HEIRARCHY OF DOGS
The social relationship between dogs is quite neat to watch as they interact among themselves. Far from being unique, the social dynamics in a pack are quite predictable.
While every dog has a one of a kind relationship with its owner, its relationship within the pack is rather stereotypical. The individual personalities that emerge when they are dealing with a pack environment are quite predictable. Next time you take a walk in the park ~ check out the group dynamics at play with the various dogs and see if you can pick out the personality type your dog exhibits along with its place or position within the social circle.
ALPHA FEMALE
She's the one who wears the pants in the family and there is always one in every pack. She is the true boss but will allow the alpha male certain leeway. This is the dog that disciplines unruly puppies, reprimands other members of the group if they become too uppity and she is the general supervisor of the group's activities. While she is not necessarily the most active or inactive of the group, she is the one to whom all the others pay attention ~ either by avoiding her altogether or by fawning over her. Some of the worst scraps occur when another female challenges her authority. She may not be the biggest dog in the group, but she carries a heck of a wallop!
ALPHA MALE
He thinks he's the boss ~ he's cocky, struts, takes on all comers and inspects all the new dogs. He's the perfect gentleman most of the time, allowing all sorts of rough and tumble activity and some times he engages in horseplay, but often he is doing his own thing with dignity. He seldom has to do more than utter a low growl to show his disapproval but he'll take on another male three times his size to maintain his top dog status. The only other dog he will accept criticism from is the alpha female.
ALPHAS ~ NEXT GENERATION
These are the alpha males and alpha females in waiting. They have all the attributes of the active alphas but they're biding their time waiting for their own shining moment. They're always status conscious and they keep their eyes peeled watching for the opportunity to move up the ladder in the pack heirarchy and will often engage in 'semi-combatant' or 'one-up-man-ship' types of behaviour. New dogs and other packs are on the alert for the next generation of alphas.
THE BULLY
There's one in every crowd. Just like humans, you will find a bully in the playground. This dog never really joins in and plays with the other dogs ~ he is too busy waiting for a chance to pounce, slam into another dog [body check] or bark in their ear. Like any bully, he is really a coward and more noise than anything else and so rarely if ever do you see this dog in a fight. He is often responsible for the overly rough play of other dogs and he causes many arguments with his unchecked ruliness ~ you'll see him slink off when an argument takes place.
THE CLOWN
This dog lives by his wits and is usually at the bottom of the pack pecking order and seldom gets involved in fights. He is a lover ~ not a fighter. He does not easily accept new dogs in the group but once he has he welcomes them with gusto, often seen rolling onto his back, giving them his paw or trying to lick the new dogs face. Often thought of as the goof, clown, flirt or silly dog of the group he is also similar to the rough houser in that he likes to play ~ once the play begins however he is often seen walking off. His absence from the group is always noticed as the other dogs seem to miss his humourous behaviour.
THE LONER
Often seen alone, doing his own thing ~ the loner has better things to do than play, socialize or join in group excursions with other dogs. The world is full of interesting and intriguing sights, sounds and smells which he intends to explore. He will be off hunting squirrels, digging up holes, playing with worms, unearthing rocks, catching bugs or just exploring the terrain. When a loner is introduced to a group of dogs he finds them boring and so he goes off ~ this is not noticed by the other dogs as they tend to ignore him anyway. Sometimes the other dogs will follow him around just to see what it is that is so interesting to him ~ kinda like 'monkey see, monkey do'.
THE ROUGH HOUSER
Ohhh let's play!!! Tag you're it! Can't catch me! Always in the middle of the fray and often leading the charge ~ this dog gets along with everyone and is secure in his belief that 'the world is there for the taking / licking'. He is usually totally oblivious to obstacles, people and other dogs he will run into and/or over everything in his path ~ this reckless behaviour leads to his being consistently reprimanded by the alpha female.
THE WALLFLOWER
This dog spends more time in the outfield than an outfielder. Often seen on the peripheal but rarely in the group, he prefers to excuse himself and go off alone if rough play breaks out in the pack. He would rather be exploring on his own than involved in rough and tumble games as he does not like raucous behaviour ~ in fact he seems quite fearful and intimidated by it and will avoid confrontation whenever possible. This dog is often thought to be shy and reserved but he'll usually have one special friend in the pack with whom he will play quite gently and happily with.
