Post
by Wagonmaster » Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:37 am
I don't know, maybe I am just so comfortable with the whole owner - dog thing that it is second nature and I don't notice, but I sure don't see this as a dominance issue. Not in my dogs anyway. You need to be able to interpret.
Let's say you are at a ballgame, and the guy next to you is a 280 pounder. The two of you are pretty tightly squeezed together, in fact, you are touching shoulder to should and arm to arm. Is this "dominance?" Well, no, neither of you has a choice.
Now lets say another guy, this time a 320 pounder, moves in on the other side of your pal, and the pressure on your shoulder and arm from your new buddy now increase. Is this an expression of "dominance?" Well, hardly, the guy has no choice.
But lets say instead of the 320 pounder moving in, you and your new found pal have a few beers and all of a sudden you find your arm getting pushed off you shared arm rest and your new found pal is leaning heavily on you, to the point that you are half in your neighbor's seat. Dominance? Well, probably.
My dogs will sometimes lean against my leg on a lead at heel. Typically, it is an expression of concern, let's say we are somewhere around other dogs and there is one making some very threatening moves. Spot wants to circle the wagons with me a little. Not dominance.
His sister will sometimes come up to me when I am sitting watching TV, and bow her head so she puts the top of her head directly against the side of my knee. Dominance? Hardly, what she wants is a little affection, she wants me to scratch the spot right behind her skull where it joins her neck. Just wants a little affection.
Other times, she will get up on the couch and literally put her face across my face. Dominance? No. It is communication. She wants to go outside to the bathroom, please let me out boss.
I am sure there are situations where leaning is an expression of dominance. But way too many people see themselves in the "parent as disciplinarian - child as submissive" kind of relationship.
Dogs don't have a verbal language, they need to communicate another way, sort of like Charades. You need to learn to interpret that way, and "dominance-submission" is only a small part of it.