# Another Great Article from Whole Dog Journal: Debunking the Alpha Myth



## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

It is sad how many dogs have had to suffer due to bad science and even worse "conventional wisdom." De-Bunking the "Alpha Dog" Theory - Whole Dog Journal Article


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

A very good article!  

I have bookmarked it. (And hope to ignore some of the comments there.)

I wish I could apologize to my little terrier, Penny, who I got in 1984 and used some of the Monks' techniques on.  Now my Chihuahua mix, who looks quite a lot like her, rolls on his back for petting instead of getting "alpha rolled."


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

Yes, some of the comments are very discouraging. People sometimes do not like to hear anything that contradicts their beliefs.


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

Thanks for posting this, Carina. It's hard to believe people still believe that stuff, so the comments are definitely a rude awakening. 


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

great article, Carina. It's great to see that the author promotes positive methods but also acknowledges other methods of training from his prior experiences. I absolutely believe (along with most of us here, I hope) that maltese generally are "soft" and harsh training can be very detrimental. Positive training works SO well on our people-pleasing maltese :wub: I hope more people take time to read this  Thanks for sharing!


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Insightful, helpful article Carina---thank you for posting!


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Wonderful article! I agree that positive reinforcement is best.:wub: Having 3 has given me a chance to see how they interact together...I have never seen any type of dominant-alpha type behavior between them despite their differing personalities, likes, and dislikes..mine want to please and be loved, the "secret" to Maltese contentment, IMHO. Thanks for posting this Carina!:wub:


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

aprilb said:


> Wonderful article! I agree that positive reinforcement is best.:wub: Having 3 has given me a chance to see how they interact together...I have never seen any type of dominant-alpha type behavior between them despite their differing personalities, likes, and dislikes..mine want to please and be loved, the "secret" to Maltese contentment, IMHO. Thanks for posting this Carina!:wub:


April, this is a great point! This was the biggest surprise to me with two dogs. They really take turns to be 'alpha' or dominant if you judge by conventional wisdom. For the most part Mieka follows Gustave around, but when they play Gustave is always rolling on the floor and Mieka is on top (which is considered a dominant position according to those trainers). Mieka wants Gustave's bully sticks and he lets her have it, he just picks up hers. But there are times when I've seen him indicate "don't do that" and she listens. 

It was also interesting to me that Laura off handedly mentioned this about Dusty and Jasper. That they both take turns to play boss. 

I do think there's something there. I don't see the alpha behavior pattern in these dogs, and I don't think there's a need for us to introduce that in the dog-human relationship. 

Dogs should know the most wonderful things happen when they co-operate, and IMO that's enough to motivate them. 


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Thanks, Carina. Really good article!


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## dragonsdawn (Jul 23, 2012)

I am glad i never even tried to use that force roll.. Of course Zoey rolls over as soon as you touch her back, but i think that is cause she LOVES to have her belly rubbed. I think she is addicted to belly rubs!


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## puppydoll (Jul 11, 2013)

Thank you Carina! This is very interesting and new to me. I would love to find some online or youtube videos with the proper method of training being used. I have questions like, if the dog gets into something that is dangerous or darts out toward the street when the door is open, using this positive method, how do you quickly correct this possibly dangerous situation? My first instinct might be to shout "STOP" and hopefully that would get their attention. Then I could call them in for a treat or something enticing.

Can you or anyone direct me to any good videos? Also, I noticed the clicker being mentioned. Does everyone here use that?

Thanks again for sharing good information.


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

puppydoll said:


> Thank you Carina! This is very interesting and new to me. I would love to find some online or youtube videos with the proper method of training being used. I have questions like, if the dog gets into something that is dangerous or darts out toward the street when the door is open, using this positive method, how do you quickly correct this possibly dangerous situation? My first instinct might be to shout "STOP" and hopefully that would get their attention. Then I could call them in for a treat or something enticing.
> 
> Can you or anyone direct me to any good videos? Also, I noticed the clicker being mentioned. Does everyone here use that?
> 
> Thanks again for sharing good information.


