Dominance: Misinformation/ Disinformation

We live in a world full of misinformation and disinformation. Is there more of it now because we are accepting it as part of our everyday life? Or we have lost the ability to tell truths from lies. What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation? Misinformation is false information that is shared unintentionally, and disinformation is misleading information disseminated deliberately. Is Covid-19 just the flu or worst a hoax? Was the election in 2020 indeed stolen, or did Biden win?

The dog training world is not immune and has its fair share of both. Let's take a look at the concept of dominance in the dog world. We label a dog "dominant" when we perceive that it is not listening, seems pushy, or shows antagonistic behaviors. Some even suggest that the "dominant" dog challenges the "owner" for objects, food, or space, which is unacceptable since the "owner" has to be the "top dog." To fix this problem, the "owner" has to show dominance over the "dominant" dog - one of the ways is to push the dog onto its side forcefully and hold it down until it surrenders- the Alpha roll. The public is misinformed when the Alpha roll is touted as a training practice to show the dog whom the boss is, resulting in a "calm submissive" dog, but in reality, it "gives up" with fear.

To fully understand this puzzling practice, we re-visit Rudolph Schenkel's work in 1947. In "Expressions Studies on Wolves," Rudolf talked about dominant wolves maintaining their social position through control and repression of other wolves. According to him, superior status matters in the wolf's world. Another biologist, David Mech, popularized Schenkel's theory in his book "The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species," published in 1970. Dr. Mech went further as to give this "superior status" a name - the alpha wolf. When National Geographic debuted the Dog Whisperer in 2004, the "alpha wolf" had morphed into "the pack leader," and the Alpha roll became the trainer's signature method to force the companion dogs into submission. Cesar's way led to a new generation of dog owners as pack leaders competing with their companion dogs for the top dog status. Pack leaders are expected to walk through the door first, eat first and do everything first. This rationale made little sense since the dog is not vying for this status, especially not with humans. To control, pack leaders use force, intimidation, and fear. In popularizing the Alpha roll, there was misinformation about the relationship of dogs to wolves. The companion dogs are not Schenkel's dominant wolves, and while dogs descend from wolves, they are socially and behaviorally different animals.

There was no whispering and lots of punishing. This "aversive" training method poisons the relationship we have with our companion dogs as it diminishes their trust and confidence in us. Consequently, the dominance method draws numerous criticisms from scientists, trainers, veterinarians and is rejected by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.

How did we get from Schenkel to Milan, going from wolves to companion dogs? Aren't both Schenkel and Mech renowned scientists in their field? The answers lie in the methodology, interpretations, lack of understanding, old data versus new data, social media, sensationalized TV programs, and the public's love of quick fixes. All lace with misinformation and disinformation.

Schenkel studied a group of unrelated captive wolves which displayed behaviors uncommonly observed in wild wolves in a familial structure of natural packs. The captive wolves engage in violent social conflicts as they are unrelated individuals forced to live together. In his later studies, Mech asserted that in the wild, a wolf pack is a family consisting of a benevolent and caring mated pair and their offpsrings. Two different cohorts of wolves led to misinformation and widely different conclusions—the first misleading connection between wolves and companion dogs. Mech has distanced himself from the alpha theory and disproved his former findings. The Alpha roll concept did not start with Milan; the Monk of New Skete re-invented it as a dog training method in the late 70s. The monks misinterpreted the submissive roll-over voluntarily offered by less confident wolves, not forced by more confident ones. There is a natural dominance-submission relationship to allocate resources among wolves, a willingness to avoid conflicts that can affect their survival, and have little to do with humans and pets. Milan jumped at the opportunity to popularize it as his signature training method. With this, the misinformation has taken on the role of disinformation: the deliberate use of an outdated, debunked, and erroneous dominance theory to mislead the public.

The dominance myth persisted with social media and dog training made for entertainment endorsed by National Geographic that claims to "use the power of science.....to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world." The Dog Whisperer did financially well as a reality show with little science feeding the hungry audience of millions demanding more sensationalization. The show became an instant success for National Geographic channel broadcasting in more than 80 countries worldwide..

The popularity results in a magazine, live lecture series, three NYT bestselling books, and countless products, including a recent HALO collar - a combo mobile electronic collar and fence to control your pets anywhere and anytime.

