She isn't overweight because you control the food---if you didn't it wouldn't be in a cupboard----it would be down all the time.

You control when you go out----sometimes you leave her. Does she ever pop out to the park without you? You control her enviroment. You control her on a lead----if you didn't she'd be running free all the time or going wherever she wanted to whenever she wanted to.

rune

That's awesome. I guess I've just seen alot of posts lately about Oscar's behaviour/personality and I assumed you were reading too much into it compared to other dogs, as a result.

He sounds lovely to me and as you say, variety is the spice of life. I would chill out and enjoy him, as you say you are.

Oh and we haven't seen a picture for ages, why can't we have some more pictures!!? ;o)

But thats not dominance.
Thats keeping her safe.

Well, sometimes she does jump in the car and take herself off to the park or the beach. I think I embarass her!

Yes we can watch our dogs and empithise with them and understand when they are happy,sad, hot cold excited stressed
all measurable understandable emotions
we can look and say whenever X happens then Y seems to happen
But we cannot just write down all the complex behaviours of dog to dog and dog to human interactions in terms of only dominance - and too many people do just that
How many people have come on here talking about their dog being dominant when it showed its teeth at them when they asked it to get off the sofa?? Only to find out later the dog was in pain
Dominance is too simplisitc a term that people use for everything without any understanding or empathy

and I think there is a world of difference between a parent/teacher and a dominator
guide, explain, teach - all good
the problem with dominating is it assumes the dog knows how to behavie and so is being bad if it deviates from the complex set of rules you have made up

Gnasher, your view makes me really sad, it is the reason I and many people working with difficult dogs get so many evil looks
Mias behaviours towards other dogs has NOTHING to do with my leadership skills
It has to do with her personality and her history with other dogs
If you are a bit scared in a situation you might follow a strong leader
But if you have a total phobia and are having a compleate pannic attack then you cannot see outside yourself and the situation to follow anyone!

Doesn't matter WHY you don't let her out the mere fact that you do means you are in charge and dominating her behaviour.

If you prefer to think that you are equal then thats fine but you really are kidding yourself.

rune

Do you believe parents are dominating their children's behavior then?

Are teachers dominating their students?

What a silly way to look at life!

It's an interesting topic for me this. Mainly because as if often quoted Rotties are a classed as a naturally dominant breed.

I've had 1 bitch & 2 male Rotts and none of them have been humpers - either with other dogs or cushions/air etc!! Which you'd think they would if humping and dominance were always linked huh?

I think some humping is a way of showing dominance, but sometimes it must surely be sexual frustration?

That - or I have only owned non-sexually frustrated, non-overly dominant Rotts, which I guess is also entirely possible too!

What happens when a child does wrong in a class? Or to go further---what happens when a student tries to shoot their teacher (which has happened).

They are punished in some way----the only way you can punish anyone is if you are in charge of them and therefore dominant---otherwise you will be dominated by them.

The majority of times with kids and dogs the domination is passive and understood by all parties concerned and adhered to with few problems.

Occassionally it doesn't work and the kids run riot or the dogs fight/argue the point/bite/growl etc.

If it makes you happy to think there is no heirachy and no domination then thats fine, but you are kidding yourself in the interests of being PC.

rune

For some dogs it is a stress release.

rune

I`ve owned a dominant bitch, and trust me - you`d know if you had one!
What people usually mean is that the dog is pushy or badly trained, which is a different thing entirely.
My bitch would stand in the middle of the path in the park if she saw a pushchair or wheelchair so they would be forced to go round her. She would (if given the chance) put any dog on their back and stand over them till they submitted. She would go to extraordinary lengths to pee higher than other dogs (and for a bitch that`s not easy). And she challenged me every day of her life till she developed a crippling injury. Then she `allowed` me to take over as boss. I now think she had an excess of testosterone.
But her behaviour didn`t include stuff that CM calls dominant. She walked well, was well trained, didn`t steal etc. She was just convinced that she was top dog.