Why everything you know about wolf packs is wrong. Great article! It seems to be particularly key that a lot of advances in theory about wild wolf pack behavior date from the 1995 re-introduction of wolves to Yellowstone. Especially after the wolves had become a stable population and established numerous packs, and researchers have been able to observe them consistently (through radio collar tracking) over the years. Smith & Ferguson's "Decade of the Wolf" is an excellent overview of the project, but what's kind of neat is that if you watch various tv specials (such as those produced by PBS's Nature, and National Geographic) that have been produced over the past 15 years, even when the narration still wants to frame the pack's behavior according to some of the old terms, it becomes clear that what they're showing is counter to a lot of the "accepted knowledge".
I haven't yet seen a tv programs that takes the position that "everything you knew was wrong", but it feels like they're showing it, nonetheless. DOMINANCE - BASED DOG TRAINING CONTROVERSY. Dear Dr Fox, I am a great admirer of your work (at least what I know about it.) I own many of your books and was attending the SPARCS 2013 conference this last weekend of June, 2013. I like the part of spirituality that enters, is given space in your work. A controversy was created around your comments re: use of aversives, use or neck shaking and shock collars. These seem to contradict all of your work or my perception of your work, approach of respect towards other animals.
I see you as a man of grace who would not hurt other animals. Some people here (Canada) are totally flabbergasted by these 'recommendations" as they perceive it. Carignan, Quebec Dear Marie-France, I think that it is important to address what seems to be an on-going controversy ignited by the dominance-intimidation ways of people like Cesar Milan which I have publicly deplored. Call for a Ban on Electric Shock Collars for Dogs Dr. The Humane Hierarchy, Part 1 of 2: Overview. I am a Humane Hierarchy trainer. That is the name of the roadmap I use to make ethical choices about the training methods I use.
I’m going to describe the method in this post. (Humane Hierarchy Part 2, which is now also published, comprises real world examples of all the methods in the Hierarchy.) I don’t call myself a clicker trainer, although I have used one, nor do I call myself a force-free trainer, although that is certainly a goal, nor do I call myself “all positive,” since that could include positive reinforcement and punishment both. But the Humane Hierarchy is a concept I love, and a name I take on for myself comfortably and with pride. Susan Friedman, PhD, published “What’s Wrong with this Picture: When Effectiveness is Not Enough” in 2008, and in that article proposed the Humane Hierarchy. I have written about Dr. The Humane Hierarchy is not a set of “rules.” Dr. So here is her new graphic of the Humane Hierarchy.
In a previous post, “But Every Dog is Different! Dr. Labeling. Faut-il dominer son chien et garder des notions de dominance ? >> Vous êtes ici : Vie de chien >> Hiérarchie et dominance du chien Article rédigé par Véronique Valy Conseillère en éducation canine et Comportement en Normandie >> Site Internet Voir les commentaires sur cet article ©Véronique Valy L’historique de l’éducation canine, hiérarchie et dominance Vers 1940 environ, des études ont été pratiquées sur des meutes de loups en captivité. Le modèle éducatif habituel et traditionnel du chien est basé sur ces observations erronées. Nous savons aujourd’hui que ces premières observations ont amené à des interprétations fausses et non fondées, comme si nous tirions des conclusions sur le fonctionnement de la famille humaine en étudiant l’être humain dans des camps de réfugiés (David Mech, Université du Minnesota / USA). Depuis des années, Coppinger et Mech ont étudié des loups en milieu libre et naturel et aussi des groupes de canidés sauvages.
Exemple : Non, il n’y a pas de mâle Alpha qui mange en premier. "Le dominant mange en premier: observation fausse. Dumbed down by dominance, Part 1. The misinterpretation and limitations of the behavioral and ethological literature An accurate understanding of normal dog behavior is at odds with the idea that dogs struggle for dominance. Dominance is a traditional ethological concept that pertains to an individual's ability—generally under controlled conditions—to maintain or regulate access to some resource. It is a description of the regularities of winning or losing staged contests over those resources.
It is not to be confused with status and, in fact, does not need to confer priority of access to resources. In situations in which the concept of dominance has been used with regard to status, it is important to realize that it is not defined as aggression on the part of the "dominant" animal but rather as the withdrawal of the "subordinate. " The behavior of the relatively lower status individuals, not the relatively higher ranking one, is what determines the relative hierarchical rank. Rank itself is contextually relative. 1. Dogs, Dominance, and Cesar Millan Redux: Dominance is Real. Dog expert Mark Derr's recent essay called " Cesar Millan and the Tradition of Pack Bully as Pack Leader " is an excellent review of what we know and don't know about the behavior of our best friends and their wild relatives, wolves, from whom they "emerged" during domestication.
