There are articles and trainers everywhere that talk about "Alpha" training. Most of what you find now with a quick Google search are articles from individuals and whole organizations saying it has been debunked. But Cesar Milan (Among other "trainers") still insist that "You need to be the alpha, show them you're in charge, assert dominance over them."
And the way they do this is, quite frankly, dumb. Many of the people who say it's been debunked will say that the methods of "Alpha" training are cruel. I'm sure some practitioners or "trainers" of this method, are being cruel. For the majority though, it's simply unfair. Born out of ignorance rather than a genuine maliciousness and want to mistreat and abuse a dog. Additionally, people will conflate "Alpha" training and "Pack theory." Hierarchy exists EVERYWHERE in nature, in animals, mammals which includes dogs. Dogs are absolutely, one THOUSAND percent pack animals. I'm going to define, explain and differentiate why, yes "Alpha" training is just bad. However, using the dogs first and most natural hierarchy, we use this "Pack" theory to our advantage.
Before continuing, let's get on the same page for what our training terminology means.
Alpha (noun):
1) Origin- The first letter of the Greek alphabet (Α, α)
2) Zoology/Sociology- denoting the dominant animal or human in a particular group.
Dominance (noun):
Power and influence over others.
Hierarchy (noun):
A system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.
It's quite easy to see that since "Alpha" has its origins from the first letter of the, the theory and training approach is about telling the dog that you come before him. This is, for the most part, the correct idea. The typical application of this idea however, is WAY off. We are above the dog, socially and physically. What I mean by that is, it's a human world. Much of the world is occupied and used by us and for us; especially major metropolitan areas. Additionally, we are naturally above the dog physically. They exist and go through the world on four legs (horizontal axis), walk and carry themselves lower to the ground and we are upright (vertical axis), walking around on two legs with a much higher position than them. That's just a matter of anatomy. With this in mind, we are already a rather big and imposing figure to the dog.
When it comes to the Alpha theory and dog training, what the people who claim it is debunked fail to understand is that hierarchy exists in the natural world, especially with animals. The problem is that over time, people thought it was the Alpha who was in charge and they were in charge through force and only force. Rule with an iron fist.
This isn't the first or most natural hierarchy to the dog. As the title of this suggests, it is the Momma! From the day pups are born, momma is everything to them. She is the their first and only defender, their sole source of food and grooming, teaching and showing physical touch with play; by using her body and movement, her paws and her mouth and she is also their first lesson in boundaries and the concept of "No."
There are countless videos of this with mother dogs and puppies. Momma is physical because she HAS to be. Physical, however, does not equal brutality; play, affection, grooming and even feeding is physical. In a litter of puppies, as they grow and start to move and interact with each other, they are sorting out who is next in the hierarchy. When introducing food into this dynamic you will see puppies assert their dominance over their siblings and as they get older, they will challenge momma in some interactions.
Example: In a new litter of puppies that are six weeks old, in a pen, I put a food bowl down for them all to eat. They will push each other around for their spot at the bowl and one will attack another one in an attempt to tell them to back off, they are claiming this as theirs and they aren't sharing. Let's say the pup who was attacked, backs off. This interaction has put the attacking dog above the one it attacked in the hierarchy of the litter. Because this pup was successful in protecting a valuable resource, they are likely to repeat it.
Let's say the dog who was attacked didn't back off, they put up a fight. These two are working out their place in the litter.
When we bring a new puppy home, people tend to give everything away. Food, toys, affection, freedom. This is giving the dog the impression that they are in charge, we have brought them home and placed them at the top of our homes hierarchy. This will create spoiled brats. People go on and on, even bragging how their dogs are spoiled.
Spoiled (Adj.): Of a person, especially a child harmed in character by being treated too leniently or indulgently.
Spoiling them is to ruin their character by giving away freedoms and privileges without any sort of boundaries or earning them after proving they can be trusted with them.
"How has giving these things to them spoiled them?"
Historically, dogs have worked and served us, now it's backwards. People are serving and working for the dog. This is an unnatural and unhealthy dynamic that is the foundation for many behaviour problems you see in dogs today.
When we bring a new puppy home, I am the momma and I'm going to make sure this puppy knows it and is crystal clear about who I am and who it is and where they are in the family dynamic. I may beat this point endlessly but it's so so so important. Making sure this new dog is aware of where it lands in the family dynamic DOES NOT MEAN BRUTALITY AND CRUELTY. It's the opposite. It's fair, it's clear- black and white. Dogs don't do well with "grey", it's confusing.
As per the title, I'm the momma now. I am your defender and teacher, I am your sole source for food, grooming, play and affection. I am also responsible to put clear, fair and healthy boundaries on you. I made the choice to bring you home, I now have the responsibility to be your guide and translator in the human world. Literally all of these things requires me to be physical with the dog. If I am to protect my dog from another dog/person/situation, I need to be physical. When I feed you, I'm going to feed you from my hand and depending on the food and training goal, from my mouth; think of a small piece of apple or hotdog. When we play, I will come to your level and be physical with you and as we play you will learn there are "rules of engagement" (boundaries). I will handle you by picking you up, pulling, pressing, holding and manipulating your body. Pulling and lifting your paws like a vet exam. Opening your mouth and pressing on your gums to check CRT (Capillary refill time) for healthy blood flow. I will gently pull and lift your skin to see if there is any "tenting" to see your hydration level and will also need to do this when I check you for fleas and ticks. All these basic and easy handling exercises emulate going to the vet, getting used to human touch that is neutral. It's not a threat and responding with aggression is not appropriate. It's also not affection and shouldn't over excite the dog. I am not giving verbal praise as I handle you. This is something you just need to accept and will learn that nothing bad will happen. It's not painful or dangerous and in doing this, I am building trust and showing that they are below me in the dynamic without a need for corrections or brutality.
To this point, dogs and people are social. That's how we were able to take wolf pups 30,000 years ago and domesticate them. Now, dogs will seek out people and interaction with people. We don't need all these extras (memory foam dog bed, a box of designer Louis Vuitton toys, gourmet, artisanal dog treats etc) In a family home, they will seek you out to be social with you.
The dog communicates primarily through physicality- body language, posturing, positioning, movement. Each body part, each movement is dialogue. In the beginning, it's advantageous to us to build a solid foundation with them by also being physical with them in clear and appropriate ways. It's subtle and powerful. Vocalization and verbalization is the least utilized form of communication between dogs and other canines. We should not start off that way with them and hold them to that expectation. That is not clear or fair to them.
Circling back to the definitions at the beginning of this post- we should be the "Alpha" in the relationship with the dog. Meaning, we are in charge of them and their life. HOW you get the dog to understand that can vary and has the biggest impact. You do want to be dominant over your dog in the way that you have control and influence over them before anything else does and... HOW you get the dog to understand matters. If the front door is open then a squirrel runs by and your dog decides he wants to chase, if you have done a half decent job in training, you should be able to exert dominance (influence) your dog to NOT run out the door. WITHOUT resorting to any sort of brutality or cruelty.
Don't be the alpha. You don't need to be. Be the momma. The dog will genuinely respect you for it and ultimately be grateful that you are so clear and fair.
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