Browsing online or surfing social media, it’s easy to find plenty of misinformation about dogs and dog training. We’re here to clear up the confusion.
Thanks to the celebration of much popular media, a collective attraction to “quick fixes” in dog training, and the misapplication of outdated and now-disproven scientific claims about wolves, dominance, and pack leadership, there are seemingly countless misunderstandings about how our dogs think, feel, learn, and relate to those around them.
Here are quick reviews of some of the most commonly-misunderstood concepts in dog training. Click the links below to read more about each of them.
Dominance in dogs
No, dogs aren't on a quest for world domination, and they're not walking ahead of you because they want to be your 'pack leader.' Dominance does exist in the animal world, but decades of misleading popular media have created huge confusion over how it works with our pet dogs. Read about the Truth About Dominance here.
Dogs and wolves
Dogs are not wolves - they might be known as a sub-species to wolves but thousands of years or evolution have changed not only the way dogs look, but also the way they behave. There are genetic and ethological connections between wolves as the ancestors of the modern dog, but dogs are not wolves in dog clothing, and understanding the differences between the two goes a long way to helping understand why certain misconceptions have been so powerfully misleading. Read more on the 'What Is a Dog' page here.
Pack Theory
Dogs know we're not canines, so the concept that we, as humans, can serve as some kind of 'pack leader' or 'alpha' doesn't actually work. Not to mention the scientific definition of a dog 'pack' means a blood-related family, not simply a household full of unrelated dogs. Read more about Why Pack Theory Is Wrong here.
Positive vs Punitive
Think of the way most parents decades ago raise their kids - with a bit of a heavier hand regarding physical punishment - compared to common modern approaches. That metaphor applies relatively smoothly to the debate over whether to use punishment (like leash yanks, shock collars, and fear-based techniques) or positive training. Read more about Positive vs Punitive here.
Other Myths vs Facts
Yep, there are a lot of misconceptions in the dog world, and you can understand how guardians can get confused. Read our comprehensive list of Myths vs Facts in dog training here.
Learn more about positive training.
The choice to train positively is not indicative of weakness, it is a choice that takes into account the most important elements when it comes to living with dogs: understanding how dogs perceive the world, ensuring that dogs and people feel and are safe, employing humane teaching techniques that build valuable life skills, improving communication with dogs by listening and responding, understanding dogs' needs by giving them appropriate enrichment to enhance their lives, and keeping them physically and mentally healthy. Science has now proven that positive training is the preferred method for all dogs regardless of breed, age, size or behavior.