While the last show aired in 2012, Milan was kept busy with five other dog training shows from 2013 to 2020. There is a whispering that Milan is coming back in 2021 with a brand new series - "Better Human Better Dog." Seventeen years of misinformation and disinformation, and the public shows no sign of satiation. It is disparaging that a flawed training method brought much fame for a self-taught trainer and huge profitable revenues for a network. The advancement of peer-reviewed scientific studies and researches on dog behaviors has not slowed the onslaught of dog training entertainment. Milan is now sharing the spotlight with newcomers - Dog: Impossible @ Nat Geo Wild, Lucky Dog @ CBS, and Canine Intervention @ Netflix. These celebrity trainers have no formalized dog training. Still, all relied on using some aversives and the magical ability to fix any behavior problem in 30 minutes. We have been here before with Milan because these are entertaining shows; ironically, it is far from real-life training. There is even a pattern with their slogan - "It's never the dog's fault,"; "There is no untrainable dog," and "There are no bad dogs." One trainer even boasted he could help any dog in 7 days with just seven commands. Dog training should not be gimmicky. The public needs help to distinguish truths from lies.

A recent study from Harvard draws a clear link from misinformation on social media to behaviors and attitudes that can distort the scale and lethality of Covid-19. Misperceptions lower compliance of social distancing and endanger public health.

Disinformation about training with force and intimidation can be a public health issue, and it can lead to aggression in the dogs endangering the owners, the dogs, and the public. In many circumstances, it is the companion dogs and their guardians that suffer emotionally and financially. As trainers, it is our responsibility to train and teach with more humane evidence and science-based knowledge. It would be unethical to put our clients and their guardians at risk using outdated and dangerous methods.

To vaccinate ourselves and our clients from the pandemic of misinformation and disinformation, we must think critically. We should be skeptical, use reliable sources, and ask questions but we should also make a point to learn the perspectives from the other side to assess our potential bias, and importantly, educate ourselves.

With the "Alpha dog" training debunked, a scientific and dog-friendly approach to training is the preferred method. In 1993, when Ian Dunbar founded the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), we were inching toward reward-based training methods. However, "balanced" trainers find it difficult to make the switch, and continue to condone the use of force while confusingly adopting positive method. Positive trainers use positive reinforcement. The reward-based terminology is interchangeable with positive reinforcement or positive dog training, force-free or clicker training, or science-based training. Food reward is preferred by almost all dogs and can be delivered quickly. The prize can also be "play," a game of tug, a walk, petting, or praise - anything that the dog finds to be pleasing. Whatever it is, it has to be good from the dog's perspective, not ours. "Positive" indicates the guardian or trainer is adding the reward to the training. "Reinforcement" refers to the increased frequency of a particular behavior. For example, if a food reward reinforces a Sit, the dog will often offer a Sit.

A deeper understanding of our domestic dogs supplements positive reinforcement training to be even more humane. In the last two decades, a new "breed" of trainers and experts has emerged with books and studies on dog ethology that advocate heavily for our companion pets' welfare to make their lives anxiety-free, fear-free, and stress-free. Please check out our list of books on the Resources page of our website.

The Life of Kai endorses positive reinforcement training as it affirms our core belief of strengthening the guardian-companion pet relationship. We believe in education and advocate the access of books supporting a more humane training method, books to help humans better understand dogs, and books to teach children empathy and compassion.

REFERENCES

https://dogtime.com/reference/dog-training/48563-alpha-dog-myth-dominance-training-mistreatment

https://screenrant.com/dog-impossible-interview-matt-beisner-nat-geo-wild/

https://www.diamondsintheruff.com/why-not-dominance

https://people.com/pets/netflix-new-dog-training-show-jas-leverette-canine-intervention/

https://www.petful.com/behaviors/cesar-millan-critics/

https://drsophiayin.com/philosophy/dominance/

https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sns-201412091230--tms--petwrldctnya-a20141210-20141210-column.html

https://www.usadogbehavior.com/blog/2017518fake-dog-news-its-everywhere

https://canineminded.com/luckydoglessons/

https://dogtraining.world/knowledge-base/expression-studies-on-wolves-rudolph Schenkel-1947/

https://theconversation.com/4-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-disinformation-130767

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/11/19/fighting-misinformation-pandemic-heres-help-teaching-students-distinguish-real-news-whats-fake/

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/scientists_are_teaching_young_people_to_detect_fake_news

https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/02/what-is-positive-reinforcement-in-dog.html

https://dogtime.com/reference/dog-training/48563-alpha-dog-myth-dominance-training-mistreatment