Defining a Dominant Dog

In my line of work I hear descriptions and discussions regarding "dominance" routinely. As with most things in dog training and behavior, there are no clearly defined terms between colleagues or clients. Whenever I go out to meet a new dog and family, part of my assessment is determining the core personality of the dog(s). There are a variety of personalities you will find in dogs, and these personalities are seen across all breeds.

There are, in fact, dogs that are dominant. However, when I speak of a dominant dog, I'm referring to a personality type. Dogs with a truly dominant personality are extremely rare in my experience - probably less than 1% of dogs I work with would I classify as "dominant". These dogs are confident, have little interest in working with humans, and enjoy control of their environment. They require an extremely experienced and confident owner who can be even more controlling - but this will always be a challenging relationship. A truly dominant dog will challenge its owner physically.

In contrast, many dogs that owners classify as "dominant" are simply lacking human leadership and trying to set order. Many adolescent dogs may test boundaries as they mature. Regardless, when a healthy relationship is established in these cases, things improve. Why? Because there is a dog inside that really has no interest in controlling its environment, that wants to work with humans, and that is relieved when someone else sets an agenda.

Often it takes the help of a trainer to assess these personality differences, but it's a critical part of any evaluation. Does a dog really want to work and live with humans? The truly dominant dog does not, and because of this I view them as an aberrant personality type. After all, isn't it a dog's willingness to please and work with humans that makes it such a wonderfully unique species?