Myth #4: Dominant behaviors in domestic dogs arise because the dogs do not respect the owners' "alpha" status.
The truth behind the myth: Many behaviors common to domestic dogs have been attributed to expressions of dominance. Does your dog push through doorways ahead of you? Does he bark or paw at you for attention? Does your dog pull on a leash so he is always ahead of you on a walk? Does he insist on being fed before your family sits down for dinner? Will your dog protest if you try to move him from a favored resting place? Will he growl if you try to take a prized possession (like a rawhide bone) away from him? Many sources of behavior and training information suggest that these behaviors clearly indicate that the dog is behaving 'dominantly' and is therefore trying to take over the 'alpha position' of the household. These sources suggest that ineffective leadership has led the dog to try to assert his own leadership over his family members, and that the way to resolve these issues is to ensure that the owner regains the respect and leadership afforded to the alpha wolf.
As we stated earlier, however, this is a gross oversimplification of the dominance concept. This oversimplification can lead owners to attempt ineffective or even harmful methods of trying to "show their dog who is boss." In fact, each of the examples given above is demonstrative of a dominant behavior: in each example, the dog is behaving in such a way as to gain control over resources (e.g., space or freedom, attention, food, etc.). However, simply because a dog behaves in this manner does not necessarily imply that he is trying to assert his 'alpha' status. Instead, he has probably learned that the behaviors he is exhibiting have earned him resources in the past! If pawing at you for attention gets the dog your attention, then clearly that behavior works! If growling at a person who tries to move a dog against his wishes gets that person to back away, then growling is a behavior that works. In each of these examples, however, the dominant action is not about controlling the owner-it is about controlling the resources that are important to the dog. This leads to an important point: Dominance is not an innate factor of your dog's personality. It is about his behavior. Personality traits may dictate how persistent the dog is about obtaining those resources. While certainly some dogs will exhibit more dominant behaviors than others, they frequently repeat these behaviors simply because they've worked for them in some capacity.
By understanding that dominance is not established by maintaining control over another individual but about controlling the resources important to that individual, dog owners will be able to teach their dogs appropriate ways to earn the things that are valuable to them. When evaluating suggestions for dealing with problem behaviors, particularly when those suggestions are based on a notion of dominance, pet owners should ask themselves if the suggested remedy is about controlling the dog or controlling the dog's resources.