Is Your Dog Trying to Dominate You and What You Can Do About It #46

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The topic of this episode comes from a listener suggestion, and it is about “alpha” and “beta” dogs. It’s a bit of a spicy subject, and the words “alpha” and “beta” go back to disproven “dominance theory”. Even if you are not sure what “dominance theory” is, you might have heard the term “pack leader”. It was common around 30 or so years ago for pet dog training classes to be based on “dominancy theory”, but not so much these days. Each of us has a filter we see the world through, and that filter is going to have an impact on our dog training choices and beliefs.

In the episode you'll hear:

• What influenced the filters through which I see the world. • How my filter has an impact on my dog training. • What I ask if something goes wrong with my dogs. • The commonalities and digressions I’ve noticed in training beliefs. • What I googled about dominance theory. • My quick diversion on humping. • How what we see in our dogs can be interrupted in different ways. • The ways our filters relate to our dog training decisions and how changing our filters is possible for everyone. • That behavior is behavior, for humans and for dogs, and how choice and communication are powerful for any relationship. • How my puppy This! shredded a bed and my reaction. • The three things you can do when faced with a challenge with your dog. • Why it’s time to get curious when you are furious. • What can go into a plan for you to get what you want with your dog. • That none of us is perfect.

Resources:

• Quick video of This! shredding her bed (on Facebook) - https://www.facebook.com/SusanGarrettDogAgility/posts/3749967288358197 • Podcast Episode 43: Can a Dog be Happy and Well Trained? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/43/ • Podcast Episode 6: The Art of Manipulation - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/6/ • Podcast Episode 16: The Thing Before Your Dog’s Thing - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/16/ • Podcast Episode 42: Behavior Chains: Are You Teaching Your Dog to be Bad to be Good? - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/42/ • Home School the Dog - https://dogsthat.com/home-school/ • Recallers - https://dogsthat.com/recallers/ • Podcast Episode 44: Using Coincidences and Positive Associations in Dog Training - https://dogsthat.com/podcast/44/