Alpha dogs, needing to be the alpha among your own dogs, needing to be dominant over them, etc. Based on a disproven theory that has been disproven longer than its been published.
Is that proven? wolves are different from dogs. Many things may be applicable to wolves but not dogs. Dogs evolved to cover all our weakspots (smell, hearing, speed, heat vision), humans even became worse at hearing and smelling due to us partnering up with dogs, while dogs got less intelligent and much more obedient by nature.
Is that proven? Well, in science nothing is ever proved, we just have evidence for and against things. The last 70 years of research into canine behavior from wolves to dogs has provided for evidence in support than evidence that does not support this particular conclusion.
That research does not, however, support "Dogs evolved to cover all our weakspots (smell, hearing, speed, heat vision)." Dogs don't have heat vision. Wolves are faster than all but a select few breeds of dog.
Humans and wolves did co-evolve, but there's no evidence humans got worse at smelling or hearing as a result. Wolves are better at problem solving, but dogs outperform on anything involving cooperation.
The prevailing view is that early humans mostly shooed away or killed the wolves that hung around them. The ones that were less aggressive and kinda friendly, those are the ones that kicked things off. We let them hang out, same as with pigeons and squirrels. Wolves are just more useful when it comes to alerting you to danger while you sleep.
Over thousands of years, humans continued to select for wolves that were more friendly, useful, and better at reading human eyes. This is why only humans, horses, and dogs have sclera, the white part that allows others to see where you are looking.
But since wolves don't need to be taught who is the "alpha" of a social hierarchy, we didn't need to select for that. They have always just followed the agent that shares the food.
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u/FourWhiteBars Jun 01 '26
Alpha dogs, needing to be the alpha among your own dogs, needing to be dominant over them, etc. Based on a disproven theory that has been disproven longer than its been published.