Dominance In Dogs - Barry Eaton from Dogwise.com on Audible.
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Is Your Dog Trying to Dominate You?
You may have read books or seen TV shows that tell you that your dog will seek to dominate you, your family members and other pets unless you become the alpha and put him in his place. The theory is that since dogs evolved from wolves and wolves (supposedly) form packs with strict pecking orders and battle each other to become the pack leader, your dog will do the same within your household. In this new US edition, author Barry Eaton separates out the facts from the fiction regarding dominance in pet dogs, presenting the reader with the results of recent research into the behavior of wolves and the impacts of selective breeding on the behavior of dogs. The results may surprise you and will surely inform you.
You will learn:
Wolves in the wild do form packs, but they are largely peaceful and cooperative family units.
Many of the behaviors and drives that wolves live by have virtually disappeared from pet dogs due to the impact of selective breeding.
Poorly trained or under-socialized dogs may engage in certain behaviors such as resource guarding (food, toys) that may make them appear to be trying to assert dominance. However, these are problems that can be brought under control by training and management and will not be solved by an owner trying enforce his or her dominance over the dog.
Many of the training or pack rules associated with those who claim you must dominate your dog have no basis in reality in terms of wolf behaviors and. if taken to an extreme, can be harmful to your dog.
A simple and logical set of guidelines to raise and train a dog in a positive and effective manner.
What dog trainers are saying about Barry Eaton's Dominance in Dogs:
Learning is best done by challenging the old mythologies and this book surely does that.
Prof. Ray Coppinger
Thanks for the opportunity to see your fantastic book. Excellent. We do have an uphill battle as the sheer amount of repetition of the Dominance concept has cemented it into the public land.
Jean Donaldson
Dominance in Dogs - Fact or Fiction is a little book with a big message. Without wasting words, Barry Eaton dispels the dominance myth and its insidious rank-reduction program, which is nothing more than an arduous task for owners to make their poor dogs' lives a misery.
Dr. Ian Dunbar
Barry Eaton lives in England where he is an Affiliate of the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE) and a Member of the COAPE Association of Pet Behaviourists and Trainers. He is an expert on training deaf dogs and is the author of the popular book Hear, Hear. He is the former chair of the Wessex Sheepdog Society and enjoyed participating in sheep dog trials.
Click here to view an excerpt.
What reviewers are saying...
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
How far is the dog from the roving packs of wolves in the past? "Dominance in Dogs: Fact or Fiction?" discusses the idea that dogs will try to become alpha males in their families, drawing their canine instincts. Studying wolves and comparing them to domestic dogs and how the habits differ are similar, Barry Eaton provides quite the thoughtful study on dogs and their dominance. "Dominance In Dogs" is a thoughtful collection, very highly recommended . James A. Cox
Dog World Review, February 2012
4 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews
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A solid, informative little book.
This is a quick read/listen of a book that does a tidy job of dispelling the unfortunately persistent myth that dogs are in a constant battle for dominance with each other and with the humans they encounter. The dog training world, especially in the 80s and 90s, was filled with trainers (and their many books and videos) that looked to observations of wolf behavior as a basis for understanding and changing the behavior of dogs. “Dominance” was the answer for everything, from dogs pulling on leash to puppies slow to house train. Dogs were largely assumed to always be “running for higher office” in the home with each other and their humans. Many basic group obedience classes distributed handouts outlining “Rank Reduction Programs” such as the “Nothing in Life Is Free (NILIF)” protocol, which advised always making sure humans always ate before their dogs, went through doorways first, forbade dogs from getting on furniture or ever being physically higher than their humans, and required dogs to have to *earn* every single bit of attention, pat, kind word, or treat. All of this was exhausting for the humans and kind of miserable (and potentially abusive) for the dogs. Worse, it was largely ineffective and based on *very* flawed studies and interpretations of wolf behavior. Despite wolf researchers such as David Mech and others revising and refuting their own and others’ work, and clearly stating they were wrong, many in the dog world glommed on to the original studies and doubled-down on their efforts to apply it to dog training and behavior. Sadly, many still persist in this. This book does a wonderful job of looking at why various studies didn’t hold up over time, how wolf behavior is very different from dog behavior, why “alpha rolls” are, well, goofy, and how dominance theory simply doesn’t apply to dog training, for the most part. The book came out in 2011 and cites studies primarily from the late 90s and early 2000s, so while sound, it’s a little dated in that regard. It is, however, a perfect little book for those “pet people” who took a class back at the height of the “You have to be the alpha” craze and never progressed, or for trainers who haven’t updated their knowledge, or who *have* but would like a nice summary to be able to communicate to their clients who cling to outdated, and incorrect notions of dog behavior. I listened to the audiobook version of this. It was about an hour and 40 minutes. Very convenient for listening in the car, but be sure you listen to the preview to make sure you can tolerate the narrator, who, to my ear, sounded like he was rattling off slides of a Power Point presentation. There were also a couple of editing issues, including incorrect information pertaining to gaits. These issues dropped my review down a star. In short, though, this is a great little book to pick up for yourself or to share with someone who could stand to grow as a trainer. A lot of bang for the buck.
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Dominance in Dogs
Very interesting to hear how ideas and thought have changed over the years. Lots of great information shared and documented sources of that information. Nice quick listen, with interesting views and points on how things were and are now precieved in the world of dog and the world of dog ancestry.
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Dominance or resource guarding?
I learned a lot in this short audiobook. A renowned trainer Sid there are very few dominant dogs. This book explains what the appearance of dominance really is and what to do about it. The author also dismantles the wolf pack theory, explaining in simple terms the difference between canines of today & their wolf ancestors. The author backs up facts with research. This book is great for trainers & dog owners struggling with resource guarding.
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Dominance in Dogs
This book has a good summary of the science disproving the 'dogs as wolves' school of thought. It gives a very good summary of the differences in domestic dogs and wild wolves and the way they relate to each other. It also discusses the shortcomings of the pack theory of thinking in relating to dogs. This is a good read/listen for both new and experienced dog owners.
