The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 50

FEATURE | CAREGIVER, NOT ALPHA
I’m My Dogs’ Caregiver, Not Their Alpha
By Tori Ganino, CDBC, CPDT-KA
In a world full of punishment-based training and television quick
fixes for dog behavior problems, clients often tell me that they are
concerned that their dog is trying to be the “alpha” in the home,
or that their dog must obey because the owner is the “boss.” I do
not blame owners for having these beliefs. After all, like myself, they
were raised on the Dominance Theory, and it continues to be inaccurately
portrayed as the correct approach by the media.
Where Did the Dominance Theory Come From?
It is important to understand how society was introduced to the concept
of dominance in the first place. During the 1930s and 1940s,
animal behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel observed the interactions between
captive zoo wolves and concluded the wolves were fighting to
gain dominance over each other (Schenkel 42). This incorrect and
unsubstantiated idea was then applied to wild wolves and domesticated
dogs. Here is the problem with Schenkel’s study: The wolves he
initially observed were taken from family units in the wild and then
forced together in captivity. Removed from their naturally occurring
social setting in the wild and placed in a man-made one, the wolves
did what many captive animals do, fight.
What Science Later Taught Us
Thanks to David Mech and his research with wild wolves in Canada
from 1986-1999, he concluded wolf packs are family units with a
breeding male, breeding female, and offspring (Mech 1202). This is
quite different from the initial observations by Schenkel with captive
wolves from separate families forced together in an artificial environment.
In 2000, Mech published an article detailing his research and
findings called “Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in
Wolf Packs.” Here he states: “Attempting to apply information about
the behavior of assemblages of unrelated captive wolves to the familial
structure of natural packs has resulted in considerable confusion.
Such an approach is analogous to trying to draw inferences about
human family dynamics by studying humans in refugee camps. The
concept of the alpha wolf as a “top dog” ruling a group of similar-aged
compatriots (Schenkel 1947; Rabb et al. 1967; Fox 1971a; Zimen
1975, 1982; Lockwood 1979; van Hooff et al. 1987) is particularly
misleading” (Mech 1197).
Unfortunately, the media went rampant with Schenkel’s original
hasty conclusions about the dynamic of the wolf pack and applied
it to domesticated dogs. As science changes with additional research,
so must we. That is not always the case, and many punishment-based
trainers refuse to stay up-to-date with and embrace a non-dominance-based
mentality. This is something that I always promise to
do, whether my clients or my own my pets.
Two Scenarios, Which One Do You Prefer?
Circling back to my original statement, “I am my dog’s caregiver,
not their alpha,” is something my clients are surprised to hear. When
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