Dominance Theory... the impetus for me to write about this topic (again) comes from social media posts I've seen from a veterinary clinic in the U.K. which provides inaccurate information about the social order and motivations of domestic dogs.
In part, their blog post reads, "... your dog has natural pack instincts that have been handed down from his wolf ancestors. This is why some dogs end up being too dominant or naughty – they’ve been led to think they’re higher up in the pack than other family members. A well behaved dog sees itself as a lower pack member – that means he doesn’t get to eat when you eat, sleep in your bed, or jump up on furniture."
Simply put, the information provided in this quote is out-of-date and incorrect.
Most pet guardians have an inherent trust for veterinarians and have an expectation that, as professionals, their knowledge base is up-to-date as are their practices and techniques. Accordingly, I find it very troubling when professionals provide outdated information (such as the blog post I've mentioned) for general consumption.
The way I look at it, based on the possible implications, providing inaccurate information on behavioural science topics isn't that much different than providing inaccurate information on medical science topics.
Having said all of the above, and to be fair to this same veterinary clinic, their social media posts do recommend positive reinforcement practices rather than 'punishment' based practices for dogs. I definitely do thank them for that.
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