Dominance theory was debunked years ago. Rudolph Schenkel was the original researcher who developed the model based on a pack of wolves. He studies wolves in zoos from 1930 to 1940. He noticed (and was correct) that when you bring a bunch of unrelated wolves and food is scared, they will fight, sometimes to do death. The Alpha roll was based on the dominate wolf killing the weaker one when it would bite the weak wolf in the neck and pin it to the ground. The problem was when he took this research and applied it to wolves in the wild and even domesticated dogs.
In the wild, wolves are in "packs" but nothing like in a zoo. These are family packs, where the mother and farther wolves come together, mate, and together take care of their pups and guide them through life's dangers. During a hunt, wolves often split and rejoin several times, so the "alpha" can change at any moment. They work through trust and cooperation. Fights are far less common and when they do happen, its short little squabbles between siblings. Nothing like the death matches found in zoos.
Modern training, be it with birds, tigers, bears, killer wears, and even domesticated dogs & cats uses Operant Conditioning, where by each choice the animal makes is assigned a probability. Through positive reinforcement you increase the probabilities of behaviors you like and decrease behaviors you dislike. You don't need to yell, hit, or do anything mean as these would be counter productive. They ruin the trust and bond you have with your dog. It's a myth that dogs only want to please you. In reality, dogs live in the moment and only do what is rewarding to them. By you using food and toys as rewards, they will be far more likely to *want* to listen to you.
Want a good free education on dog training? Follow Dr. Dunbar and watch all his videos on youtube and check out his website, Dog Star daily.
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/digital-dog-training-textbook
http://www.youtube.com/user/DogStarDaily?feature=CAQQwRs%3D
If you want to teach advanced tricks, look into Marker Training or Clicker Training. I made the switch a few months ago when I was teaching my dog tricks like "close the door." Initially I did it by saying marker words like "Yes" and "Good Girl" but by switching to a clicker she learned the trick in half the time. So now, click = treat every time, no exceptions. Where as Good Girl and Yes mean she gets a treat sometimes, but not every time. I usually only need the clicker for the first couple of minutes while I'm teaching her a new command. After she knows the command I go back to voice commands and phase out the clicker completely. You don't have to use a clicker, you can use a pen, flashlight, snap your fingers, etc.
The best trainer on Clicking Training I've come across is hands down got to be KikoPup. She has hundreds of free videos on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup?feature=watch
