01/01/2026
I love this trainer
‘My dog thinks he is the alpha’.
I hear this often. The alpha theory has been debunked for many years however it is still a pervasive notion that is hugely impacting our understanding of our family pets.
Most commonly I hear this used to explain why a dog is reactive. Let’s step away from the science for a moment and consider what ‘being an alpha’ or ‘dominance’ actually is defined as.
Alpha - Definition: denoting a person who has a dominant role or position within a particular sphere.
Dominant - Definition: having power and influence over others.
I want you to have a think about what personality of PERSON would fit the above descriptors. It would be that person that can walk into a boardroom and command it. They are calm and collected. They are knowledgeable. They have earned respect and that’s not likely been earned with erratic behaviour, shouting, bullying or violence. This person is confident. They are self assured.
Now I want you to think about the PERSON that is erratic. They may have volatile emotions. A short fuse. They may shout or bully or resort to violence to resolve conflicts. They frequently argue and react. This person is unstable and lacking self confidence.
So why do we continue to ascribe reactive and fearful behaviour as dominance when it comes to dogs? I’m very aware dogs are not people, but the truly confident, self assured dogs I have met in over a decade of working with dogs are not loud and reactive. They are calm. They are able to navigate conflict with a look or a subtle body movement. They don’t need to scream, because they do not wish to waste energy on reactivity because simply, they don’t need to.
Dominance does exist in dogs (and humans!) but it is a transient thing not a state of being. It ebbs and flows and shifts constantly. It’s most obvious in multi dog households. For example my Foxhound could be described to be dominant over bed spaces. If a dog is in a bed she wants, she walks over, and looks at them. They get up almost immediately and she claims the space. There’s no aggression or violence or extreme communication, it’s a look and an understanding. The bed is hers now, it’s time to move on. Likewise no one ever tries to move her out of her bed! A flicker of the lip and a hard stare is all she needs to do.
Is dominance a thing between strange dogs meeting? Sure! But again, it’s not what you think. It’s more like an asserting of rules. ‘No, you cannot climb on me’ or ‘yes, I will share this stick with you’. Even this isn’t truly dominance because it’s simply a social species that is designed to exist in close units rather than large social structures figuring out the rules of each other.
Put more simply, reactivity and barking is not, and has never been ‘alpha’ or ‘dominant’ behaviour. It is the behaviour of a dog who lacks confidence and needs help, not a creature vying for world domination.
