[Pseudoscience-is-malarkey (OP)]

More and more we see evidence of this in our households. A dog spots a piece of food on the floor, but if a cat sees it and is interested in it, they can easily assert themselves by just walking up to the dog and said food, causing the canine to go into full retreat.

[Colin2B]

I blame the owners. Poor upbringing, raising a generation of wimps

[Bored chemist]

It's because cats are clever enough to understand sample size.

[set fair]

Very interesting question. From observations in real life and youtube videos I have noticed:
i) If you start with a dog / dogs in your home and then get a cat / cats then the cat(s) rule. But the other way around the dog(s) may end up on top.
ii) If they don't live in the same household then  dogs will chase cats and cats will kill birds. But put them in the same household and their behavior is very different.
iii) on youtube you can see cats tormenting dogs and birds tormenting cats and it's clear that's exactly what their what their doing - deriving pleasure from another creature's discomfort.. We talk about man's inhumanity to man but it seems that this behavior was around way back in evolutionary time.