there ears have been cropped,his name is mo,all of my dogos ears are done.

Ear cropping is illegal in the UK.

Take two separate captive wolf packs and you will see different types of behaviours so the theory goes out the window IMHO

Of course you do---if you have no clear leader there is either a harmonious group or an itchy one.

I have a friend who had 12 or so collies who were very chilled and didn't seem to show any of the behaviours that would lead to them being heirachal at all---then it changed when she got another rescue and now it is totally different as more have been added and lost.

I have had very different groups depending on the make up and the dogs involved. The interesting thing is when a dog feels secure enough to make waves and try its strength---Benj took a few months but he is there now. OTOH he ain't stupid and he won't try it on with Tassles Gabe or Zeff---just with Champa who is older and getting weaker. Celt he ignores, visiting dogs get humped if he can manage it and then played with to test them out.


Playing is a safe way of testing strengths---for humans and dogs. Top footballers, a list actors etc become 'alpha males' (this happens even if you don't agree with it) The older females step back from it---just as they do in the dog world.

rune

For what purpose are they mutilated in this barbaric way? .

What's this got to do with the pack theory?

exactly,look it up.if you must,mutilation is a powerfull word, for a sergical proceedure!,deemed unnessesary buy those who dont understand why.respectfully,if you would like more info,please start another thread .i will gladly explain, if you would like to know,and its illigal where i live as well.sorry ...back to the pack, shall we.

Why? Not being antagonistic, I just cannot think of any reason for cutting off a dog's ears

tbf 3dog... there is no place in this day and age for dogs to have ears cropped...it is a mutilation...soz

I agree
For many years we thought chimp packs were lead by a dom male and female who red with a fist of iron
Because that was what had been observed
But I remember watching a wildlife documenty a few years back

The troop had two brothers

One was the dom male
The rest of the troops feard him and he beat them up to keep them in line constantly

Had researchers seen that then their idea of 'pack theory' in chimps would be believed

But
His quieter brother was a diplomat
He went round making friends, grooming other chimps

and one day he walked up to his brother with his big band of friends
The brother backed down - a totally bloodless coup

and for a while he ruled without violence
If people were viewing then then there would have been a totaly different idea of how the groups work

I think we like to have a 'one size fits all' description for behaviour - but I think it is a bit to simplistic IMO, you have personalities
Just like in a gatering of humans you have different types of people
But for me it seems that people sepnd so much time trying to figure out which one is the boss and how to deal with that rather than just treating dogs as individuals and deciding what behaviours they like and what ones they do not like and then training for that