debunking the ''alpha'' dog myth --

[xchrom]

this is a wonderful read for you dog companions who never experienced their dogs in the light of
doggy dominance that so pervades dog training thinking out there.

i've never had an ''alpha'' dog -- oh i've had rambunctious dogs, velcro dogs, lovey-dovey dogs, -- but never a dog that exactly described ceaser and the rest of the dog authorities descriptions.

and my last dog -- who i loved more than anything convinced me -- but i've never said much -- cause it was just a suspicion.

what a relief this article has been.

http://baywoof.com/2008mar_alpha.html

To Friedman, the dominance theory is a convenient construct, an inference about how or why an animal behaves as it does. This sort of thinking can be helpful in identifying constellations of behavior, but it can also retard true understanding.

Unfortunately, such constructed explanations cannot easily be proven wrong. This seems especially true of canine dominance, where any observation that contradicts the theory is explained away with a new unproved assumption. For example, if a lower-ranked dog in a pack is observed to get priority access to an important resource, dominance proponents invoke “temporary rank reversal” or “the order is in flux lately” – or some such idea – as an explanation.

In the absence of any real research on social dominance in dogs, advocates borrow and expand from the captive wolf world. Discrepant spins on dog social systems abound. Depending on which training book you read or popular seminar you attend, you may hear that dogs form:
Linear dominance hierarchies, in which order is maintained by superiors actively exerting rank over subordinates (e.g. pinning, bullying, standing over);
Linear subordinance hierarchies, in which order is maintained by displays of appeasement by subordinates toward their superiors;
Non-transitive hierarchies, in which relationships within any dyad (pair) are fixed but out of which no overall hierarchy can be built;
Contextual dominance arrangements, in which the nature of a disputed resource determines who wins;
Hierarchies that include humans; and/or
Any number of other interesting but unsubstantiated dominance theories.

[Myrina]

1. My dogs have a 'who gets to the sofa first' hierarchy.

Whichever one is there the quickest gets the best spot and I suppose is - at that moment - alpha.

:rofl:


Ultimately, I am the alpha dog in my 'pack' of 3.

[xchrom]

3. of course it could be -- they just love you --

[mondo joe]

2. I used to say I didn't want a dog because I didn't want it to tel my partner and I who is the alpha.

Now that we have one and he's decided I'm the Alpha, I don't mind so much. ;-)

[xchrom]

4. lol -- that was funny. -- i like that. nt

[xchrom]

5. shameless kick

[tpsbmam]

6. My female lets my male dog know who's boss....

every time she humps him. Ahhhhhh, my dainty little princess...humping her beta dog buddy is a sight to behold. :rofl: She'd have to disagree with Friedman: SHE'S BOSS! She lets me be boss sometimes too. She's a terrier -- depends on her mood. :evilgrin:

They mostly work it out -- neither is aggressive and they're actually pretty good at taking turns, though the dainty-humping-princess does like to assert herself at times.

[xchrom]

7. i love dogs -- they all

have their own personalities.

my little 5lb yorkie used to try and do anything to keep just to 80lb brother from coming in the house.

his brother would just jump over him -- and then do a little victory dance at his cleverness.

[xchrom]

8. i have to kick this again for dog lovers

[xchrom]

9. i'll kick this one last time.

[Critters2]

10. Actually, the beagle has a lot of alpha behaviors--

standing over is her favorite. Does it to me, the cats, her stuffed fox. I was suspicious of dominance theory until the current beagle. She's the stereotypical alpha. A strong personality with all the cliche alpha behaviors.

She's a great dog and I completely love her. But make no mistake, she'd like to be the alpha.