# Dominance



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Here is a definition of dominance that is by a behaviorist. A Note About Animal Behaviorists: Many persons employed in the dog training field use the title "behaviorist" incorrectly. A Behaviorist is someone who has a doctorate level graduate degree. A Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist is a Behaviorist who is certified through the The Animal Behavior Society. Persons who do not meet these qualifications should not be using the term "behaviorist" to describe themselves - in this case, the terms behavior consultant, behavior counselor or behavior specialist are acceptable. My last check , there are only a little over 200 behaviorists in the world. My advice on this topic of DOMINANCE... Don't worry about it. It has very little to do with what the average dog owner should be concerned about.

Dominance(Social Dominance). An ethological construct describing features of a social relationship, which addresses the management of social conflict, including (but not limited to) the allocation of limited resources, through the exertion of control and influence. This takes place in a way that minimizes the risk of overt aggression by way of the use of conventionalized ritual display behaviors. This minimization of risk involves a cost-benefit evaluation of the benefits of seeking to win a particular social conflict versus the likely associated cost (O'Heare, 2004). The term "dominance" is misused and abused to the point that it is often harmful to invoke it because it promotes adversarial relationships between dog and owner. Also often used as a label for a dog using countercontrol behaviors as a result of aversive stimulation and coercion. A counterproductive construct that distracts from the functional relationship between behavior and the environment, which actually causes and explains behaviors.

O'Heare, J. (2011). Encyclopedic glossary of terms and abbreviations in the technology and principles of behavior. Retrieved Month, day, year from http://www.associationofanimalbehaviorprofessionals.com/glossary.html


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