Here are a couple of videos that use clicker training/lure training or a mix of other positive training methods - 
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wv1uvvqaSw]What is clicker training?- dog training - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzQJZU6RwkU]What is Clicker Training? - YouTube[/ame]

It is useful to teach your dog a reliable recall command that works 100% of the time. This is a good video on explaining that - 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLo8YP4-D8Y]How To Train Your Dog: "Come Here!" PERFECTLY!!! - YouTube[/ame]

In case your puppy runs away and he doesn't have a solid recall yet, it's best to get his attention (call his name, make a weird sound) and start running in the opposite direction (waving your arms like a silly person). The dog needs to think the most interesting thing ever (you) is running away from them, so they better change direction and follow you.

I do use a clicker. I use it a lot less now that Gustave understands me. I think it's a very useful tool, especially when you start working with a dog. Good luck!


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

puppydoll said:


> Thank you Carina! This is very interesting and new to me. I would love to find some online or youtube videos with the proper method of training being used. I have questions like, if the dog gets into something that is dangerous or darts out toward the street when the door is open, using this positive method, how do you quickly correct this possibly dangerous situation? My first instinct might be to shout "STOP" and hopefully that would get their attention. Then I could call them in for a treat or something enticing.
> 
> Can you or anyone direct me to any good videos? Also, I noticed the clicker being mentioned. Does everyone here use that?
> 
> Thanks again for sharing good information.


Aastha has given you some great resources and advice. The biggest thing with any dog is to teach the recall before you need it. And ALWAYS make your recall command a positive one. You never want them to "think" about the wisdom of coming to you. Don't use a recall command for a bath or for trimming toenails. Never punish a dog after a recall no matter what they were doing. Teaching a dog to Stop is also a good idea.

To add one more video to your watch list: 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VnLVm2GhQw]Leslie Nelson Really Reliable Recall DVD - YouTube[/ame]

There are whole courses on this. It is such an important behavior.

I am a big fan of clicker work. I should use it more than I do, but I do often use it when starting a new or complex behavior.


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## Susabell (Jun 5, 2013)

If you have the money, look for a personal trainer in your area that works in positive reinforcement

It helped a lot to have a trainer come to the house and show me what I was doing wrong and the correct way to do things. 

When first learning a command Callie gets a tiny bit of treat each and every time she does it right. I do this for several days. Then I start to ease off the treats.

Now there are several commands she knows with no treat reinforcement. But I do every few weeks work those commands again with treats just to be sure.

I do use a clicker light (must be a light since she is deaf) but I probably don't use it as much as I should


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

It's a great article Carina. I never could understand why anyone would think there was much of a link between Maltese and wolves! LOL! It's a 2000 year old dog breed. I think that link was severed long ago! But the comments on the WDJ article are what is really fascinating. Even when people read the evidence that is supported by the science, they still disagree! It always amazes me that people can have the truth handed to them, and they don't want to hear it! And the number of people that are supporting Cesar Milan shocking to me! A miracle worker? I guess if you call punishment and borderline violence a miracle, then he's a miracle.


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## eiksaa (Jun 8, 2012)

pammy4501 said:


> It's a great article Carina. I never could understand why anyone would think there was much of a link between Maltese and wolves! LOL! It's a 2000 year old dog breed. I think that link was severed long ago! But the comments on the WDJ article are what is really fascinating. Even when people read the evidence that is supported by the science, they still disagree! It always amazes me that people can have the truth handed to them, and they don't want to hear it! And the number of people that are supporting Cesar Milan shocking to me! A miracle worker? I guess if you call punishment and borderline violence a miracle, then he's a miracle.


I was reading The Misunderstood Dog (I think that's where I read this) and she author asks readers to watch his show on mute. It's like a magic trick, there is happy music, he is saying how the dog is fixed etc. so you believe him. But watch it on mute and you can see clearly how anxious and nervous the dog still is. 


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