Dobermans

[ElwoodBlues1]

All this stuff about pecking order, alphas, and pack hierarchy is a bit passé.  It emanated from the 70s when a biologist observed wolves which were in captivity in a wildlife refuge.  As wolves made themselves scarce when humans went into the wild, this was a rare opportunity.  What this guy saw was that the wolves acted like hardened prisoners.  They fought each other to be boss and the boss had to withstand constant challenges.  This researcher then theorised that dogs operated in the same way as they were, after all, descended from wolves.  Back then, domestic animals such as dogs and cats weren't considered to be worthy of study, so this theory wasn't challenged.  Dog trainers were happy with this 'pack leader' theory as it merely validated their way of doing their thing - using harsh discipline to show the dogs who is boss.

In fact, the behaviour of the wolves wasn't reflective of their behaviour in the wild let alone how dogs behave.  In the wild, wolves live in family units.  Neither the father nor the mother is the 'alpha'.  They lead most of the time because they have the experience but the young wolves will take the lead on occasions if they're the best hunters, etc.. There was no 'alpha' in the sense of dominating access to resources (food, shelter, sex) with the others taking turns after the alpha was finished according to the hierarchy.  Quite the contrary - the parents provided for their progeny.  The wolves in the refuge were males who weren't related but were forced to share limited space and resources.

Researchers have noted that packs of stray dogs just don't form stable hierarchies and there is no domination of resources.

Dogs have been domesticated for millenia.  The process of domestication has changed dogs massively.  Selective breeding took wolves that were unusually friendly towards humans and reinforced this quality.  A Russian researcher showed how this process would have worked by running a breeding program with Silver Foxes over 40 generations.  Silver Foxes are extremely avoidant of contact with humans in the wild but he ended up with foxes which had radically changed in looks and behaviour.  Not only did the foxes end up craving contact with humans but also they changed physically to appear much cuter and cuddlier while their brains grew smaller.

Dogs love eye contact with humans.  Both the dog and it's master experience a release of oxytocin, the bonding drug, when their eyes meet.  On the other hand, a wolf, even a pup, will not experience any positive feelings from eye contact.  However much a handler tries to habituate a pup to eye contact, it won't improve the situation. 

In other words, dogs bond with humans in a way that wolves simply can't.  Dogs don't become part of the family because they simply slot into a hierarchical structure that mimics their "natural" structure.  They bond with us as they would their own family.

Please ignore dimwits like the self-styled "Dog Whisperer", César Milan, who run with this nonsense about being the alpha or pack leader.

Of course, selective breeding has had a massive impact upon how various breeds act.  Breeders have heightened territoriality in some breeds but suppressed it in others.  And of course dogs will have different levels of dominance or submission even in the same litter.

My dog is large but breeders have strived for over 2000 years to ensure the breed has little territoriality and is kind to all mankind.  In its area of origin, it is commonly used as a living blanket by young children.  He's a good watchdog in the sense that he barks loudly if strangers approach and he appears very excited, so couriers and meter-readers refuse to come in.  But he's a bad guard dog as he just wants a stroke from them if they do come in.  If you want a guard dog, you need a breed with more territoriality.  But that trait means they'll jealously guard humans, bones and toys as much as real estate and unwanted attacks are an unfortunate side-effect.

Obviously I dont agree with the non hierarchy viewpoint and and my experience with German Shepherds differs from your theories.....I dont watch Cesar Milan but I do know how my dogs behave/have behaved and they have all tried to assert themselves and show dominance over humans and other animals....