A lot of what gets labeled as dominance in puppies is really normal development, poor timing, or plain overexcitement.
The word dominance gets thrown at puppies far more often than it deserves.
A puppy jumping, biting, barking, stealing socks, ignoring cues, or charging around the room is not usually plotting a political takeover. Most of the time you are looking at normal development, overstimulation, fatigue, inconsistent training, or plain puppy enthusiasm.
Using the wrong label leads people toward the wrong response. Instead of asking what the puppy is trying to communicate or what skill is missing, they start trying to win a contest the dog did not know existed. That helps nobody.
A better question is this: what is happening right before the behavior, and what would I rather the puppy do? That framing leads to management, teaching, routine, and reinforcement of better choices. In other words, solutions.
Puppies need guidance. They do not need a power struggle turned into a family hobby.
A puppy jumping, biting, barking, stealing socks, ignoring cues, or charging around the room is not usually plotting a political takeover. Most of the time you are looking at normal development, overstimulation, fatigue, inconsistent training, or plain puppy enthusiasm.
Using the wrong label leads people toward the wrong response. Instead of asking what the puppy is trying to communicate or what skill is missing, they start trying to win a contest the dog did not know existed. That helps nobody.
A better question is this: what is happening right before the behavior, and what would I rather the puppy do? That framing leads to management, teaching, routine, and reinforcement of better choices. In other words, solutions.
Puppies need guidance. They do not need a power struggle turned into a family hobby.