08/09/2026
Myth: "Your dog is trying to dominate you."
Walking out the door before you isn't dominance.
Eating first isn't dominance.
Sitting on the couch isn't dominance.
Pulling on leash isn't dominance.
None of the above is a dog trying to outrank you. It's a dog doing what's reinforcing, or what's comfortable, or what nobody's taught them to do differently yet.
And yes, while dominance is a real concept in animal behavior, it’s frequently misunderstood and misapplied to justify punishment for behaviors that have little or nothing to do with social status.
The "alpha" framing gets used to explain almost any behavior a guardian doesn't like, and it usually leads to the same bad advice: be tougher, be more in charge, don't let the dog win.
Real behavior change doesn't come from winning. It comes from understanding what's driving the behavior and teaching a better option.