What is an “alpha” dog?
All dogs are pack animals. In the wild, the pack members consist of other dogs. With domesticated dogs, the pack consists of humans and the other pets in the family. When a rescue dog is with us, he is in one pack. When he comes into your home, he is coming into a new pack. In all packs, there is a hierarchy. Some members lead and some members follow. The leaders of the pack are called alphas . In packs consisting solely of dogs, there will be an alpha female and an alpha male. Of these two dogs, the alpha female is usually the final authority. After the alphas, the other various members of the pack will work out their own place within the pack. The alpha members are responsible for taking care of the other family members. The alphas make all the decisions for the pack and they are responsible for the safety of the pack. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, dogs do not want to be alphas. They would prefer that someone else was taking the responsibility for running the pac
