There is a popular misconception that dogs descended from wolves and because of this, humans should behave like wolves when raising pet dogs.
Dogs and wolves share some similarities, but many differences separate them, including
behaviours, appearance, and social structures.
It's more likely that domestic dogs are descended from feral dogs that scavenged around human settlements, eating rubbish and human faeces.
However, the evolution of domestication is still a hotly debated topic with numerous plausible theories.
Human intervention and selective breeding for specific purposes, such as guarding, herding, hunting, and companionship, further increase the complexity of domestic dogs, and these variations widen the gap between wolves and domestic dogs even further.
With this in mind, why do some people believe the best way for humans to raise and coexist with dogs is to behave like wolves, let me introduce you to the Dominance Theory.
So what is the Dominance Theory, where did it come from, how relevant is it to domestic dogs and if dogs are not wolves why is it still in circulation?
Rudolph Schenkel's work in the 1930s, and Mech's works famously published in the 1960s provided a theory based on the idea that wolves fight for resources, which leads to dominance and packs are led by an aggressive leader, within a militarian-type hierarchy structure, " The Pack".
The Dominance Theory was born, and people quickly believed dogs wanted to gain a higher social status relative to other dogs or people and that without a human "Alpha" or " Pack Leader" " dogs would show aggression to achieve dominance, all of a sudden they were planning to take over the world and we needed to stop this.
However, there were some BIG flaws within this theory.
Firstly, the wolves that Mech studied were captured and were unfamiliar with each other, not a family unit, and they were housed in a captive unfamiliar territory.
The study was a wolf version of BIG BROTHER, and most people know from the TV show the drama that can occur in a fake environment, inhabited by a group of strangers!
Mech's studies were massively flawed, and Mech himself quickly retracted his findings, reporting that wolves behaved very differently when he studied them within their natural territories with their family members.
The other very obvious flaw is that we are human, not wolves or dogs, we don't behave or communicate in the same way.
And the third, as we have already discussed, our domestic dogs, are not wolves, they are two groups of canids who physiologically, socially and behaviourally differ.
These flawed findings however sadly led to the "Dominance Theory" being pushed within the dog community, where it was believed that punishment and displays of dominance were the most effective way to raise/teach and communicate with domestic dogs.
What is even more upsetting, this led to dogs not just being punished for getting something " wrong" but people believing they needed to be Pack Leader, and Alpha, all the time.
Alpha is a term used to describe the breeding pair in a wolf Pack, although the word "Pack" is weighted with many associations and connotations.
Packs are families and "Alphas" are simply parents, which offers a much more realistic picture of how wolves live together when in a natural setting.
Humans seem to cherry-pick the parts of this label to suit their own beliefs and goals.
The misbelief that to be an Alpha or Pack Leader means you need to behave with displays of dominance to keep dogs in check seems to be widely implemented, but Alpha implies you are part of the breeding pair,(creepy, weird and I think illegal), humans seem to pick and choose which parts of being an "Alpha" they implement.
Due to Mech's publications of his flawed observations of wolves, people believed, and some still do, that eating first, not offering affection unless on the human's terms, not allowing dogs to sit on sofas or higher than humans, Alpha rolls and pinning dogs to the ground, walking through doorways first ( caveat, not relating to safety training) are all ways we can show our dogs who is " Pack Leader"
Humans took this flawed theory and ran with it, and boy oh boy, we haven't stopped running yet.
So why is this factually flawed information still being implemented today, why won't this outdated misinformation die off?
For some people, accepting that a long-held belief is flawed, is understandably challenging, especially if you're making money from it.
Some people enjoy the idea of control and compliance within the relationship and the narrative fits personal desires.
Well-meaning guardians who reach out for support may come across "professionals" who still find it acceptable to implement these outdated and flawed ideas.
TV shows that highlight "professionals" using the flawed methodology where someone taking on a " dominant" dog is good viewing. ( In reality, what we are usually witnessing is a struggling dog being bullied)
New people within dog communities reach out for advice and might be drawn in by the assumption that people who have the same breed, especially those with larger numbers of dogs, must know and understand the intricacies of behaviour.
The list goes on!
Interactions with any sentient being that simply suppresses a behaviour are not the same as appropriately addressing a behaviour.
Living under constant suppression can have many outcomes depending on the individual dog.
Fear, stress, anxiety, redirectional frustration, and aggression, are all usually mislabelled as dominance, leading to the dog being treated more harshly.
Some dogs become insecure, this can often lead to behaviours often mislabeled as being loving, loyal and eager to please, which then reinforces the belief that behaving like a Pack Leader is successful.
Yes, some dogs are all of these things, for all the right reasons, but people's interpretations do not always match accurate observations.
Dogs do need human guidance, so they have a better chance of coping and successfully navigating a human world but not through a belief that is flawed on many levels.
Dogs are amazing, and Wolves are amazing but do not confuse the two canids for being the same.
Applying flawed wolf behaviour in an attempt to coexist with domesticated dogs is like studying chimpanzees in a Zoo and applying those observations to successfully raise a human child.
I often question why people choose to live with dogs if they are seen as creatures of such selfish intent that we must consistently control and dampen down.
The reality is that dogs have evolved and worked harder to understand and coexist with humans much more than we have them!
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