Whose Alpha?

Problems begin when a dog owner loves a dog as he/she would love a person. Dogs are canines and most closely related to the wolf, and we are Homo Sapiens, mostly closely related to monkeys. Thus while we, man and dog, may share similar experiences, and may even experience similar emotions; we don’t speak the same language.

Unfortunately, humans do things that from a “human-primate” point of view that are loving, caring gestures, but from a “wolf-dog” point of view these same gestures are perceived as differential, submissive, subservient, and in some cases, even threatening.

It is of the utmost importance, especially if you own breed that is regarded as “tough”, “difficult” or “very intelligent” or if you have young children in your life or if you have a shelter or rescue dog with an unknown history, that the question of “Whose Alpha” is answered early and decisively in the dog-human relationship.

Generally, when the question of “Whose Alpha?” is not answered during a dog’s youth, 8 weeks to 5 months of age, aggression problems will begin to appear when the dog has reached emotional and mental maturity, around 2-3 years of age. It is at this time that the dog may begin to make his bid for leadership of the household.

In the usual scenario, the dog is obedient to the husband about 75% of the time, obedient to the wife 50% of the time, and rarely obedient to the very young or elderly family members. In some cases, the less confident members of the family may feel as if they are hostages in their own home.