most behaviors dogs perform occur because they are reinforced in some way. Contrary to what was thought in the past, most dog behaviors directed towards humans aren't carried out by what is assumed to be "dominance." Dogs jump? It's not like they are are trying to attain rank, instead they just want to say hello. Dogs pull on the leash? It's not because they want to be in control of the owner, but rather more simply because they like to sniff and explore. Dogs bark at the owner? It's not because they think they are in charge, but because the behavior is often inadvertently reinforced.

 

The belief of dogs attempting to attain dominance was promulgated by initial studies on wolves by Shenkel in 1947, but the dominance myth was in good part debunked by research studies of wolves in their natural habitat conducted by David Mech.

 

Mech noted that wolves are not dominated by an “Alpha Wolf” as Shenkel portrayed in his research on wolves in captivity, but rather, he found that wolves in their natural habitat formed social groups that were similar to how human families are organized. Members of the group depended on each other to survive in the wild and therefore true aggression wasn't convenient as it would have been a futile energy expense.

 

In addition to this, a better understanding of canine behavior has brought to light the fact that dogs, despite sharing DNA and several traits with their wolf cousins, they are very different in many ways. This means that there is no point in explaining dog behavior through the application of wolf behavior models just as we wouldn't use chimpanzee behavior models to explain human behavior. Although the idea that dogs are basically “domesticated wolves” is still popular, research has shown that this idea is outdated.

 

So to answer your question, if your dog brings the ball or tug toy to you, he is likely looking for attention, and more specifically, it could be he is trying to invite you to play. It could be he wants you to toss that ball, or play a round of tug with him. Some dogs may also bring toys because they like to be chased (a game of keep-away) which I wouldn't encourage because it may trigger stealing behaviors just out of fun. You can read more about this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/stealing-things/

 

Because this behavior can sometimes get out of hand (I have seen dogs expecting owners to toss a ball for them all day long), it would be important to ensure your dog receives a good daily dose of brain games, training and exercise so that he gets joy (and a strong reinforcement history) from these activities without depending too much on fetching.

[FrederykBlot]

Hello,

 

I did use the "search" feature of the forum before opening another thread related to dominance (yes I'm a model student hahaha)

As a force-free / positive reinforcement trainer, I'm sure you're not at all into dominance-related training and stuff like that, but I have some general question about some things that may rely on dominance, and its importance : 

 

- it is said, that we should travel doors first, to show we're the leader, we're in charge. However, Loki always goes first, because we train SIT + STAY + GO to learn him impulse control in front of doors. Is this thing "we humans have to go first through the door" is a real thing, and relevant ? Should we change, go first, and invite to follow us, or we're just fine ?

- about play, it's also said that "WE should initiate the play", again, just to show who's in charge. Given I've learned that inviting us to play, or proposing us a toy is a mark of trust and affection, I have never refused and rejected a  play that Loki initiated. Should I ?

- exact same for the end of play : it's said, "WE should end the play session", but in reality comes a point where he starts to get tired to go fetch, and it is the sign of the end. And we just happy playing while he's ok with it. I end the obedience training though, as I take a specific amount of treats for a given training session, and end it when the treat supply is depleted

 

I'll be glad to hear your explanations, or perhaps debunking of those subjects. I must confess I do not care much about those things, but perhaps I should otherwise I'll pay for it later...

 

Thank you
Kind regards

 

 

EDIT : my bad for the "start of play" question, your previous message give some explanation about it

[Adrienne]

 it is said, that we should travel doors first, to show we're the leader, we're in charge. However, Loki always goes first, because we train SIT + STAY + GO to learn him impulse control in front of doors. Is this thing "we humans have to go first through the door" is a real thing, and relevant ? Should we change, go first, and invite to follow us, or we're just fine ?

The notion of humans going through doors first,  along with other rules such as never let the dog eat before you, never let your dog walk ahead of you or never let a dog go through a hallway before you etc. etc. are based on outdated research. In a nut shell, all of these so-called "pack rules" were rules stemming from the the fact that, back in time, dogs were believed to form packs with their humans and that they were always vying for achieving the top status over them. 

These outdated belief originated from old studies based on captive wolves conducted by Robert Shenkel in 1947. More extensive research on wolves were conducted by American biologist and wolf behavior expert, David Mech. Instead of studying wolves in captivity, David Mech decided to study wolves in a natural setting. Unlike Shenkel's observations, David Mech's studies revealed that the leadership role was not carried out by a single authoritarian "alpha wolf" but rather by an "alpha pair" comprising a male and female wolf.

Most importantly, the alpha pair's role simply encompassed the role of being parents, and the whole pack was simply a family. David's Mech revolutionary studies therefore paved the path to kinder training approaches. In a sort of way, his studies inculcating the idea that humans are ultimately more like parents to their dogs, providing them with gentle guidance and care. This has paved the path to a less adversarial relationship between humans and dogs. 

On top of this, research has shown that dogs and wolves are more different than thought. Despite dogs and wolves sharing the same number of chromosomes (78 arranged in 39 pairs) and therefore 99.96 percent of their genes; this 0.04 percent difference is enough to set wolves and dogs distinctly apart. Comparing dogs to wolves is therefore somewhat similar to comparing humans with chimps!

So if not for dominance, then why are dogs so eager to get out first? Most likely, it's because doors are "hot spots' meaning they  are associated with the great outdoor teeming with stimuli, and dog owners leaving the home with or without them. Dogs therefore pay extra attention to when their owners go near the door because it can mean they are ready to leave the house. 

This can be a good thing or a bad thing. If the owner is leaving without the dog, the dog may feel antsy and even rather anxious about being left alone. If the owner is bringing the dog along, then the dog may feel ecstatic about going on a walk or car ride. Dogs may rush through doors in their eagerness to being taken out or fear of being left alone.  An eagerness to pay attention to doors is proof that a dog is smart and has learned to associate the door with a variety of emotions. 

As Stanley Coren puts it, goes a long way, he states: "The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them.” 

Dogs therefore tend to rush through doors because of the associated emotions and because they weren't taught any better. 

In regards to you situation, I prefer to train using the open sesame method with a built-in stay as described in the section "increase the challenge."https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/college/open-sesame/

 The reason for this are various, but they may or may not apply to your situation, so you can do what you ultimately prefer, although I think it can come handy in several settings. For instance:

1) By opening the door and checking things out first, you are preventing putting your dog into sticky situations such as letting your dog out and being exposed to other dogs walking nearby, a stray cat walking by or some possible dangers such as traffic. Countless dogs are injured and killed each year from bolting out of opened doors. Don't let this happen to your dog. This can be easily prevented with some training. 

2) Having a dog trained to get out of the door only once you are out will help you on those days you are carrying heavy grocery bags or some other bulky items. 

3) Training your dog to hold a sit/stay in front of an open door and releasing him after you are out is also a great exercise for impulse control training. Your dog learns to be patient and polite in face of distracting situations.