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Dominance Behavior in Dogs
Myth: A dog's aggressiveness toward the owner is due to "spoiling."
Junior, a 2 1/2-year-old uncastrated male spaniel, has suddenly become aggressive towards the people in his family. Last night, as the Clark's 10-year-old son was petting the dog, Junior growled and snapped at him. The week before, Mrs. Clark was hugging the dog and it growled. A month ago, Junior leapt up and bit Mr. Clark as he walked near the dog while it was eating a bone. In another incident, Junior growled at Mrs. Clark when she tried to push him off the bed. He eventually moved but "muttered" when he got down. The Clarks are distraught. They cannot understand why their pet sometimes acts this way. He is a wonderful dog 99% of the time. He solicits attention -- paws at them to be petted, licks their faces, begs to play -- and is a happy, friendly dog. The Clarks have done everything they can for him. They love him, feed him the best foods, take him for walks, and have even taken him to an obedience school, where he graduated first in his class. What is going on?
Social Systems of the Dog
To understand Junior's behavior, it is helpful to appreciate the social systems of dogs and their presumed ancestors, wolves. In the wild, these animals usually live in social groups that center around a male-female pair. The other individuals in the group are usually relatives of this pair.
Group living confers many advantages. The animals can hunt together in a coordinated manner and bring down large prey, such as deer or moose, that an individual could never capture alone. They can share in the work of defending large territories and caring for their young. In addition, animals in a group can learn from one another. For example, they can share knowledge of where food is likely to be found, where waterholes are in times of drought, where shelter may be found in bad weather, and how to avoid and recognize particular dangers.
When animals live together in groups, social rules evolve to reduce conflict and facilitate cooperation. A social hierarchy reduces fighting over access to important resources that are in short supply, such as food, resting places, and mates. Animals higher in the hierarchy have first access to whatever they want, and the other animals usually wait. Ultimately, all animals in the group benefit from lowered risk of injury and reduced stress.
Many factors influence the position of an individual in a social hierarchy. In general, males are dominant over females, older animals over younger, larger over smaller, and those that have been in the group the longest over new arrivals. At times, an animal's place in the social hierarchy is determined by its relationship and alliances with other members of the group. Finally, an individual's temperament also plays an important role. Some animals are highly motivated to be dominant, regardless of their size, age, sex or experience.
Communication Among Dogs
Animals in a social group communicate with one another regarding their intentions, particularly during cooperative behaviors such as hunting. Animals also frequently signal their social status. A dominant wolf or dog may greet another member of the group with an elevated tail and erect ears, whereas a submissive individual is likely to lower its head, neck, and tail, flatten back its ears, and possibly attempt to touch the corners of the mouth of the dominant individual with its nose. If a subordinate individual approaches with an elevated tail and a direct stare, a dominant dog would perceive that as a threat, and a fight would likely ensue. In a well-established group, the social hierarchy is usually maintained by very subtle signals, such as indirect looks, keeping a specific distance away from another animal, a wrinkled lip, or soft growls.
In dogs, some obvious signals of dominance are standing tall and stiff, erect ears, and direct eye contact. A dominant dog may bump into and expect a subordinate to defer and move away, place its forepaws on the shoulder of a subordinate, press its chin down on the back or shoulder of a subordinate, grab the neck or muzzle of the subordinate with its mouth, or stand over a subordinate that is lying on the ground. A subordinate tolerates these gestures and defers to the dominant individual. If a subordinate resisted these gestures or engaged in dominant-like behaviors, the dominant animal would likely become aggressive. If the subordinate does not pay attention to a low-intensity threat, such as a growl or a direct stare, the dominant dog might escalate its aggression and snap, nip, or bite and continue until the subordinate defers.
Development of Dominance
Dogs reach sexual maturity at puberty, between 6 and 12 months of age, but behavioral maturity is not reached until about 2 to 3 years of age; although an adolescent animal may be capable of reproducing, it has not yet developed all of the behavioral and physical characteristics of an adult; a teenage boy does not present the same image as a 25-year-old, neither does a 7-month-old male dog act like a 4-year-old adult male.
On reaching behavioral maturity, some dogs begin challenging individuals higher in the hierarchy. They may resist or ignore dominant gestures or display dominant behaviors themselves. By doing so, the challenging dog might displace the dominant individual and move to a higher position; on the other hand, the dominant animal might suppress the challenge with even greater aggression. Extreme conflicts develop when both the challenger and "established" senior are equally motivated to prevail. When this occurs, there may be severe fights. Sometimes the only possible resolution is for one animal to leave the group. Occasionally, an animal will assume a lower status for a time and then attempt to gain a higher position.
