Catching up and Alpha Idiocy

Some of this is a catching up post. I haven't been motivated to write much this last week. It was an emotionally draining week at work. Add to that my neighbor got a german shepherd puppy. Great, because yelling at his kids wasn't enough. Jenny is also having an itch fest flare up so I've been bathing her trying to keep her comfortable. I have decided to try eliminating peanut butter to see if that may be part of her issue. I bought a bunch of wellness canned chicken meat to stuff their kongs with instead of the peanut butter. So you can see why I needed to use a happy photo today. (taken a few weeks ago hence her relatively clear skin)
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The other reason for this post is that I read an article last night in my Pug Talk magazine called: "Establishing and Keeping Alpha Position". Interestingly it had no author credit. It was a mistake to read this just before I went to bed. It made sleep difficult. Why are people still passing this outdated nonsense on? Our dogs are NOT trying to "dominate" us "because that's what dogs do". To many people are still looking at wolf behavior, some of it MISINTERPRETED wolf behavior, as a guide to how to treat our dogs. The article is to long to go through point by point but here are a few highlights.
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Dogs should never be allowed to walk in front of you because this tells them in their mind they are the leader of the pack. They should also never go through a door first. Um no, this only means you haven't trained them to do otherwise. If they pull on leash and you follow them they learn that pulling works. If they go through the door without permission it is because you let them. They just want to get outside, not show you that they are your leader.
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You should not lay on the floor to watch television with the dog is around as a human should never put himself in an equal or lesser height position than the dog. OK Yes height can equal status to the dog but context is important. It is more common for height to be a problem between dogs in a social group IF any of them have status issues. I'm pretty sure dogs don't see us as other dogs though so this one is silly if you don't have a true dominant aggressive dog. (which 95 plus % of dogs aren't)
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During the time you are establishing your higher pack position, no hugs should be given to the dog by you, as a dominant dog may consider this a challenge of power. Wrong answer. Many dogs do not like to be hugged because it can make a dog feel trapped or our arm over the dog is body language they do not like and they can respond by trying to get away from it or growling a warning. Teach your kids to never hug dogs. Yes dogs in your own family can learn to relax when we do it and some dogs do love the attention. This is about the situation, the individual and is NOT a challenge of power play.
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If you establish eye contact with the dog, the dog must avert his gaze first. If the human averts his gaze first this reinforces the dogs higher power position. Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!! Wow am I glad this was in a pug magazine and not an akita one! Staring at a dog, in dog language, can be a threat or a challenge. This is a perfect example of why some dogs bite people in the face. Dogs are fight or flight and when you stare at them they are forced into a decision. If they can't get away they may lash out. Dogs do not stare at each other for this reason and why we need to teach them to have good eye contact for obedience work. If you stare at a dog that doesn't know you well you can create a lot of anxiety. NEVER do this exercise! It will freak out most dogs.
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This article goes on but you get the picture. Bad information abounds. Yes dogs are a social animal. Yes within their social group should be a clear leader so they aren't confused. Good leaders (like parents) are ones who communicate clearly, set rules and boundaries, and discipline fairly. It isn't about preventing a hostile takeover. Are there dogs out there who care about status and try to exert it over people? The short answer is yes. However those dogs are few and far between. They are the exception and not the rule. For those dogs a Nothing in Life is Free program is usually recommended. (also known as NILF) This is a non-confrontational method that is basicly teaching a dog to "say please". They need to earn everything they get and this teaches them they have to listen to you to get anything they need or want. If you need more guidence on leadership in dogs check out Patricia McConnells booklet called How to be leader of the pack. Again more non-confrontational methods that are based in science, not assumptions, of dog behavior.
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To be fair to Pug Talk they have many other good articles including one on breeding vs rescue I will share some thoughts on here soon.
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For more information regarding the "Alpha Myth" in dogs check out my past posts here:

http://k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com/2008/07/debunking-dominance-myth-in-training.html

http://k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com/2010/11/alpha-rolling-in-wolves-and-dogs.html