One of the most important subjects pressing people today is the use of dominant based corrections on dogs. I’ll go on record here to say that most people using them, are using them incorrectly, unfairly and are doing more harm than good. These so called trainers are not aware how to analyze a dogs behavior, instead they apply a blanket strategy to any dog that is acting out. They call it “AGGRESSION.”
I will post an article relating to Classifying Canine Behavior. However, I would like to address the single most important mistake that I see made. That is people who use dominant corrections on a fearful dog. There is so much wrong with this that I don’t know where to begin. The biggest problem with this is that it does nothing to fix the problem, and more often than not, will increase the “aggression” in the dog and / or develop much larger and worry-some issues in the dog.
Dogs that are fearful should NOT be given dominant based corrections. The corrections include, remote collars, prong collars, alpha rolls, etc. Using a motivational based approach, including marker training will bring the dog along much better. Giving the dog structure and strengthening the core of the dog will eliminate the fear and solve the problem. Correcting the dog with the wrong technique will only increase the dogs fear and create a larger problem. If the original problem was based on fear, and we use a technique that further scares the dog or makes him more fearful, it would be obvious that the problem will continue and eventually get worse.
Many trainers or handlers are looking for a “quick fix” and feel that correcting the dog strongly will solve the issue. This is bad all the way around. I’ve rehabilitated many truly dominant and aggressive dogs, and it takes time. If the owners of the dog are not willing to do the work, they should get rid of the dog. If they try the quick fix method, chances are the dog will eventually go off and cause more damage. Fixing the dog is hard work, but well worth the effort.
Evaluating a dog for fear vs. dominant based aggression should be done by a professional. This is not an evaluation to be taken lightly. One thing for sure is that there are more dogs acting out of fear based aggression than dominant based aggression. The reason for this is simple, dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years. A seriously aggressive dog is rare, however dogs that act out of fear are quite common. This is primarily a result of improper socialization in the early phases of a dogs life. If improper training is used, the dog will eventually get to a place that can not be corrected.
Dog training must always be fair to the dog, even if it is not that easy on the person employing it. Evaluating a dog for a proper behavior is as crucial as a proper prescription for the right medicine. Just jumping in and correcting a dog that is fearful, will only serve the ego of the jerk that is training the dog. Our goal should be one of compassion.