28/07/2025
“Dominance is a myth.”
No. It. Isn’t.
The idea that dominance doesn’t exist at all is as unscientific as saying gravity is just an opinion.
What is a myth is the cartoon version - the one where every dog wants to be “alpha” and you need to pin them to the floor to remind them who’s boss.
But dominance, in its scientific sense, absolutely exists. It’s observed in almost every social species we’ve studied - and especially in female social mammals, like dogs. where things get complicated, strategic, and fierce.
Female animals often form dominance hierarchies around reproduction. Dominant females can stop others from coming into season through stress, aggression or hormonal suppression. The high-ranking females bully, exclude or delay ovulation in rivals - especially if they are both similar reproductive value (same or similar age); or where one dog is entering reproductive status and the other is exiting the age to be a prime mate. You don’t need a boy around for this to happen, and actually even when we neuter, we still see it because a lot of it is instinctive and formed via social traditions and not necessarily always based strictly on the hormones related to breeding capabilities.
And this is exactly why two bi***es in one house are more likely to fight.
Unlike many male-male conflicts that are ritualised and over fast, female-female aggression is also often longer, more intense, and less predictable. There’s more at stake and more of a grudge: Female dominance fights can be about access to mates or resources but often it’s about social status, or when a female is coming into season.
Some female mammals go as far as killing the pups of subordinates, blocking oestrus through social stress, or forming coalitions to harass rivals.
So, if you’re a dog trainer working with owners please don’t let me see “dominance doesn’t exist” messaging: it’s dangerous and totally misses some (fascinating and) useful important education. You’re looking at deep evolutionary strategy in action.
Dominance isn’t a dirty word. It’s a description of how power plays out in relationships. And when we understand it properly, we can stop pathologising it, and start managing it.x
