Posts: 2344
Threads: 79
Joined: November 18, 2014
Reputation:
42
Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 9:50 am
I had always accepted that owners had to be an alpha over their dog based on how wolves behave. Lately, there have been studies that show that wolves don't have alpha positions. In the seventies, researchers studied wolves in captivity and assumed that the behavior that they saw was normal for wolves everywhere. It wasn't. Wolves in the wild don't have alpha and beta positions. Wolf packs are made up of a breeding pair and their offspring. When the offspring want to mate, they go off and form their own packs.
Of course, dogs, like kids, should be taught manners to make living with them more pleasurable both for the dog and the owner. I don't let my dogs in the kitchen, for example, because they get underfoot and it is dangerous for both them and me. But it is comforting to think that I don't have to make my dog do a trick every single time I want to pay them attention or worry that my pet is dominating me if she lays her head on my lap.
Posts: 3022
Threads: 34
Joined: May 11, 2013
Reputation:
30
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 9:53 am
Do you mind providing a link to these studies, i'm really interested in this stuff.
And if there are no alphas, then how do they determine which pair breeds?
'The more I learn about people the more I like my dog'- Mark Twain
'You can have all the faith you want in spirits, and the afterlife, and heaven and hell, but when it comes to this world, don't be an idiot. Cause you can tell me you put your faith in God to put you through the day, but when it comes time to cross the road, I know you look both ways.' - Dr House
“Young earth creationism is essentially the position that all of modern science, 90% of living scientists and 98% of living biologists, all major university biology departments, every major science journal, the American Academy of Sciences, and every major science organization in the world, are all wrong regarding the origins and development of life….but one particular tribe of uneducated, bronze aged, goat herders got it exactly right.” - Chuck Easttom
"If my good friend Doctor Gasparri speaks badly of my mother, he can expect to get punched.....You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others. There is a limit." - Pope Francis on freedom of speech
Posts: 1817
Threads: 18
Joined: April 22, 2011
Reputation:
17
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 10:12 am
(December 3, 2014 at 9:50 am)Nope Wrote: . Wolves in the wild don't have alpha and beta positions.
The folks at the Endangered Wolf Center would be rather surprised to hear this.
Quote: Wolf packs are made up of a breeding pair and their offspring. When the offspring want to mate, they go off and form their own packs.
They aren't allowed to mate while the alphas are around. Betas either take over the pack or are driven off in most cases.
I'll have to forward the OP to some folks. 
Posts: 5706
Threads: 67
Joined: June 13, 2014
Reputation:
69
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 10:31 am
(This post was last modified: December 3, 2014 at 11:00 am by Jenny A.)
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
Posts: 2344
Threads: 79
Joined: November 18, 2014
Reputation:
42
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 12:51 pm
Posts: 5706
Threads: 67
Joined: June 13, 2014
Reputation:
69
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 3:58 pm
Yes, but that one study is all I could find. That's not much to hang a complete reworking of how wolf behavior is viewed.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
Posts: 2344
Threads: 79
Joined: November 18, 2014
Reputation:
42
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 6:41 pm
(This post was last modified: December 3, 2014 at 6:48 pm by Nope.)
Posts: 9176
Threads: 76
Joined: November 21, 2013
Reputation:
40
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 7:00 pm
I have heard that people decided to study wolves by putting two complete strangers in a cage and see what they'd do. They would fight for dominance, and researchers thought this was how wolves behaved normally. In a proper pack, it's mainly made up of the parents and their children.
It is true that if you spoil a dog, it will be less obedient, but it's the same with human children too.
Posts: 5706
Threads: 67
Joined: June 13, 2014
Reputation:
69
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 7:40 pm
Mech is the author of the single study I found.
If there is a god, I want to believe that there is a god. If there is not a god, I want to believe that there is no god.
Posts: 2344
Threads: 79
Joined: November 18, 2014
Reputation:
42
RE: Dog Lovers, Did You Know The Alpha Wolf Is A Myth?
December 3, 2014 at 8:23 pm
(This post was last modified: December 3, 2014 at 8:25 pm by Nope.)
(December 3, 2014 at 7:40 pm)Jenny A Wrote: Mech is the author of the single study I found.
Wasn't he also the one that came up with the alpha wolf theory in the first place? I am finding a lot of articles about the fact that there isn't an alpha or beta wolf but I am not certain how to find studies. Do biologists have a data base that is available on the internet? Even the articles mention Dr. Mech. That might be because he is well respected in his field but there should be some other studies on both sides.
|
