7 dog training myths worth leaving behind

Why talking about myths matters

Many behaviour problems get worse because families apply advice based on dog training myths that science debunked decades ago. Let's look at the most common ones.

1. "Your dog wants to be the alpha"

The concept of the "alpha" in dogs comes from poorly interpreted studies of captive wolves in the 1970s. The author himself, David Mech, has spent years asking for it to be withdrawn. Your dog doesn't want to "dominate you": they are probably stressed, scared, or don't understand what you expect.

2. "You have to show them who's in charge"

Healthy relationships are not based on showing who's in charge, but on predictability, safety and communication. If your dog trusts you, they don't need to "know who the boss is".

3. "Comforting a crying dog reinforces fear"

Fear is not reinforced with comfort: it is reinforced with inescapable exposure. Accompanying a scared dog is never "spoiling" them.

4. "If you don't correct them, they don't learn"

They learn. And they learn better. The evidence (Vieira de Castro et al., 2020) shows that dogs trained with aversive methods show more stress behaviours and a worse relationship with their handlers.

5. "That dog is stubborn"

There are no stubborn dogs: there are overwhelmed dogs, poorly motivated dogs, dogs in pain or dogs that don't understand the cue. When a dog "doesn't obey", the right question is not "how do I force them", it's "what is preventing them".

6. "If they pull, pull harder"

Pulling hard triggers the opposition reflex. A Y-front harness, a longer leash and teaching loose-leash walking in quiet areas works far better.

7. "They need a shock collar for extreme cases"

Extreme cases are precisely the ones that respond worst to aversive tools. The association between stimulus and pain is the perfect recipe for making fears and aggression worse.

In short

Modern dog training has left dominance, punishment and "alphas" behind. If your professional still speaks that language, look for another one. In Madrid I work only with gentle, evidence-based approaches.