“Dominance theory” is a hypothetical scientific idea referring to relationships among animals that live together in groups. It’s been used to describe the social behavior of bees, chickens, wolves, primates and other species. Ideas concerning dominance as it applies to domestic dogs originate from research done on wolf packs. The commonly held belief, boiled down, is that every wolf pack has an “alpha dog” that rules the group, consistently asserting his dominance over other members of the pack to gain access to the best food, mates, sleeping places, etc.

Unfortunately, it’s not entirely true.  A great deal of the aforementioned research done on wolf packs is fundamentally flawed and now considered scientifically invalid. Early researchers studied lots of captive wolf packs (which is like trying to draw conclusions about the social interaction of human families by studying a bunch of human prisoners in a jail, according to scientist David Mech).  Additionally, scientists misunderstood some of the wolf body language that they observed. They originally thought that higher-ranking wolves in a pack maintain their status by “rolling” or “pinning” underlings to keep them in their place. In actuality, lower-ranking animals voluntarily lie down, roll over and perform other submissive behaviors in the presence of socially superior wolves. They aren’t forced to do so at all. They’re using body language to communicate—not getting squashed by larger, more powerful “alpha wolves.”

One of the very few scientific studies on domestic dog hierarchies, performed and documented by veterinary behaviorist and trainer Dr. Ian Dunbar, indicated that dogs in stable groups form relationships that are much more complex than those involved in a simple “pecking order.”  According to Dunbar’s study, the dog with “dominant” status changes, depending on the relationships between individual animals in specific contexts.  It’s not a case of ONE “alpha dog” ruling the roost, and all other pack members obediently falling into line.  Additionally, no one dog spends all of his energy “forcing” his pack mates to walk behind him, “forcing” his pack mates to eat only after he’s finished, and “forcing” his pack mates not to sleep in a particular area.

Next time… learn more about the debate over “Alpha”-rolling or “Alpha” role-playing.

Richmond SPCA behavior blogs are written by training specialist Marie Tripton. Have questions about your own pets’ behavior? E-mail or call (804) 643-SPCA.

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