17/01/2026
I'm hearing this again lately - a lot. What is this attachment people have with the term, 'alpha?'
People love to label their dog as an 'alpha,' or brag that they have attained and maintain the 'alpha' position in their relationship with their dogs.
The term, 'alpha' and all the misguided implications based on the myth that dogs are 'pack animals' who vie with each other and with their owner for the 'pack leader' position is not just nonsense. It's dangerous to a dog's health and well-being.
That's because there are trainers and even veterinarians who are operating on this outdated assumption. They base their recommendations and instructions for training and behavior modification techniques on this myth, thereby harming dogs and damaging the human-dog relationship, sometimes irreparably.
One example is the so-called 'alpha roll,' a maneuver performed to get a dog to 'submit.' This is based on the incorrect assumption that wolves assert their dominance by actively rolling another wolf on its back.
The term, 'pack' in the animal world, particularly when used to describe the social structure of wolves, is defined by key characteristics that extend beyond the fact that the animals live in a group.
These characteristics include pup rearing, cooperative living, and organized hunting.
The myth that dogs are 'pack animals' originated with research, conducted nearly 100 years ago by Rudolf Schenkel. Schenkel studied wolves in a Swiss Zoo (captive wolves) to better understand the 'sociology of wolves.'
Unfortunately, Schenkel wrongly concluded that non-captive wolf packs had the same social structure as captive wolf packs, and that groups of domestic dogs also lived in 'packs' led by an 'alpha.'
The assumption that non-captive wolves and dogs have the same social structure as captive wolves has all been many times refuted, including by the renowned wolf ethologist, L. David Mech,. Mech has written many books about wolves and founded the International Wolf Center (IWC) in northern Minnesota, where I used to volunteer.
I attended classes and seminars on canine behavior, comparing dogs and wolves at the IWC and also completed a graduate level course in wolf ethology. The practicum part of the course was spent at the IWC, observing and cataloging wolf behavior in ethograms.
I have also completed university coursework in dog biology and behavior, so I have a sound academic basis for my assertions that these two canines have different social structures.
We now know that not only do non-captive wolves not have the same social structure as captive wolves, but dogs are also dissimilar in their social structure.
Dogs, like wolves are sentient, social animals, but they are not 'pack animals.' They are foragers and scavengers.
And while both captive and non-captive wolves live in packs, non-captive wolf packs do not have 'alphas.' A non-captive wolf pack is made up of a male and female 'breeding pair' and their offspring and extended family.
Captive wolf packs, on the other hand, are typically comprised of unrelated wolves that work out a hierarchy in which a single female and a single male emerge as the 'alpha female' and the 'alpha male.' This status is subject to change at any time, based on pack composition and dynamics, and individual wolf health and behavior.
When people say they have an "alpha," when discussing dogs and dog behavior, I think they usually mean they have a dog that is strong-willed or dominant over other animals.
As discussed many times before on this page, dominance, a closely related term to 'alpha' and 'pack animal,' is also a misunderstood concept. Dominance is a term that refers to the *relationship* between two animals in which one consistently controls the resources.
My late dog, Ginger was dominant over my larger dog, Opal. She consistently attempted to control the resources available to the two of them.
Where people go off on the wrong path is attributing all sorts of unwanted dog behavior to 'dominance.' If you think about it, this is ridiculous in most cases, since humans control virtually everything about their dogs' lives - when they eat, where they sleep, when they go for a walk, which toys they get, when they go to the vet...
In the animal kingdom, we are familiar with the fight that occurs between two male ruminants, such as antelope, deer, bison, and other animals vie for dominance and access to females in the herd. But we humans do not compete with our dogs for any of our basic needs, such as food and reproductive rights.
That said, sometimes a behavior issue called conflict-related aggression occurs, which used to be called dominance aggression, but that is beyond the scope of this post.
The problem with using the terms, 'alpha' and variations of the word, 'dominance' incorrectly is that unsafe, counterproductive, and potentially very damaging, even deadly dog training is based on the underlying assumptions.
Effective, safe, and humane dog training is based on an understanding of dog behavior and learning. Unfortunately, since dog training is an unregulated industry and anyone can print business cards and call themselves a 'dog trainer,' dog owners must become informed consumers!
In summary, it is inaccurate to refer to a dog as an 'alpha' or as having a 'dominant' personality. A dog may be dominant over one dog and not another. Dominance is a term that applies to a *relationship* between animals. It is not a personality characteristic.
And it's silly to call a dog an 'alpha' or try to *be* the 'alpha' in our relationships with our dogs since dogs aren't 'pack animals.' Some might argue, they are captive, but again, dogs are dogs and wolves are wolves. They have different social structures.
For more information, see the American Veterinary Society position paper on the use of dominance in dog training and behavior modification:https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Dominance_Position_Statement_download-10-3-14.pdf
© 2026 Cindy Ludwig, M.A., B.S., R.N.
Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, CCPDT)
Karen Pryor Academy graduate/Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP)
Owner, Canine Connection LLC
