Dogs are not pack animals: pack theory demythed
What is a pack animal?
Traditional methods of dog training assume that dogs are inherently pack animals. But what is a pack? Mech (1970) defines a pack as a social unit that hunt, rear young and protect a communal territory as a stable group.
This pack theory, or dominance theory has traditionally been applied to dog training, whereby a dog and their owner form a pack, with the owner taking on the role of ‘alpha dog’ and asserting their dominance over the ‘subordinate dog’.
Origins of pack theory
This type of training originates from German service dogs as far back as 1906 and is still advocated today. Celebrity TV dog trainers like Jeff Gellman and ‘dog whisperer’ Cesar Millan base their methods on dominance theory. They state that every dog needs a strong pack leader in their owner and the owner should use force (such as ‘bonking’ with a rolled-up towel, prong collars and the ‘alpha roll’) in order to show that they are the alpha dog (Miller, 2019). In an interview for Dog Time (2011), Gellman stated that “dogs look for strong pack leaders, so just the presence of one is a huge reward”.
Misconceptions about wolf packs
However, basing training upon the presumption that dogs are inherently pack animals is hugely flawed. Firstly, it is based on the misconception that alpha wolves dominate lower ranking wolves by aggression and violence. The idea that wolf packs are led by a dominant male and dominant female who control the other pack members by violent shows of aggression was first reported by Swiss behaviourist, Schenkel (Schenkel, 1947). This was later supported by Dave Mech of the US Geological Survey and leading wolf scientist, who first coined the phrase ‘alpha wolf’.
However, this concept of an alpha wolf as ‘top dog’ ruling over a group has since been refuted and Mech himself has changed his stance on wolf pack dynamics in his more recent studies on wild wolf packs, where he stated that: “The typical wolf pack should be viewed as a family with the adult parents guiding the activities of the group in a division of labour system” (Mech, 1999). He also observed that displays of dominance and aggression amongst wild wolves were extremely uncommon, except during competition for food.
The reason that the early studies showed wolf packs to be based on dominance and aggression is because they were largely conducted on captive wolf packs composed of an assortment of unrelated individuals, rather than a breeding pair and their offspring as seen in the wild (Mech, 1999).
Captive wolves kept in artificial conditions and unable to leave are constantly in a state of high tension (Bradshaw, 2012). In the case of Schenkel’s study, his observations were based on groups of up to ten wolves confined to a 10 x 20m enclosure in Basle Zoological Gardens, conditions that could not be further removed from the wild and would not me today’s welfare standards.
It is therefore, nonsensical to base dog training techniques on an outdated interpretation of dominance theory and alpha wolf status, that has been discredited by recent research.
Dogs are not wolves!
The second reason why dogs should not be considered as an inherently pack animal for dog training purposes is quite simply that dogs are not wolves (Miller, 2019; Bradshaw, 2012; Evans et al, 2020; Boitani et al, 1995). Although DNA analysis shows that domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) have descended entirely from the grey wolf (Canis lupus) and share 99.96% of their genes (Evans et al, 2020), modern day wolves and domestic dogs are separated by tens of thousands of years of evolution. During this time the wolf has evolved to such a degree that wolves today are very different in behaviour from the wolf ancestors of domestic dogs. Wolves have evolved to be naturally wary of people and obtain the majority of their food by hunting (Bradshaw, 2012).
By contrast, the Village Dog Theory of dog domestication explains that dogs are scavengers and seek out human settlements in order to scrounge food (Bradshaw, 2012). Dogs behave very differently to wolves and so basing dog training on the presumption that dogs are wolves is incorrect.
Feral dog social structure
A third reason that invalidates the claim that dogs are inherently pack animals is seen in a three-year study into feral dog social structure in Italy (Boitani et al, 1995). The research showed that feral dogs are composed of an aggregation of breeding pairs and their offspring, and although there were occasional fights, these were between individuals and did not amount to a hierarchical structure whereby an alpha dog exerted control over the group. They concluded that feral dogs’ social units do not function in the same way as wolf packs.
As such, basing dog training techniques on a pack heirarchy shows a lack of understanding of the social structure of dogs and is under the misconception that dogs are pack animals just like wolves.
Pack theory is outdated and dangerous
On the basis of current scientific research, it is possible to conclude that the domestic dog is not an inherent pack animal. Life within wolf packs is one of family co-operation and not a reign of terror as once thought. But regardless of this, dogs are simply not wolves and have a social structure very different to wolf packs.
Any dog trainer that is advocating dominance theory and ‘alpha dog’ tactics to enforce a dog to submit to their higher power is acting in an aggressive and confusing way to the dog. As a result, the dog may be forced to defend itself by showing aggression, or may become fearful and anxious of the owner. Either way, bond between owner and dog could be damaged and lead to further behavioural issues.
References:
Bradshaw, J. (2012) In Defence of Dogs. London, Penguin Books.
Mech, D. (1970) The Wolf-Ecology and Behaviour of an Endangered Species. New York, Natural History Press.