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Why everything you know about wolf packs is wrong

Lauren Davis 5/!2/!"#7:00am

$he#alpha#wolf#is#a#figure#that#looms#large#in#our#imagination.#$he#notion#of#a#supreme#pack#lea%er#who # fought#his#way#to#%ominance#an%#reigns#superior#to#the#other#wolves#in#his#pack#informs#both#our#fiction# an%#is#how#many#people#un%erstan%#wolf#behavior.#&ut#the#alpha#wolf#%oesn't#e(ist)at#least#not#in#the# wil%. *lthough#the#notions#of#+alpha#wolf+#an%#+alpha#%og+#seem#thoroughly#ingraine%#in#our#language,#the#i%ea# of# the # alpha # comes # from# -u%olph # .chenkel, # an # animal # behaviorist # who, # in # !947,# publishe% # the # thengroun%breaking#paper#+/(pressions#.tu%ies#on#0olves.+#1uring#the#!9"0s#an%#!940s,#.chenkel#stu%ie%# captive#wolves#in#.wit2erlan%'s#3oo#&asel,#attempting#to#i%entify#a#+sociology#of#the#wolf.+ 4n#his#research,#.chenkel#i%entifie%#two#primary#wolves#in#a#pack:#a#male#+lea%#wolf+#an%#a#female#+bitch.+# 5e # %escribe% # them # as # +first # in # the # pack # group.+ # 5e # also # note% # +violent # rivalries+ # between # in%ivi%ual # members#of#the#packs: A bitch and a dog as top animals carry through their rank order and as single individuals of the society, they form a pair. Between them there is no question of status and argument concerning rank, even though small fictions of another type (jealousy) are not uncommon. By incessant control and repression of all types of competition (within the same se ), both of these !" animals! defend their social position. $hus,#the#alpha#wolf#was#born.#$hroughout#his#paper,#.chenkel#also#%raws#fre6uent#parallels#between # wolves#an%#%omestic#%ogs,#often#following#his#conclusions#with#anec%otes#about#our#househol%#canines.# $he#implication#is#clear:#wolves#live#in#packs#in#which#in%ivi%ual#members#vie#for#%ominance#an%#%ogs, # their#%omestic#brethren,#must#be#very#similar#in%ee%. *#key#problem#with#.chenkel's#wolf#stu%ies#is#that,#while#they#represente%#the#first#close#stu%y#of#wolves, # they # %i%n't # involve # any # stu%y # of # wolves # in # the # wil%. # .chenkel # stu%ie% # two # packs # of # wolves # living # in# captivity,#but#his#stu%ies#remaine%#the#primary#resource#on#wolf#behavior#for#%eca%es.#7ater#researchers, # woul% # perform # their # own # stu%ies # on # captive # wolves, # an% # publishe% # similar # fin%ings # on # %ominancesubor%inant#an%#lea%er-follower#relationships#within#captive#wolf#packs.#*n%#the#notion#of#the#+alpha#wolf+# was#reinforce%,#in#large#part,#by#wil%life#biologist7.#1avi%#8ech's#!970#book##he $olf% #he &cology and Behavior of an &ndangered 'pecies94'm#linking#it#here,#but#please#note#that#while#the#book#has#historical# interest,#some#of#its#research#is#outmo%e%:. 8ech#spent#several#years#%uring#the#!9 0s#stu%ying#wolves#in#8ichigan's#4sle#-oyale#;ational#<ark#as#part# of#his#<h1#thesis#work.#8ech's#book#echoe%#.chenkel's#notions#of#+alpha#wolves+#an%#competition-base%# pack#hierarchies.#-ea%ers#of#8ech's#book#were#le%#to#believe#that#%ominance#playe%#a#key#role#in#the # lupine#social#or%er,#an%#that#wolves#were#naturally#incline%#to#%ominate#one#another.