Derr's discussion of the notion of "social dominance" and the role and behavior of "alpha animals" is right on the mark (no pun intended). Animals, including dogs and wolves, do indeed form dominance relationships and there are alpha animals. However, dominance does not necessarily, or even frequently involve, animals coming to injurious blows and alpha animals can assert their dominance and control in rather subtle ways about which we still know very little.
Dr. Maestripieri and I have studied dominance for years and in my essay I noted that even wolf expert Dave Mech agrees that wolves do form dominance relationships. Indeed, Dr. In response to my earlier essay Dr. Dominance in Dogs is Not a Personality Trait. By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS September 2009 Anyone who hangs out with dogs and their owners has probably heard this or similar comments a million times-"My dog is dominant, he ignores our commands and plays too rough with other dogs.
" To the general dog owner, this statement seems pretty normal. But, to researchers studying social hierarchies in animals ranging from lions to macaque monkeys to bulls, the statement is likely to solicit a pause followed by a "Huh? " That's because while an individual in a group can have a high dominance rank, dominance in dogs, and in any animal for that matter, is not a personality trait.
The Definition of Dominance So what exactly is dominance? Now, if you're a woman reading this, you're probably rolling your eyes thinking, "Oh brother. Being the highest ranked means that, during mating season, the other males will make way if the dominant bull is approaching a female in estrus (a.k.a in heat). But that's not the end of the story. Scientific literature on dogs and dominance | Canis bonus. Science popularisation article on domestic dogs and dominance By Laure-Anne Visele, written Nov 2012.
Dogs, dominance, and science ‘Writing in the sciences‘ just gave us the greatest assignment: strip down an ethology paper into such a smooth summary that even science newbies are gripped. To hear me talk about dominance in The Doghouse radio show, click here.For a less technical overview of dominance, click here. I took my shot with a paper on dogs and dominance. Review of John Bradshaw’s paper John W. Pesky misconceptions People commonly believe that dogs (1) are wolf clones; (2) live in packs; (3) follow a linear pecking order; (4) show aggression to gain status; and (5) can be ‘born alpha’. Bradshaw reviewed each of these misconceptions in the literature, and gave them a good science fix. Dry definition Before I start on Bradshaw, let me introduce some dominance-related concepts.
When people talk of dominance, we need to extricate three major concepts: Back to misconceptions Comments. "Alpha" Wolf? Tough Love - A Meditation on Dominance and Dogs an Anchorhold Films Production. Un chien dominant... peut être mais pas sûr! « Notre chien est incontrôlable et agressif… : On nous dit que c’est un dominant !! » La forme catégorique de cette assertion assénée comme une vérité incontournable, induit qu’il n’y aurait que la revendication de dominance pour expliquer qu’un chien est difficilement contrôlable ou même agressif. C’est faire là une bien courte analyse… ! « C’est à peine si nous pouvons recevoir tellement notre chien aboie dès qu’un visiteur s’annonce et entre à la maison. Il saute tout de suite sur tout le monde, nous grogne dessus si nous voulons l’en empêcher, et ne laisse plus la paix à personne tant que nos invités sont là.
Il a les mêmes comportements en promenade dans les rencontres avec ses congénères, il n’obéit pas, il est incontrôlable et agressif : c’est un dominant !» Si la couleur d’un chien dépend entièrement de sa génétique, il n’en est rien à propos de la dominance. Ils sont les plus prompts à aller « s’expliquer » de manière musclée dans les rencontres en balade. The Dominance Filter « Wilde About Dogs. Anyone who’s been involved in photography understands the concept of filters: apply one to a camera lens, and it changes the picture. You can give a village scene an old west feel by using a sepia filter; change a less-than-perfect model into the model of perfection with soft focus; and even change night into day.
Just as photographic filters change what the eye sees, our emotional filters change the way we perceive the world and each other. Remember that thrill of first love? Like a lovely star filter, that emotional lens softened any rough edges and bathed your beloved in a magical glow. On the flip side, after an argument with an acquaintance, you might begin to perceive even benign things that person says or does through a filter that seems distorted. We all develop filters based on our experiences and beliefs. Dominance and submission do exist in the animal world, and can be easily observed in social interactions between dogs. Like this: Like Loading... That Darned Dominance Debate | Suzanne Clothier. Dog trainers often have a very hard time clearly defining what they mean by "dominance. " Many oddly state that they refuse to "even believe” in the concept, as if it were something equivalent to extraterrestial life forms or leprechauns.
I find this puzzling, and a bit disturbing, perhaps because in my view, this "I won't even believe in that! " approach doesn't speak to any thoughtful examination of a complex and sometimes emotionally charged topic. Dominance is not necessarily synonymous with pecking order or rigid hierarchies. It is not synonymous with aggression, coercion, abuse, force. And yet many trainers persist in talking about dominance as if it were synonymous with all of the above. Dominance is, quite simply, the ability to exert influence over another, whether through social agreement, negotiation, intimidation, or outright use of force. Dominance is social status, and thus is a highly fluid, dynamic state that is contextual, situational.
