This article is from the Animal Behavior Associates newsletter. The author is presumably Dr. Suzanne Hetts, or her husband Dr. Dan Hetts. They are a wealth of knowledge on animal behavior. Please visit the Animal Behavior Associates Website and click around (Link at the end of this article). They always have great information on both dog and cat behavior! -R

A client told us she had recently read that she needed 
to spit in her dog's food to show him who was boss.  
The theory was that if a dog eats food with another's 
saliva on it, he is acknowledging his subordinate role 
in the relationship.

We have no clue where this idea came from (it 
certainly didn't come from the scientific literature!), but 
perhaps it's related to the other mis-understood belief 
that dominant individuals always eat first. So if the dog 
tastes your saliva on his food he will understand you 
got to it first and are therefore the "Alpha" in your 
dog's "pack."

We've heard many, many other silly claims about how 
to be dominant over your dog and listened to lists of 
behaviors dogs purportedly show to exert dominance 
over people.  Did you know that when a dog sits on 
your shoes or leans against you with his back to you 
he is supposedly expressing his dominance over 
you?

Many writers have claimed that the "dominance" 
or "pack theories" of dog behavior are based on 
scientific studies of wolves and dogs, and therefore 
legitimizes their explanations of dog behavior towards 
people.  Most of us would agree that scientific 
explanations should carry more weight than non-
scientific ones, but only if they accurately reflect what 
is really known about that phenomenon.

Virtually all the popular explanations of dominance 
behavior that supposedly rely on scientific knowledge 
distort what is really known about wolf and dog 
behavior.  In fact, dominant wolves don't always eat 
first, and we can find no mention in the wolf behavior 
literature that describes dominant wolves sitting on 
the legs of or leaning against subordinates to express 
their dominance.

One of many serious problems with 
these "dominance theories" is that it leads people to 
treat their animals in inappropriate and sometimes, 
inhumane ways.  While spitting in your dog's food is 
harmless, some of the other measures advocated by 
this school of thought are not.  Scruff shaking your 
dog, rolling and pinning him or stringing him up 
(hanging him by his collar) can cause fear, injury and 
even aggression which in turn can lead to further 
abusive behavior or even euthanasia of the dog.

The notion of "dominance" is pervasive in American 
society from discussions of which football teams are 
dominant to who's the boss in your family - you or 
your spouse.  Given this emphasis it's not surprising 
that it's easy for people to accept unquestionably 
dominance theories related to dogs.

If dominance isn't the best way to think about 
relationships between dogs and people, or the most 
important aspect of their relationships then what is?  
Social relationships among dogs and between 
people and dogs are complex so there isn't a 
simplistic answer to this question.

If you want to delve into the science of social 
dominance, discover how it is studied in social 
animals, and explore ways to more completely 
understand the intricacies of canine social behavior, 
join us for our Tele-Webcast course "Alternatives 
to "Pack Leader" And "Alpha Dog" Myths: Helping Pet 
Owners Understand Social Dominance" beginning 
March 19th.  The February class filled quickly, so 
register soon at our 
website. http://animalbehaviorassociates.com/teleconference-pack-leader-myth.htm