#*n%#8ech's#book# became#a#hit=#it#was#republishe%#in#paperback#in#!9>!#an%#remains#in#print#9much#to#8ech's#chagrin:#to # this#%ay.#4t#populari2e%#a#lot#of#our#mo%ern#i%eas#about#wolves,#inclu%ing#competition-base%#hierarchies.# *lthough#8ech#has#since#renounce%#the#notion#of#the#+alpha#wolf,+#he#a%mits#that#if#you've#hear%#the# term,#it's#likely#thanks#to#his#book. 4n # more # recent # years, # animal # behaviorists, # inclu%ing # 8ech, # have # spent # more # an% # more # time # stu%ying# wolves#in#the#wil%,#an%#the#behaviors#they#have#observe%#has#been#%ifferent#from#those#observe%#by #

2 .chenkel#an%#other#watchers#of#2oo-boun%#wolves.#4n#!999,#8ech's#paper#+*lpha#.tatus,#1ominance,#an%# 1ivision # of # 7abor # in # 0olf # <acks+#was # publishe% # in # the # ?ana%ian # @ournal # of # 3oology. # $he # paper # is# consi%ere%#by#many#to#be#a#turning#point#in#un%erstan%ing#the#structure#of#wolf#packs. +$he#concept#of#the#alpha#wolf#as#a#+top#%og+#ruling#a#group#of#similar-age%#compatriots,+#8ech#writes#in# the#!999#paper,#+is#particularly#mislea%ing.+#8ech#notes#that#earlier#papers,#such#as#8.0.#Ao('s#+.ocioecological # implications # of # in%ivi%ual # %ifferences # in # wolf # litters: # a # %evelopmental # an% # evolutionary# perspective,+#publishe%#in#&ehaviour#in#!97!,#e(amine%#the#potential#of#in%ivi%ual#cubs#to#become#alphas,# implying#that#the#wolves#woul%#some%ay#live#in#packs#in#which#some#woul%#become#alphas#an%#others# woul%#be#subor%inate#pack#members.#5owever,#8ech#e(plains,#his#stu%ies#of#wil%#wolves#have#foun%#that# wolves#live#in#families:#two#parents#along#with#their#younger#cubs.#0olves#%o#not#have#an#innate#sense#of# rank=#they#are#not#born#lea%ers#or#born#followers.#$he#+alphas+#are#simply#what#we#woul%#call#in#any#other # social#group#+parents.+#$he#offspring#follow#the#parents#as#naturally#as#they#woul%#in#any#other#species.# ;o#one#has#+won+#a#role#as#lea%er#of#the#pack=#the#parents#may#assert#%ominance#over#the#offspring#by # virtue#of#being#the#parents. 0hile # the # captive # wolf # stu%ies # saw # unrelate% # a%ults # living # together # in # captivity, # relate%, # rather # than# unrelate%,#wolves#travel#together#in#the#wil%.#Bounger#wolves#%o#not#overthrow#the#+alpha+#to#become#the# lea%er#of#the#pack=#as#wolf#pups#grow#ol%er,#they#are#%isperse%#from#their#parents'#packs,#pair#off#with# other#%isperse%#wolves,#have#pups,#an%#thus#form#packs#of#their#owns. $his#%oesn't#mean#that#wolves#%on't#%isplay#social#%ominance,#however.#0hen#a#recent#piece#purporting# to#%ispel#the#+myth+#of#canine#%ominance#appeare%#on#<sychology#$o%ay,#ethologist#8arc#&ekoff#6uickly# steppe%#in.#0olves#9an%#other#animals,#inclu%ing#humans:,#%isplay#social#%ominance,#he#notes=#it#Cust#isn't# always#easy#to#boil#%ominant#behavior#%own#to#simple#e(planations.#1ominant#behavior#an%#%ominance# relationships#can#be#highly#situational,#an%#can#vary#greatly#from#in%ivi%ual#to#in%ivi%ual#even#within#the # same#species.#4t's#not#the#entire#concept#of#wolves#%isplaying#social#%ominance#that#was#%ispelle%,#Cust# the#simple#hierarchical#pack#structure.