What Does Being Alpha Really Mean? Dogs and Wolves Tell Us

During the past six months, I’ve received no fewer than 20 emails asking if alpha dogs and wolves really exist. All were truly interested in learning more about this question, while two were very nasty, accusing me of being a moron and knowing nothing about dogs. One didn’t hesitate to use rather explicit vulgarities to let me know what they really thought.

Recently, I received an email asking me if I could summarize what we know about alpha individuals in a way that would be clear not only to scientists but also to people who live with and work with dogs. I agreed to do so, and here I succinctly review what we know about alpha dogs and wolves based on solid research.

An essay that appeared in the New Yorker called "The Myth of the Alpha Wolf" by Rivka Galchen caught the eye of many people, as did another piece titled “Debunking the ‘Alpha Dog’ Myth” by Kristen Savage. Savage writes, “The notion that there is a singular wolf leading the rest of the pack, fighting with other wolves for dominance and the highest status is simply false. Wild wolf packs typically have a breeding pair leading the pack in a non-dominant way. Wild wolves and captive wolves are extraordinarily different.”

While she is correct that wild wolves and captive wolves behave differently, she and Galchen would have benefited greatly by reading the outstanding books by wolf expert Rick McIntyre in a series called The Alpha Wolves of Yellowstone based on his and others' countless hours of research including more than 100,000 wolf sightings he has witnessed of these wolves.¹ In a nutshell, both authors are incorrect in concluding that alpha dogs and wolves don’t really exist, and below is a summary of what we really know. I'm an ethologist and have studied wild coyotes and wild feral and free-ranging dogs, and there are alpha individuals, but the ways in which many people use the term or misinterpret what it means are the problems.

Here's what we know

• Rick and I agree that a good working definition of the word "alpha" simply refers to the highest-ranking male or female in a wolf pack. It doesn't necessarily mean domineering, but in some cases—like the case of one the wolves he studied called wolf 40—it can include that.
• There are alpha wolves, alpha dogs, and alpha animals in different species (simply defined, alpha refers to someone or something that is first).
• Field biologists do use the phrase "alpha wolves," contrary to what Galchen writes.
• "Alpha dogs" and "alpha wolves" are useful descriptive phrases.
• Alpha animals are not necessarily the most aggressive, violent, or domineering individuals in their group. Rick has noted in many places that alpha wolves are not necessarily the most aggressive. We also observed this in a long-term study of wild coyotes living in the Grand Teton National Park. Given that alpha individuals are not always the most aggressive or domineering, Rick told me: "I hesitate to use the term 'dominant male' or 'dominant female' because we do not necessarily see that in our alpha wolves. By that I mean they do not always have a domineering personality. For example, wolf 907 is not very domineering. She seems to do what works best for her, and the rest of the pack just seems to follow her lead." Cooperation is key.
• There are a number of different ways in which a high-ranking individual can control the behavior of other group members. In an email to me about whether or not there are alpha wolves, perhaps especially in the large Yellowstone packs, Rick wrote: "I personally think the alpha term applies because there is still a dominant female calling the shots in the pack." He also told me: "A 10-year-old female just took over the alpha position from a younger rival. This will be her third term as alpha. She actually lost a fight with that rival last summer but regained the leadership position due to getting the vast majority of the pack to side with her. That former alpha is now a very low-ranking adult."
• Other wolf researchers agree with Rick that there can be alpha wolves under certain circumstances. In an essay called "Is the Alpha Wolf Idea a Myth?" by Stephanie Pappas, in which she, too, mistakenly calls the idea of an alpha wolf a myth, David Ausband notes that in large packs such as those in Yellowstone, "There may be more than one breeding pair, and competition can erupt over breeding spots...In that case, I personally think the alpha term applies because there is still a dominant female calling the shots in that pack." (My emphasis.)
• It's also possible that some alpha or high-ranking individuals gain and retain their social position because they control the attention of other individuals rather than because they are highly aggressive, called the attention structure model of dominance, offered by primatologist Michael Chance. While it doesn't seem to apply to nonhuman primates, Randall Lockwood reported that it might be useful for understanding wolves and that there is an over-emphasis on the importance of aggressive behavior.
• Aggression-based models of dominance have been misunderstood by people who study both nonhumans and humans. They also have been warped by some dog trainers who think that humans should be the alpha members of their pack of companion canines and control them by dominating them. Studies show that alpha-inspired dominance training doesn't work. Dominance training causes stress and is a dog's worst nightmare.²
• Concerning dogs, it's important to understand that they also form dominance relationships and some form functional packs. However, you do not have to be the domineering alpha if you want your dog to do what you want them to do and also respect you. When we pay close attention to what we know about dogs, dog-dog relationships, and dog-human relationships, we can give our companions the best lives possible using positive, force-free training, and this will be a win-win for all, dogs and humans.

From a dog’s point of view, when we understand what being alpha really means, they and we will benefit

If people choose to use what researchers observe about the social behavior and social organization of nonhuman animals, including dog and wolves, they need to get it right. The media muddle over alphas, aggression, and dominance has to be corrected. Most researchers have been very careful to write and talk about what they've learned and simply put, being alpha is not synonymous with being highly aggressive, domineering, or violent.

We will learn a lot more about social dynamics of dogs, wolves, and many other animals if we pay closer attention to what researchers are actually learning and what they and the animals are telling us. This will be a win-win for all.