A Dog's Role in the Human Family
As social creatures, dogs fit well into human families. In fact, some of the social signals people use among themselves are similar to those used by dogs. Both species use direct stares and deep, low-pitched vocalizations as threats and forceful touches or pushes as signs of dominance. Most dogs assume a neutral or submissive role toward people. They usually greet family members with lowered head, wagging tail, or even a submissive "grin" or "smile." These signals are similar to the submissive greeting signals that dogs use among themselves. Most dogs defer to people if they are bumped or pushed or if a person takes something away from them.
As some dogs mature, however, they begin to assert themselves and threaten their owners (e.g., by growling, "muttering," snapping, nipping, or even biting). These challenges may occur in one or more of the following situations: (1) when the dog is disturbed while sleeping or resting, (2) when items (e.g., food or stolen objects such as paper napkins) are taken from the dog, (3) when the dog is pushed, groomed, lifted, hugged, or petted, (4) when the owner forces the pet to sit or lie down by pulling on the dog's collar or pushing down on its body, or (5) when the dog is threatened or hit. In these situations, the dog's aggressiveness is an attempt to guard resources or to resist what is interpreted as gestures of dominance because these behaviors are similar to those displayed by dominant dogs. A dog beginning to assert dominance will resist these gestures, yet at other times will still solicit petting and attention.
When a dominance problem is beginning to develop, the dog's threatening or aggressive behavior may be mild and infrequent. As the dog continues to mature, its aggressive behaviors may become more severe and frequent.
Dogs that display dominance aggression are usually ambivalent to some degree. For example, if a dog snaps at its owner, it usually then immediately assumes a submissive posture. As a dominant dog gains confidence, however, it may show less ambivalence, fewer indications of submissiveness, and more dominant behaviors.
An owner who recognizes the beginning signs of dominance aggression should immediately seek help from a qualified professional. Most dominant aggressive dogs are males, and castration is one of the recommended treatments. Castration, by itself, however, may not completely suppress the dog's dominant tendencies, and some dogs do not respond to castration at all. Behavioral techniques are generally necessary as well.
Most dominant dogs can be treated to some degree and will resume a more submissive and happy role in the family. Such treatment, however, should always be supervised by a behavior specialist because dominant aggressive dogs can be very dangerous. Indeed in severe cases, the dog should not continue to be kept as a pet.
Obedience training does not necessarily prevent or reduce dominance aggression. There are specific procedures other than those taught at obedience classes that are important in treating this problem. These techniques are designed to gradually and safely reduce the dog's motivation to be dominant and to modify specific aggressive behaviors so that the owners can ultimately interact with the dog in ways that previously elicited aggression. The treatment techniques vary from case to case depending on the severity of the problem and the exact circumstances that elicited the aggression.
Tackling the Problem
It is not true that dominant aggressive behavior in a dog is related to the dog's being "spoiled." Most, if not all, pet dogs are "spoiled," and most dogs are not, or even try to be, dominate over their owners. It is also untrue that dominant behaviors are necessarily a result of the owner's inability to raise the dog properly. Many owners of dominant dogs have had other dogs without dominant behavior problems.
It is impossible to test puppies reliably for the likelihood of their showing dominant behavior in adulthood. A young puppy that reacts aggressively to being handled is definitely not a good choice for a pet. On the other hand, nonaggressive, friendly, and even submissive behaviors in a puppy are not a guarantee that it will be nonaggressive when it matures. Remember, dominance aggression in dogs, if it does occur, usually does not begin to develop until the dog is older than 1 year of age.
It is very important to note that a "correction" or punishment technique when a dog is displaying dominance can be quite dangerous. Physical challenges, such as hitting, forcing the dog onto its back, or grabbing it by the scruff and shaking, can escalate the aggression. Even verbal scolding or shaking a finger at the dog can be counterproductive.
Most dogs are not motivated to display dominance behaviors; however, dog owners should be aware that such a problem is a possibility. If owners see the problem developing, they should act quickly by consulting a veterinarian, who, in turn, may suggest castration and/or refer the owner to a behavioral specialist. Many problems can be eliminated or significantly improved if they are treated promptly and properly by a qualified professional. Back to top
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