#4n#response#to#the#same#piece,#8ech#pointe%#to#a#20!0#article#he# publishe%#%etailing#his#observance#of#an#a%ult#gray#wolf#repeate%ly#pinning#an%#stra%%ling#a#male#pack# mate#over#the#course#of#si(#an%#a#half#minutes.#+0e#interprete%#this#behavior#as#an#e(treme#e(ample#of # an#a%ult#wolf#harassing#a#maturing#offspring,#perhaps#in#prelu%e#to#the#offspring's#%ispersal.+ *s#research#on#wolves,#both#captive#an%#wil%,#continues,#we#%evelop#a#more#comple(,#nuance%#picture#of# wolf#behavior.#&ut#the#easy#notion#of#the#+alpha#wolf+#still#persists.#?ertainly#in#entertainment#it#has#ma%e# for#some#nice#stories=#plenty#of#books#an%#movies#center#aroun%#the#notion#of#wolf)an%#werewolf)ranks.# 5owever,#the#outmo%e%#i%ea#of#the#+alpha#wolf+#still#has#some#legs#in#a#real-worl%#area:#%og#training. @ust#as,#more#than#si(#%eca%es#ago,#.chenkel#e(trapolate%#his#wolf#stu%ies#an%#applie%#them#to#%omestic # %ogs,#so#too#have#many#carrie%#the#notion#of#the#+alpha#wolf+#over#to#%og#training.#?ertainly,#Cust#as# parent#wolves#hol%#%ominance#over#their#cubs#an%#human#parents#hol%#%ominance#over#their#chil%ren,# owners#hol%#%ominance#over#their#%ogs.#Dntil#my#pup#gets#himself#a#cre%it#car%#an%#a#pair#of#opposable# thumbs#9an%#stops#%issolving#into#%elighte%#wiggles#every#time#4#tell#him#what#a#goo%#little#man#he#is:, # 4'm#pretty#much#the#boss#in#our#relationship.#&ut#some#trainers#take#the#i%ea#of#pack#rank#to#the#e(treme= # %og # owners # are # given # a # laun%ry # list # of # rules # of # how # to # maintain # alpha # status # in # all # aspects # of # their# relationship:#1on't#let#your#%og#walk#through#the#%oor#before#you#%o.#1on't#let#her#win#a#game#of#tug. # 1on't#let#him#eat#before#you#%o.#.ome#9famous:#trainers#even#encourage#acts#of#physical#%ominance#that# can#be#%angerous#for#lay#people#to#e(ecute.#8uch#of#this#is#a#legacy#of#those#ol%#wolf#stu%ies,#suggesting# that#we're#in#constant#competition#with#our#%ogs#for#that#pack#lea%er#position. &ut,#you#might#ask,#mightn't#%omestic#%ogs#behave#much#like#wolves#in#captivityE#1espite#being#members# of#the#same#species,#wolves#9even#human-reare%#wolves:#are#behaviorally#%istinct#from#%omestic#%ogs, # especially#when#it#comes#to#human#beings.#$ake#the#famous#e(periment#in#which#human-sociali2e%#wolves# an%#%omestic#%ogs#are#both#presente%#with#a#cage#with#foo%#insi%e.#$he#foo%#is#place%#insi%e#a#cage#in#a# way#that#makes#it#impossible#for#either#wolf#or#%og#to#retrieve#it.#$he#wolves#will#inevitably#keep#working# at#the#cage,#trying#to#pu22le#out#a#way#to#remove#the#foo%.#$he#%ogs,#after#a#few#secon%s#of#struggle,#will# look#to#a#human#as#if#to#say,#+5ey,#bu%%y,#a#little#help#hereE+#/ven#if#the#hierarchical#ranks#were#some # innate#part#of#lupine#psychology,#%ogs#have#behaviors#all#their#own. ?anine # ethology # is# actually # a# very# rich # area# of # stu%y. # -esearchers # like#Faren # &.# 7on%on#an%*le(an%ra# 5orowit2#constantly#contribute#to#our#un%erstan%ing#of#the#%omestic#%og,#an%#researchers#like#8ech#9who# has#an#up%ate%#book,#$olves% Behavior, &cology, and (onservation:#continue#to#e(pan%#our#knowle%ge#of# wil%#wolves.#*n%#perhaps#some%ay,#our#popular#culture#will#more#closely#resemble#our#mo%ern#behavioral# science#rather#than#the#results#of#out%ate%#research.