The Dominance Controversy | Philosophy | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS. Virtually everyone who started as a dog trainer over 15-20 years ago started out using traditional dog training techniques: similar to those used by Cesar Millan (National Geographic’s The Dog Whisperer). This is how most dogs were trained back then. As a result we have first hand experience as to why and when such punishment-based techniques might work, the pitfalls, and why and when other techniques work better.
Traditional training techniques are based on the idea that we must become the dominant leader and rule our pets the way a wolf would rule a pack. That is, they assume most misbehavior in dogs is due to the dog trying to be dominant and then they employ techniques that they think a wolf (since dogs are seen as having a social structure similar to wolves) would perform in a wolf pack. A. In species where strong hierarchies exist, this hierarchy is important evolutionarily because having a high rank confers a greater ability pass on one’s genes. Other Resources » B. No. C. 1. 2. The Dominance Controversy | Philosophy | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS. Virtually everyone who started as a dog trainer over 15-20 years ago started out using traditional dog training techniques: similar to those used by Cesar Millan (National Geographic’s The Dog Whisperer). This is how most dogs were trained back then. As a result we have first hand experience as to why and when such punishment-based techniques might work, the pitfalls, and why and when other techniques work better.
Traditional training techniques are based on the idea that we must become the dominant leader and rule our pets the way a wolf would rule a pack. That is, they assume most misbehavior in dogs is due to the dog trying to be dominant and then they employ techniques that they think a wolf (since dogs are seen as having a social structure similar to wolves) would perform in a wolf pack. In order to evaluate whether this reasoning is valid, we must first understand what dominance is. A. The Definition of Dominance Other Resources » B. Example 1: Fire Station Puppy No. C. 1. 2. 3. 4. Uploads/position_statements/dominance_statement.pdf. The Dominance Controversy | Philosophy | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS. Virtually everyone who started as a dog trainer over 15-20 years ago started out using traditional dog training techniques: similar to those used by Cesar Millan (National Geographic’s The Dog Whisperer).
This is how most dogs were trained back then. As a result we have first hand experience as to why and when such punishment-based techniques might work, the pitfalls, and why and when other techniques work better. Traditional training techniques are based on the idea that we must become the dominant leader and rule our pets the way a wolf would rule a pack.
That is, they assume most misbehavior in dogs is due to the dog trying to be dominant and then they employ techniques that they think a wolf (since dogs are seen as having a social structure similar to wolves) would perform in a wolf pack. In order to evaluate whether this reasoning is valid, we must first understand what dominance is. A. Other Resources » B. Example 1: Fire Station Puppy No. Example 2: Conflict Between Cat and Dog C. Why Won't Dominance Die? | Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors. Many leading animal behaviourists are concerned that the “dominance” model of pet dog behaviour continues to survive, despite the accumulating evidence that it is at best unhelpful and at worst highly detrimental. It is easy to see why trainers and owners alike are fond of the concepts of “pack” and “dominance” in relation to pet dogs.
A pack means we’re all part of the same gang. “Dominance” explains our respective positions in that pack. We live in a pack with our pet dogs and they either dominate us or we dominate them. To be at the top of the pack with total dominance would make you the “alpha”, with all the esteem that entails, therefore dogs will strive for dominance unless you beat them to it. It’s a neat explanation. Except that none of it actually bears scientific scrutiny. The “pack” and “dominance” theory of domestic dogs is a harmful meme.
This meme originated in the “dogs are wolves” theory in the late 1960s. At the same time, studies of the domestic dog have also moved on. Rank and Dominance Matter When Trying to Teach Dogs. Homme-chien : dominant, meneur ou dictateur ? : Mon Chien Magazine. Entraîner sans “dominer”… - Lucky Pédadog, école d'éducation canine. Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat. The Dominance Myth | Watch Through a Dogs Eyes Online. Using ‘Dominance’ To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat. Letting Go Of Dominance. Dumbed down by dominance, Part 1. Dominance in domestic dogs - useful construct or bad habit? Bradshaw, Blackwell and Casey | Blog | AVSAB. Vous Etes le Chef. Hiérarchie par le Dr Ian Dunbar. Esprit de chien - Hiérarchie et dominance. Hey, Old School Dominance Theory: School’s Out! | Wilde About Dogs.
Comments on “Alpha” Dominance Theory. Pack Theory: Fact or Fiction? | Taryn Blyth. Entre chien et loup. Dominance—Making Sense of the Nonsense | Roger Abrantes. Down with Dominance. Leader of the Pack | Videos | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS. Dominance Myths and Dog Training Realities. The Myth of the Alpha Dog. Whatever Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf? by L. David Mech | Newest Articles on AndreaArden.com | Blogs on DogTime.com.