Case Study- Fluffy, The Most Dominant Dog- EVER

Forward: What you are about to read is based on an actual case history. Behavior problems can be complex. “They are usually the result of many factors, one of which may be DOMINANCE.” (Emphasis not mine). Solutions are not as manifest as one might assume. Put yourself in the shoes of the dog trainer!  How would you counsel the owners of Fluffy, The Most Dominant Dog- EVER? There will be a test at the end.

Many people attribute any behavior they don’t like to DOMINANCE.  (Emphasis mine). For example, a dog who rushes out the door without permission, or a dog that refuses to come when called is often referred to as DOMINANT (and impudent for lack of good behavior).  When the owners of these roguish canines are asked if they ever attempted to train the dog to wait at the door or practiced recalls, the inevitable answer is… no. The widely accepted expectation is that the human is the boss and the dog submissive and compliant. Dogs should do as we order because they wish to please us. Good luck with that!            

Fervent advocates of Dominance Theory acknowledge all the piffle and palaver about dominant genes but they rightly point out that no scientist has yet been smart enough to isolate the DOMINANCE GENE.  This antediluvian inheritance is the obvious cause of what makes every dog in every home everywhere want to be the boss of you. It is an excellent example of just how much we don’t know.

Fluffy (probably not her real name) knew she would choose those particular humans the moment she set eyes on them. As they walked into the breeder’s home to meet the puppies, her inner Alpha was already sizing them up and planning to take over their lives and subjugate them to her will. Just to be sure, she devised a temperament test on the spot. She jumped on them and they petted her. She nudged them when they stopped petting her and the humans resumed stroking.  She tilted her head to the side and they cooed and ahhed. She nipped them and they smiled . She barked at them and they said how cute! They gave her treats freely, so they were not resource guarders. Wow! These humans had passed her evaluation with flying colors! Fluffy never regretted her choice of humans. She had done her homework.

Fluffy began training her humans as soon as she arrived at her new home. She was innately aware that some humans could be difficult to train and she wished to avoid them learning unwanted Dominant behaviors like teaching her to sit before being petted or sitting before eating. She thought her humans were pretty darn smart as they learned so quickly. By the time she was a year old, well under 10 pounds dripping wet, her owners knew at least twenty four commands. These included a reliable recall by the time she was three months of age. One crisp bark brought her humans to her at a run every time. She never had to bark twice. They could open doors for her on command, could be sent to fetch a tidbit from the cupboard at a great distance, feed her on time, retrieve objects for her, pet her on cue, get her leash and follow her. They were adept at the tricky A Little To The Left, Please. Several of her commands such as Go Get Me A Morsel, were complex behavior chains involving a number of behavior links. A human was taught to go to the cupboard, open the door, pick up the container, open it , pluck out a treat, put the lid back on, put the container back in the cupboard, close the cupboard and then briskly bring the treat to Fluffy.

The value of structure and consistency was not lost on Fluffy. The perceptive Papillon realized her owners, being human, had short attention spans. If they lost their focus on her, a prod or a yip redirected the human back to the task at hand- usually petting her, playing tug, or retrieving.  She well understood that humans can be stubborn and often resist being DOMINATED with harsh training methods. Fluffy never had to use force on her humans. Rarely did she have to raise her voice. Fluffy DOMINATED her owners by using all positive reinforcement!  She was such a skillful training technician that her humans had no idea they had been completely DOMINATED!  She was the true Alpha who earned the respect of her pack by facilitating wanted behavior using the natural instinct of her people to please. 

Fluffy took her guardians for three walks a day.  When she looked at them and directed her pointy nose toward her leash a human immediately rushed to get the leash and harness.  Once accessorized, she bolted out the door like a lead dog in the Iditarod, human in tow. She always went out the door first because that is what a good leader does . There were some issues with loose leash walking. Her people were always pulling on leash. A good leader always sets the pace of the walk and Fluffy’s people had difficulty keeping up, thus constant pressure on the leash.  This often interfered with Fluffy’s exploration and sniffing.

She did not allow her humans to socialize with other humans and dogs on the walk.  Fluffy considered this a training issue, as she did not want her people going up to other humans randomly whenever they pleased. It is not good manners for a human to just go up to any other human, just because he is friendly and wants to meet the other person.  This could interfere with the exploration and sniffing of the other dog! When people came to the house to see Fluffy (why else would they come but to see her?), the guardians were allowed to interact with her guests once she had greeted them. After several minutes of frenzied jumping and barking, Fluffy would settle in and become the ideal hostess. She allowed people to admire her, tell her how cute and precious she was and settled onto someone’s lap.  These were “dog people” who understood and after all, she was so cute and small- what harm could be done?

