Training Tuesday: Local trainer Joana Watsky and dominance theory

Humans are a status-oriented species. We are concerned with knowing our place in the world and with making sure others know it too. We are driven by a need for control and when we feel challenged, we often respond with force.

Dogs are also a status-oriented species who look for security in their world, but the idea that they are looking for the first opportunity to oust us from our own place in the social hierarchy largely stems from our own insecurities. In reality, in their own societies, dogs do not jockey for position the way that humans do.

Old ideas regarding pack behavior and dominance have been supplanted in recent years. We're beginning to see that canine social groups function more like family units, than packs with strict linear hierarchies. Newer ideas illustrate dominance as a complex issue, where dominance is not synonymous with aggression, and where it doesn't mean that one individual gets a free pass to do whatever he wants.

This dominance issue has recently been spurring a lot of debate between dog trainers and behaviorists. I recently chatted with local positive-reinforcement-based dog trainer Joana Watsky, owner of Sit and Stay Dog Training and Behavioral Counseling, to talk about her experience as a "cross-over" trainer, the role of dominance theory in her training practice, and how her style of training has evolved over time.

Melissa Garcia Logan (MGL): How did you get your start as a dog trainer?

Joana Watsky (JW): I started my career apprenticing the director of training at the ASPCA in NYC. I also attended seminars given by the top trainers, read all the training books I could get my hands on (and chose the positive trainer's books) and took a course with a PhD behaviorist.

MGL: What was the dominant theory of dog behavior at the time?

JW: Funny enough, the two main theories are the same as now. We considered ourselves positive trainers years ago even though we believed that dogs had the availability to gain an 'alpha' or dominant stance. Dominance being the first to gain resources. It went a bit further though, in that we felt that dogs would not listen to you if they felt 'dominant' over you.

MGL: You called yourself a 'crossover' dog trainer; can you explain what that means?

JW: I no longer believe that some dogs are working out of an 'alpha' or dominant role.

MGL: At what point did your perspective on the dog behavior and dog training begin change? Was there a catalyst for this change or was the change gradual?

JW: My perspective changed gradually when time after time I saw that any sort of emotional or physical confrontation would elicit more anxiety and energy from the dog. The science of dog training was evolving at about the same time and reinforced what I was observing! The science is still changing! When working with a confident dog who is constantly mouthing and humping their owner, it is easy to label the dog a dominant dog and the owner a submissive owner. Now, I uncover and work with the subtleties of the relationship without thinking that a dog is trying to 'dominate' an owner.

MGL: How difficult was it to adapt your style to account for advances in the study of canine behavior?

JW: The main difficulty was the rethinking process. I now teach owners how to gain a benevolent leadership and a parenting relationship with their dogs. Not a dominant stance over their dogs. It may sound like verbiage, but the thought process is very different now.

MGL: What steps did you take to make changes to your training program? Can you explain some of the differences in the way you approach a client now?

JW: I have folks take my classes that took them 12 years ago. I find them working with their dogs with the hope of 'gaining dominance'. I have to undo that. I like to refer to positive training as opposite training. It is against human nature not to be reactive when facing a problem. It is very hard not to 'push back', but that is what we must do...there is no reactivity in positive training. We do not want to add energy to a situation that is already loaded with energy. We do not want to condition a behavior that is unwanted. Pavlov was right! This is the 'trick' to positive training. We redirect behavior and attend to the behaviors that we want to condition. It is hard not to push a dog off when they are jumping on you! If you add energy to that jumping dog, he will do it more because it elicited a response.

MGL: Dominance theory remains popular, despite the growing understanding that the theory is outdated and potentially harmful to both dog and owner. Why do you think it's so difficult to change perceptions on this issue?

JW: I think the Dominance theory remains popular because of shows on TV that perpetuate it.

MGL: Do you consider yourself a positive reinforcement or positive motivation-based dog trainer? Can you explain what that means in terms of the practical end of dog training? Is it the same as permissive dog training?

JW: I never differentiated the positive terminology. I consider myself a positive trainer using positive motivation without being overly permissive! Melissa, one of your great posts was an article on NILIF. Nothing in life is for free. If you desensitize praise/treats, you are taking away the main motivators of positive training. I have always instructed my clients to follow the 'earned praise' approach until their dog is understanding and 'working' for them. I teach every client I work with the basics of dog behavior, how to communicate effectively (how to vocalize and how to read their dog's body language), NILIF, and the other tenets of positive training. I am teaching the owners how to teach, understand, and communicate with their dogs.

MGL: Do you have any recommendations for our readers who are researching dog training methods or may be on the fence regarding positive motivation-based dog training?

JW: If a reader is on the fence about positive training, please attend a positive reinforcement class and see how it works in real time! Any good trainer will allow you to sit in on a class and you can see the amazing progress that takes place without the use of harsh methods.

 
For more information about the training classes that Joana offers:

Joana Watsky
Sit and Stay Dog Training and Behavioral Counseling

9:30 am  to 8:00 pm
7 days a week

Tel: (201) 933-3369
Email: info@njsitnstay.com

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