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best performance from a team (Benowitz between both domesticated and wild animals
2001). Additionally, those managers who rule can be related to the desire to attain higher rank
through coercive power (the ability to punish) and thus priority access to resources, there are
“most often generate resistance which may many other causes. These are discussed in detail
lead workers to deliberately avoid carrying out in multiple veterinary behavior textbooks (please
instructions or to disobey orders” (Benowitz see www.avsabonline.org for helpful articles).
2001). Consequently, dominance should not be
Similarly with pets, leadership should be automatically presumed to be the cause of such
attained by more positive means—by rewarding conflicts, especially when the conflict occurs
appropriate behaviors and using desired within a human household. Instead, a thorough
resources as reinforcers for these behaviors. medical and behavioral assessment should be
Leadership is established when a pet owner conducted on all animals involved in the conflict
can consistently set clear limits for behavior to determine the true cause or causes of the
and effectively communicate the rules by aggression.
immediately rewarding the correct behaviors
and preventing access to or removing the CONCLUSION
rewards for undesirable behaviors before these
undesirable behaviors are reinforced. Owners The AVSAB emphasizes that the use of
must avoid reinforcing undesirable behaviors scientifically sound learning principles that apply
and only reinforce the desirable behaviors to all species is the accepted means of training
frequently enough and consistently enough for and modifying behavior in pets and is the key to
the good behaviors to become a habit (Yin 2007). our understanding of how pets learn and how to
Finally, AVSAB points out that while aggression communicate with our pets.
www.dog-harmony.org • dog-harmony life 51
