An entire library on doglinks about this issue.

Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat ScienceDaily (2009-05-25) -- A new study shows how the behavior of dogs has been misunderstood for generations: in fact using misplaced ideas about dog behavior and training is likely to cause rather than cure unwanted behavior. The findings challenge many of the dominance related interpretations of behavior and training techniques suggested by current TV dog trainers.

Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs, (pdf file)

The Social Organization of the Domestic Dog;
A Longitudinal Study of Domestic Canine Behavior and the Ontogeny of
Canine Social Systems By Alexandra Semyonova.

An Animal Trainer's Introduction to Operant and Classical Conditioning. Terms and concepts. Part 2 is especially good

Science and Dog Training

How does positive reinforcement work in our every day lives? This Dept of Psychology gives examples, non-examples and analysis the situations.

For some really university reading, and wanting to understand DOG, try the following:

Stephen Lindsay, Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training ,
Overall's Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals,
James O'Heare, Aggressive Behavior in Dogs: A Technical Manual for Professionals.

As the pointed out in the early 1940's, there are four elements in learning: situation, the dog must be successful in all four of these.

DRIVE: (in this sense) means the willingness of the dog to learn. An element of curiosity coupled with a taste for activity could describe it. Fear and stress reduce the drive to learn because the redirect the energy towards flight or fight responses.

CUE: Is the stimulus that triggers a response. But it is more that that; it also adheres to the dog's understanding of the correct cue. In our case, of course, the cue is smoke and fire, and the dog already seems to have an instinctive under-standing that these are dangerous.

RESPONSE: is the reaction triggered by the cue. There could be many possible responses to a cue, and usually it is just one or two we want, for instance barking and waking you up. We have to shape and mold the responses to be just the ones we want.

REWARD is what the dog experiences as an outcome of its response. It is usually a tug of war over a toy. If the dog does not experience the reward as something very attractive, it is not a reward."
Quoted from SMOKE ALARM TRAINING FOR YOUR DOG, By Anders Hallgren who quoted the American psychologists Dollard and Miller

Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs, (pdf file)

The Social Organization of the Domestic Dog;
A Longitudinal Study of Domestic Canine Behavior and the Ontogeny of Canine Social Systems By Alexandra Semyonova.

Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals (PDF)

Wolves make dog's dinner out of domestication theory Dogs are no better than wolves at picking up on human cues. That's the conclusion of animal psychologists who have compared the ability of the wolves and dogs to understand human hand signals.

Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals

Ian Dunbar vs. Cesar Millan
Dunbar is the John the Baptist of inducive training; Milan is the latest anointed prince of compulsion training

Lorna & Raymond Coppinger, discussing their book Dogs: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, & Evolution which is quite good despite the adjectival insistence of its title

If the dogs is still in position to perform the exercise, give him an immediate verbal second command, which is usually all that is needed to have him complete the exercise.

A second command is not training in the ring. It is just an extra command. It will lead to a zero score on some exercises but … the dog has zeroed anyway. [The second command] insures that the dog successfully completes the exercise and prevents the formation of bad habits. …

The moment that a dog fails an exercise at an obedience trial, [your] concern is to do whatever [you] can to make the dog perform better at the next trial. As soon as a dog nonqualifies, the trial becomes a practice match. While you cannot correct a dog at a trial, you can call to [him], praise [him], and if necessary talk [him] through the remaining exercises."
-- Patricia Gail Burnham, Playtraining Your Dog

Mastering the art of the Flexi The pros and cons of the retractable leash

Effects of the Application of Neck Pressure by a Collar or Harness on Intraocular Pressure in Dogs
The article discusses the possibility of ocular conditions being affected by the pressure on the neck caused by a neck collar and suggests that body harnesses cause less neck pressure and would be better for dogs with conditions like glaucoma...but more research is needed to find out more, of course

In Praise of the Pinch Collar- The pinch collar is a much misunderstood , and therefore misused and underused , tool which can be of genuine value to the dog trainer
The Prong Collar Revisited: Fact Vs. Fiction
Collar Conditioning for the Gundog

Softouch Concepts -- Sense-Sation no-pull harness
Alternative to head collars, etc. A lot of people put a harness on their dog because the dog pulls so badly with a collar, but of course, most harnesses make it *easier* for the dog to pull.

The Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine has done a study on using a citronella collar to control barking.

Effectiveness and Comparison of Citronella and Scentless Spray Bark Collar s for the Control of Barking in a Veterinary Hospital Setting

Choosing the right collar for your situation, can sometimes be confusing. What do you need the collar for to help you accomplish your training goals with your dog?

Check out this swifty collar. Only use if you know how and if totally necessary

Word of Caution on Shock Products

Scat Mats or E-collars that give static shock when touched should be used with caution. Better yet, don't use them! (sheep killing is a different matter)

Why? "The results are un-predictable, they can result in a fearful response in the dog. If the cause of the unwanted behaviour is a conditioned negative emotional response, these devices can 'increase' the problem and/or stress in the dog. (especially abused dogs).

They can be detrimental to your relationship with your dog. They do not teach the dog an alternate acceptable behaviour in that environment. Some dogs may react aggressively to them. They can cause displacement behaviour. Suppressed behaviour can return at any time (spontaneous recovery). The effects of 'electric shocks' are pain and fear, that can become generalised to anything in the environment. "
Robert Loftus