Do you believe in dominace theory?

[Glacier]

Thanks Glacier!! Can I use your post as a reference on other forums?

Sure.

There's a researcher at the University of Minnesota whose work I like, Dr. L. David Mech. He's spent much of his career debunking the strict hierarchy/alpha theory in wild wolf packs. Google his name, all kinds of stuff comes up!

There's a great chapter in Tamar Gellar's book, The Loved Dog, about her studies of a wild wolf pack and how they established dominance through play and games. I really like her ideas and training theories. If Cesar Milan's tactics turn you off(as they do to me), you'll like Tamar's!

[Twisterdog]

Muskwa was an alpha male before his eyes were fully open!

Sequoia as well. She came into our home at 6 weeks old, weighing 2 pounds. By the time she was housetrained 2 weeks later, she was well on her way to the alpha female position. She is by far the smallest and youngest of all our dogs, but she is unquestionably the alpha female.

No wolf ever alpha rolled another wolf unless he meant to inflict injury! Wolves submit to their alphas voluntarily. Dominance is not aggression.

Very true. And almost without fail, a true alpha dog will never hurt another dog. I have never seen Keito so much as make contact with another dog in the twelve years I've had him, yet he is unquestionably the alpha male, of not only our own dogs, but the hundreds of fosters and rescues we've had over the years, from one hundred pound malamutes to pit bulls. He doesn't have to be aggressive, he gives off "the vibe". The most he has to do is raise his lip, snarl, and very rarely scream and lunge.

[Glacier]

I have never seen Keito so much as make contact with another dog in the twelve years I've had him, yet he is unquestionably the alpha male, of not only our own dogs, but the hundreds of fosters and rescues we've had over the years, from one hundred pound malamutes to pit bulls. He doesn't have to be aggressive, he gives off "the vibe". The most he has to do is raise his lip, snarl, and very rarely scream and lunge.

That's Muskwa. Dogs he's never seen before just know not to bother! He's never been in a fight and we've had some big ones! He can stop a squabble just by glaring at the other dogs!