Your Dog is Not Alpha
I do not think that means what you think it means…
If you own a dog (or heck seen a dog) I am sure you have at one time or another heard something along the lines of “make sure you are the alpha. Well lets break that thought down.
The idea of needing a “top dog” in the animal happened because a guy name Rudolph Schenkel watched some captive wolves and said “these two are the ones in charge” and dubbed them alphas. A few years later, he recanted his statement and even went so far as pulling his books off the shelves because he watched wolves in the wild and found the wolf packs are just family units and the ones in charge are just mom and dad.
If this isn’t enough proof for you that your dog isn’t alpha I have some other sad news for you.
Your Dog is NOT a Wolf
I know you are sitting there saying “BUT THEY ARE RELATED/DECENDANTS OF WOLVES!”
Here I will concede this point. With the a little more information that you may not have. 1. The wolves we have today are not the ancestor to dogs. In fact, dogs, wolves, foxes, African Wild Dog, and Coyotes are all the descendants from the same ancient canine. 2. Wolves and dogs are as similar to each other as we are to our great apes. While we share DNA with them we and they are very different animals. 3. Dogs are domesticated animals and domestication significantly changes their DNA.
Even if you don’t believe me, its a label and isn’t helpful.
The terms alpha or dominate are labels and don’t help you describe or fix a problem your having. In fact it can set up more problems because you feel like you are fighting with your dog, and there will be a winner and a looser.
Instead of try to describe what is happening. He growls when x happens. He won’t hand me his bone. These descriptions are much more useful to help set up a behavior plan to change behavior.
A good trainer can set you up so both you and your dog win
When working with a good trainer they will help build a great relationship between you and your dog, not cause fights by throwing these labels on them. This is done by helping everyone win.
Make the right choice the easy choice
Make the right choice rewarding
Understand mistakes will happen because everyone and everything is fallible
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) has recently updated recommendation that veterinarians not refer clients to trainers or behavior consultants who subscribe to dominance theories and confrontational training. To check this position statement and their others click here.
If you are struggling with your dog’s behavior please reach out to us we would love to help you!