The link between violence and animals has been recognized, researched, studied, and documented, but there remains a gap in understanding why our dogs and children are becoming violent. Animal shelters are filled, as are juvenile penal systems, with rejected souls that are helpless victims of the misconceptions about establishing dominance and obedience. As the statistics for rape and murder spiral upward each year, so do the incidents of vicious attacks by dogs.

Dogs provide an ideal prototype for the study of behavior in humans. Not only due to their brains being similar, but also because they, like humans, are genetically social animals. Equally important, they are unique in their willingness to seek a bond of servitude to humans as strongly as with member of their known species. Dogs are the only animals actively seek and needs this bond with mankind.

Puppies and children must be guided and taught with respect the proper acceptable behavior to become a trustworthy, stable member of society. A study in 1963, by Bandura, Ross, and Ross, shows that children do, in fact, imitate aggression they observe ("Imitation of filmediated aggressive models." J. Abnormal Psychology, 66, 3-11).

Children who experience aggression through physical punishment become aggressive because they are imitating the behavior of their parents. Parents, who use forceful, dominant training techniques with the family dog, are teaching the child that physical violence and intimidation are OK. Such techniques have been widely taught over the past twenty years, when the "wolf-pack" theory was introduced. This theory, based on wild wolves and dominance, is dangerous, harmful, and is part of the cycle of violence.

The object in dominant training is to make the dog submit to a stronger force if the dog fights back. The innocent dog owner is informed that this behavior shows the dog is trying to be top dog. Then the force techniques are increased to higher and higher pain inducing levels. The bottom line is you either break the dog's spirit into submission or you break open its head or have him destroyed because of his survival, want-to-live instinct. How tragically sad!

Dominant training breaks the spiritual link of mutual respect between man and man's best friend.