When science and dog training come together – SPARCS 2014
Bericht von der SPARCS-Konferenz 2014
http://blog.smartanimaltraining.com/2014/06/24/when-science-and-dog-training-come-together-sparcs-2014/So how do we sort valid information from conventional belief? The only way is to put those beliefs to the test. Science doesn’t care about who’s right and who’s wrong. Through systematic observations and experimentation, scientists decode our dogs’ behavior, measure the influence of environmental stimuli, assess which methods work, etc. Science is a fluid process in constant evolution, where ideas and hypothesis are constantly challenged and revisited. It’s our best tool towards objective understanding of very complex systems.
Talking about dominance in other species is not a controversial subject. Dominance is a prediction of who’s going to get the resource, the food, the female in heat, etc. It’s about a relationship in a competitive situation, that’s all. The point is to avoid aggression. It is not about control or aggression. When talking about dogs however, the term ‘dominance’ is loaded. This is one of the biggest sticking points between dog trainers. A dog not coming when called has nothing to do with dominance. The concept of dominance is not relevant in training and should not justify the use of force. Scientists use the term dominance in describing certain social interactions, but do not use the term ‘alpha’ anymore. So it’s not that dominance in dogs does not exist, it simply isn’t relevant in the way some dog trainers apply it. And in general, this concept does not help us understand our dogs better according to McConnell. When it comes to aggression for instance, studies show that aggression towards strangers is strongly correlated to fear of strangers (James Serpell Ph.D.). Here again, interpreting aggression in terms of dominance will only lead to solutions that will increase the underlying emotion of fear, not diminish it.