Alpha Dogs & Dominance: Disproving the Years Old Myth
The word “alpha” for dogs has been thrown around since about 1930 when behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel published a piece of work stating what is now a very stereotypical approach to dog training, where it may include: alpha rolls, physical force, intimidation, and a ranked hierarchy within the house. Many different articles, such as this one and this one, explain how over almost a century people have been passing around incorrect information. The fact of the matter is, the alpha theory was debunked by other behaviorists quickly. But, alas, the damage had already been done. Rudolph Schenkel studied captive, not wild, wolves in a zoo in Switzerland. He theorized the “alpha” was the wolf who received the most resources and who used dominance and force to get what he wanted. The problem here? Wolves are not domestic dogs. The evolutionary branch of “domestic dog” broke off from the “wolf” line about 130,000 years ago. That’s quite a while for domestic dogs to evolve and gain different traits.
Not only was Rudolph’s research completely hitting the wrong target, he also faked the data, making the entire research void. On top of this, dominance-based training is disrespectful to your dog. I parallel this with raising children. One generation before mine still used force and corporal punishment to get their children to do what they wanted, often creating an unhealthy attachment style with the child. Positive reinforcement is the main source of learning for children these days because plenty of articles show the results show those who do not yell and spank their kids often create a secure attachment bond with their parents. This is what we want for our dogs, too. We want them to listen because they want to, not because they fear punishment if they are wrong.
Positive reinforcement training was born around the 1980s, just 50 years after Rudolph. Karen Pryor wrote her book, Don’t Shoot the Dog which advised using a clicker and treats to mark good behavior, rather than only focusing on correcting behavior. Positive reinforcement came from psychology, where Pavlov came up with a test where he paired a bell sound with food. After a while, if he played the bell the dog would start drooling, expecting a treat or some kind of food. This is called Classical Conditioning and involves pairing one thing with another to create a reaction. A modern example? Maybe you have a reactive dog and they bark when other dogs walk by. Well, create some distance and pair treats with quiet, relaxed behavior. Soon enough, the dog will see another dog and expect a treat because he’s been a good boy. After Pavlov’s research came out, a man named Skinner came around and created the Skinner Box, which is a cage with a rat and a lever inside. If the rat pulls the lever, a food pellet comes out. Quickly, the rat will realize the effects of the lever and will pull it over and over again, creating an association. This is perfect for dog training, as we can have the dog associate a past trauma association with safety and calm behaviors.
