Domination was the term he used, yes, but he used it incorrectly. He didn 't dominate so much as modify behavior. What he did was take the snake from one mode, and put it in another. He, unlike so many, understands that snakes do not think at a higher level. They exist in modes...Fight mode, flight mode, hunting mode, feeding mode, breeding mode, sleeping mode, tolerating handling mode, etc.
He introduced a stimuli to change the snakes mode. No different than when you present a prey item to your snake. You introduce a rat to put the snake in feeding mode.