WOLF OR DOG?

Hi again
Is that really a Wolf at the end of your leash?

My research for the question above has led me to find many references to the theory that the Domestic dog is a direct descendant of the grey wolf. Indeed there is scientific evidence to show that the wolves DNA and the Dog’s DNA is more than a 99% match.

There is evidence to suggest that wolves were first domesticated more than 12’000 years ago.

Research further suggest that, as Dogs are descended from wolves, deep within their psyche lies instincts they have retained from their wild ancestors. Much has been made of the hierarchy which exists within a wolf pack and the importance of the ‘Alpha’ male and female.

What is an ‘Alpha’?

In a social context an Alpha is an individual with the highest rank. Usually in a pack a male and female will emerge as the Alpha pair. Alpha status is usually achieved by means of superior physical prowess.

The alpha position is not solely restricted to the wolf pack.

Earlier research suggested that the ‘Alpha’ in a group has to maintain this status if he or she wants the rights and privileges that go along with that status.

Privileges such as the right to be the only one to mate, or have first pickings of the food caught and killed. But this position also comes with responsibility. It is normally the alpha’s role to protect the group, the alpha usually makes the decision where and when to hunt.

The alpha will also be challenged many times during its life. In lions a pride alpha will have to see off many challenges from nomadic lions seeking to take over the pride. If the alpha is beaten then he is driven off and the new alpha declares his position by sometimes killing the cubs sired by the previous alpha.

Traditional views hold that wolves have a similarly structured hierarchy. In a wolf pack, there is normally an alpha pair of Male and Female.

They are the only breeding pair in the pack. The normal pack would consist of the alpha pair and 6 or 7 siblings whose ages would range from pups up to two or three years old.

These ‘traditional’ views have been behind the training methods that were developed in the eighties and nineties. Training methods were devised around addressing the ‘Pack rules’

Pack rules involved what was believed as Dominance related issues as observed in a Wolf pack. Early research had determined that there was a hierarchical struggle going on in a pack where individual wolves would try to dominate over others to improve and raise their status within their pack.

Training methods were therefore devised to prevent Dogs from ‘Dominating’ or trying to raise their status in the home pack, which normally consisted of the human family and their dog or dogs.

Examples of these rules are;

“Always have the humans eat their food before the family pet”. It was believed that in the wild the Alpha wolf always ate the pickings of a kill before its subordinates. Thus by the human eating first it would cement their status as the Alpha over the domestic dog.

“Always go through a doorway first” Again it was believed that in the wild the Alpha led the way from one spot to another either leading the hunt or moving to better hunting grounds.

“Never let your dog lie in an elevated position” So for example never let your dog rest on the landing as this is an elevated position it would raise its status. In the wild the Alpha always took top spot as recognition of its status as top dog.

“Never step over your dog, always make it move”. Traditional views held that in the wild pack, a subordinate would move out the way of the Alpha who was moving through the pack.

Yet more pack rules are “never play games of Tug with your dog and on no count ever let them win”. Or,” never let your dog initiate play”. The idea behind the tug game is that if you let your dog win at tug, he will retreat to his corner with his prize i.e. his kill, and therefore elevate his status.

“Don’t let your dog pull on the lead”, is yet another of the pack rules which relates to the Alpha wolf’s desire to lead the pack from the front signifying his status. By allowing your dog to pull it is thought this is letting the dog raise its status in the home pack. There are a number of other “Pack rules” which traditional training methods have been devised to counter act the domestic dog’s deep seated natural wolf like desires to elevate its own status and dominate the human pack.

Tamar Geller agrees. In her book “30 days to a well mannered dog”. She says “According to the old methods, or what I call the dark ages of training, dogs need a tough leader. Give a dog power and he’ll just use it against you. Better to keep him in line with a tough approach, choke chains and prong collars, or techniques like alpha rollovers to show him that you’re the real leader of the pack”.

Barry Eaton has written a book called “Dominance in Dogs. Fact or Fiction?” In this book he “dispels the dominance myth”. Encouraging the reader to take a different look at some of the points made by earlier researchers.

Mr Eaton draws on the conclusion reached by many prominent professionals in their field.

The first challenge Mr Eaton makes to the Traditionalists views is this notion that there exists a structured hierarchy within a wild wolf pack led by a breeding pair of Alpha male and female. Whilst he freely admits that a wild wolf pack is led by a pair of experienced and older wolfs, he suggests that this pair are in fact usually the Mother and Father of the group, and that the group or pack is made up of their offspring. So in fact rather than having unrelated wolves joining together, the wild pack is a family group or nuclear group. This is the corner stone of his theory on packing.

If we believe Barry Eatons view, then we also have to believe when he says,  “this nuclear group therefore dispels the myth that wolfs natural tendency is to pack”, which leads him onto say that this means the myth that domestic dogs tendency to pack is also wrong. As further evidence of this theory, Tamar Geller writes in her book “30 days to a well mannered dog”. “Wolf packs are families! And they may have rules and boundaries that are more similar to human families and different to what is customarily described in the dog world”.

As for the other 'Pack rules' surely common sense needs to prevail. 

For example. "Never step over your dog, make him move first". At the first sight of you lifting your leg to step over your dog as he lies in the doorway he will most likely get up for fear of you standing on him, knocking you over into the bargain. So for no other reason than safety, move your dog to get through the doorway. Another one is dont let your dog pull you whilst on the lead. Well doh. Its nothing to do with dominance its just lack of training and the fact that your dog is excited to get to where it wants to go. Train it properly and it wont pull. You dont have to dominate it. If you ant to feed your dog first to get it out the way then do so. I do. My dogs are fed and their dishes tidied away before we sit down for our meal at night. Because that means the chores are over and its time to relax. Our dogs know this and settle down accordingly. There would be nothing worse than eating my dinner knowing my dogs were sitting in the next room patiently waiting for theirs. i would be inclined to rush through my dinner so that I could get the chore of feeding them over with so that I could relax. Your dog should fit into your lifestyle not the other way around. Provided you work out a routine that suits you and doesnt affect the welfare of your dog then you should do what works for you. If that means you let your dog sit on the landing because its cooler for them then so be it. As long as its what you want also. There should be harmony in the house. Do what works for you, dont do what it tells you in some book, or by some traditionalist trainer. Work out what works for you, train your dog to get inline with it and enjoy your life. That doesnt mean you have to dominate it.

See you soon....