One of the core dictums of DOMINANCE Theory Is the pack leader always eats first.  Fluffy was so self assured and confident of her utmost Alphaness that she sometimes allowed her people to eat first. As mentioned above, behavior issues can be complex.  For Fluffy, kibble was not enticing. Although a famous brand, it was highly processed and comprised of a number of questionable ingredients and chemicals. It most likely included GMOs as well.  The truth was Fluffy received most of her calories from people food- a huge endemic no no. Free thinker that she was, Fluffy thought a straight diet of kibble was cruel, boring and irrational. She preferred the organic, fresh, unprocessed provisions her humans ate. This was but another training issue. Fluffy knew if she only accepted food from the table, her owners would eventually stop foisting that bowl of kibble on her. It was inevitable that soon there would be a chair with a booster seat and a third place setting at the table.

To supplement her humans’ exercise, secure her DOMINANCE, add some fun and an indoor activity for rainy days, Fluffy introduced a Find It! game to her people. She would hide her toys underneath sofas, chairs and other furniture. She then took her place on the main sofa, posing regally with her cute pointy ears, appraising her kingdom.  Both of her humans would get on hands and knees, then happily retrieve the objects, returning them to paw. They were highly reinforced by pleasing their minuscule sovereign and thus couldn’t wait to repeat the behavior. This double retrieve of multiple objects is an ultimate of micro management.  Imagine the training involved to send two dogs out to perform perfect multiple retrieves! Fluffy had trained a brace of humans who thought all this perfectly normal. Such is the insidious nature of DOMINANCE.  

Fluffy borrowed freely from a number of DOMINANCE reduction programs.  A short list of items on the syllabus includes: 1).  Be calm and assertive.  Her emotional state was relaxed and equable, she exuded a calm and assertive vibe. On the rare occasion she had to administer a verbal correction;  her timing, consistency and level of aversion were perfect. 2). The pack leader goes through the door first.  No question here.  3). Don’t force affection.  In the workplace, DOMINANT bosses are aloof and solitary, like the Alpha wolf in the wild.  Big Boss Man does not interact with his minions unless he has a task for them or they have an appointment. Fluffy was so secure in Your Highness role that she ignored this rule. She had an open door policy, her people could approach and lavish affection on her at any time. If she wearied of attention she trotted away. 4).  A real boss sets the pace on the walk.  This was a work in progress for Fluffy, as her humans had trouble keeping pace. While they worked well off leash they did not seem to comprehend even the most rudimentary relevance and utilization of scent.  Their hearing was also not up to snuff. Fluffy chalked this up to them only being human. They were not “equipped for the real contest,” to usurp a phrase from literature. 5). A leader always eats first.  Here Fluffy made up her own rule.  While Fluffy was always offered her bowl of kibble first, she invariably waited until her humans sat before allowing them to give her people food from the table.  6). Teach basic commands, provide a job.  The diminutive commander in chief had over two dozen commands in her curriculum.  Her people had many menial jobs but did not consider themselves underemployed. They acknowledged the approval of Fluffy as the highest of compensations. 7).  Exercise.  Fluffy’s people did not lack for exercise. In addition to walks, retrieves, the Find It! game, and recalls, Fluffy directed her people to drive her to the park, the groomer, play dates and doggy day care.  This provided her humans with socialization and mental stimulation in addition to physical exercise. At the end of the day, Fluffy’s humans were too tired to even dream of taking over the pack.

Summary:  It was evident nothing was to be done to convince the humans to become the boss of Fluffy.  She met the prevalent expectation that she was Alpha with her people compliant and submissive.  They did work for her because they loved her. Thus, Fluffy had become the most DOMINANT dog- EVER. My prognosis for the rehabilitation of Fluffy’s “owners” to become the pack leaders was midway between nil and naught. With the exception of the walk,  Fluffy’s guardians were “finished.” Their skills included long duration- they could pet Fluffy for fifteen minutes until released; she could call them to her or send them away to fetch a treat from great distances; they worked well at any time or in any location, even with the distraction of other humans.  Training was happening regularly with positive reinforcement. Everyone was well exercised, well fed and well socialized. IIt was a very happy household. I decided to let well enough alone and proclaimed no changes need be made.

Afterword:  It is time for you to think like the dog trainer! How would you have handled the case of Fluffy, now that you know the details?  Would you have devised a different solution? There is a totally exhausted joke among dog trainers: the only one thing two trainers agree on is what the third trainer is doing wrong.  There still are many trainers who believe in the DOMINANCE gene.  These trainers consider those who promote positive methods as “sensitive.” So if you keep your opinion to yourself, it won’t hurt my feelings. 

The test follows: 

  Mark the following as True or False:

____  DOMINANCE is an affliction that can often be cured by training.

___    My dog is adept at training his humans.

___  I can think of at least three motivators my dog uses to get what she wants.

___  I kind of believe there is a DOMINANCE gene.

___  Cute gets away with a lot!

___  My dog should be named Fluffy.

___  I will now think twice before getting a Papillon.

___  Fluffy and her “owners” are very happy and should not be judged.