"we have to become alpha and the dominant one of our herd", so it is with dogs"
Sorry, Marty (and anyone else who believes it), but that theory is such outdated jibberish. (And it's not just me saying so, either!)
Whales and dolphins live in very complex social groups just as dogs and horses can, but you won't see their trainers neck grabbing, alpha rolling, or shanking them into compliance. Just because we can get away with it (USUALLY) with dogs and horses does not mean it's right. Violence begins where knowledge ends; there is a better way!
I recommend you all read The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson and Don't Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor. If nothing else, PLEASE read the American Veterinary Society of ANIMAL Behavior's positions on
Dominance:
http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/ima...20statement.pdf
and
Punishment:
http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/ima..._Statements.pdf
"People who rely on dominance theory to
train their pets may need to regularly threaten
them with aggressive displays or repeatedly
use physical force. Conversely, pets subjected
to threats or force may not offer submissive
behaviors. Instead, they may react with aggression,
not because they are trying to be dominant
but because the human threatening them makes
them afraid.
Third, in the wild, even in dominancesubmissive
relationships that are well-established,
the relationship lasts only as long as the
higher-ranking individual is strong enough to
retain this rank. Thus, high rank may be shortlived
in both human-animal and animal-animal
relationships.
Overall, the use of dominance theory to
understand human-animal interactions leads to
an antagonistic relationship between owners and
their pets."
