06/15/2025
DOGS DO NOT NEED A 'PACK LEADER!'
This is me with a wolf in 2009. The photo was taken at Wolf Park in Indiana when I attended a dog behavior seminar presented by the late Dr. Ray Coppinger. I have also attended educational programs and volunteered at the International Wolf Center (IWC) in Ely, Minnesota.
The IWC was founded by wildlife biologist and wolf researcher, Dr. L. David Mech. I completed a graduate level course in wolf ethology at St. Thomas University in Minnesota with a practicum at the IWC, so have had experience with wolves as well as formal and information education about their behavior.
For the past 15 years, since being on Facebook, I have been trying to educate people about the difference between wolf and dog behavior. Finally, it seems the outdated idea that dogs are 'pack animals' that need an 'alpha' and a 'pack leader' is fading.
But, not entirely! Recently, I have heard several people refer to that old myth as if it were truth. So disappointing. We live in the Information Age, and yet there seems to be a problem with getting people updated.
I get weary of revisiting this, but here goes. Dogs are not 'pack animals.' They are scavengers, foragers, and opportunists. Although dogs and wolves share a common ancestor, dogs are ethologically different from their wolf cousins.
Only wolves can be described as true 'pack animals.' There is more that goes into the definition of 'pack' than simply hanging out in a group. For example, adult male wolves regurgitate for pups that are part of their pack, and the whole pack of wolves works as a team - in hunting and survival in general.
So, while it's true that wolves are pack animals, they do not have an 'alpha,' except in captive, unrelated groups of wolves. Non-captive wolves are comprised of a family unit with the parent wolves being what we call the breeding or mating pair. They are not 'alphas.'
In captive packs of wolves, which are usually comprised of unrelated wolves, a hierarchy needs to be worked out, so an alpha female and an alpha male will emerge.
The idea of dogs being pack animals originated with studies on captive wolves in a Swiss Zoo. Rudolph Schenkel studied wolves in a zoo in the 1930s and 1940s - almost 100 years ago, in an attempt to define the social behavior of wolves.
In 1947, he published a paper, “Expressions Studies on Wolves," in which he drew parallels between dogs and wolves, in discussions about how wolves vie for dominance within the pack.
The problem is, he was observing CAPTIVE wolves, an entirely different scenario than a non-captive pack.
I have seen this behavior firsthand, how captive wolves work out a pack structure, and how that structure can change any time there is a change in the pack membership or the health status of any one member.
The problem with parroting this old meme, that dogs are 'pack animals' who need a 'pack leader,' and to train a dog you need to be the 'alpha,' is that it is all based on bad science. The best we had at the time, but we know better now.
In the name of being the 'alpha' or 'pack leader,' horrendous methods and tools have been used to train and modify behavior in dogs. For example, the infamous, 'alpha roll.' People still do this! If I had a nickel for every dog with aggression someone has told me they alpha rolled to gain dominance, I could retire today!
When wolves and dogs roll on their back they are displaying deference to the animal in front of them or standing over them. The animal is not being actively rolled! We can get ourselves into a lot of trouble when we try to act like canines! Dogs are smarter than that, and all we do when trying to act like the 'alpha' is frighten and confuse the animal. Worse case scenario, the dog becomes more aggressive.
Let me be clear, I do not deny the existence of dominance in the animal world. Dominance exists. It can appropriately be used to describe the relationship between any two animals. The animal that maintains ownership of preferred resources is said to be dominant over the one who does not.
For example, my late dog Ginger, was definitely dominant over my larger dog, Opal.
It is improper to describe any dog as dominant because dominance is only correctly used to describe a relationship, not a personality. A dog who is dominant over another may not be dominant in another dog-dog relationship.
Dog training is based on science, and science is important because it requires that we continually re-evaluate our beliefs to see if what we think we know and understand, is still valid. Science asks questions, and as dog owners and trainers, we should do the same.
Please let go of the outdated idea that dogs are pack animals that need to be dominated. Training based in behavior science gets far better results without harming your dog or your relationship with your dog.
Cindy Ludwig, Canine Connection LLC
Voted Best Springfield Missouri Dog Trainer
