An interesting article on pack dynamics...
The behavior department asked me to make copies of an article from International Wolf magazine and I read through it and found it to be very interesting and wanted to share it with all of you. L. David Mech talks about the misuse of the term "alpha" in regards to certain wolves in packs and sheds light on newer theories to explain how pack dynamics work. I apologize for posting it this way, but I could only scan it in and save it as a jpeg. What are your thoughts about this article?
Comments
It certainly does put a new perspective on the alpha roll in wolves; however, what it also does do is lend credence to the notion of alpha dogs in domestic packs. Domestic packs are a random group, and according to this article they would compete for dominance. What is missing from this discussion (appropriately so IMO) is a discussion of how that competition manifests itself---be it physical or mental. (read: if you believe the argument and therefore that alphas exist in domestic packs, it doesn't mean Cesar's techniques are appropriate).
I think the most fascinating part of the article was the discussion of the Yellowstone wovles and how they differ from un-altered packs in the wild. I found that to be really interesting!
Also, I would have liked to have read a bit about how the pack leadership changes over time. The leaders can't remain leaders forever.
Thanks again for posting Kelly!
Thanx so much for posting this Kelly!
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