Dominance

Studies of Dominance in Dogs and Wolves

Expression Studies on Wolves – Rudolph Schenkel, 1947 (and reference to the Mech “Alpha” debacle)

This is perhaps the most undermined study on canine ethology in existence and the epitome of the expression, "Don't throw...

Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs by L. David Mech – 1999

Mech, 1999 ABSTRACT The prevailing view of a wolf (Canis lupus) pack is that of a group of individuals ever...

Leadership in Wolf, Canis lupus, Packs, David Mech – 2000

David Mech, 2000 ABSTRACT I examine leadership in Wolf (Canis lupus) packs based on published observations and data gathered during...

Leadership behavior in relation to dominance and reproductive status in gray wolves, Canis lupus, David Mech 2002

Abstract: We analyzed the leadership behavior of breeding and nonbreeding gray wolves (Canis lupus) in three packs during winter in...

David Mech’s explanation of the Term “Alpha” in Wolf Packs.

This is an article written by L. David Mech that directly addresses the confusion with the term “Alpha” in wolf...

Dominance in Relation to Age, Sex, and Competitive Contexts in a Group of Free-Ranging Domestic Dogs

Simona Cafazzo, Paola Valsecchi, Roberto Bonanni, and Eugenia Natoli 2010 Conclusions: Linear, hierarchical relationships can be observed in groups of...

Prolonged Intensive Dominance Behavior Between Gray Wolves, Canis lupus, David Mech and Dean Cluff, 2010

David Mech and Dean Cluff, 2010 ABSTRACT Dominance is one of the most pervasive and important behaviors among wolves in...

Dominance in Domestic Dogs Revisited: Useful Habit and Useful Construct?

Matthijs B.H. Schilder, Claudia M. Vinke, Joanne A.M. van der Borg 2014 ABSTRACT In the last decade, the validity and...

Dominance in Domestic Dogs: A Quantitative Analysis of Its Behavioural Measures

Joanne A. M. van der Borg, Matthijs B. H. Schilder, Claudia M. Vinke, Han de Vries 2015 ABSTRACT A dominance...

Dominance Relationships in a Group of Domestic Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)

Rebecca K. Trisko and Barbara B. Smuts, 2015 Conclusions: Altered pet dogs will form unidirectional, linear, hierarchical relationships, similarly to...

Dominance Relationships in a Family Pack of Captive Arctic Wolves (Canis lupus arctos): The Influence of Competition for Food, Age and Sex

Simona Cafazzo, Martina Lazzaroni, and Sarah Marshall-Pescini 2016 ABSTRACT Background: Dominance is one of the most pervasive concepts in the...

In Wolves, Play Behaviour Reflects the Partners’ Affiliative and Dominance Relationship

Simona Cafazzo, Sarah Marshall-Pescini, Jennifer L. Essler, Zsofia Viranyi, Kurt Kotrschal, Friederike Range 2018 ABSTRACT Puppy packs (consisting of only...

Dominance in Dogs as Rated by Owners Corresponds to Ethologically Valid Markers of Dominance

Enikő Kubinyi and Lisa J. Wallis 2019 Key Points: Authors provide an excellent overview of recent studies on dominance and...

Social Variables Affecting Mate Preferences, Copulation and Reproductive Outcome in a Pack of Free-Ranging Dogs

Simona Cafazzo, Roberto Bonanni, Paola Valsecchi, Eugenia Natoli, 2014 ABSTRACT Mating and reproductive outcome is often determined by the simultaneous...

Elevated Aggression is Associated with Uncertainty in a Network of Dog Dominance Interactions

Matthew J. Silk, Michael A. Cant, Simona Cafazzo, Eugenia Natoli and Robbie A. McDonald, 2019 ABSTRACT Dominance hierarchies are widespread...

Play Behavior in Wolves: Using the ‘50:50’ Rule to Test for Egalitarian Play Styles

Jennifer L. Essler1,2*, Simona Cafazzo1, Sarah Marshall-Pescini1,2, Zsófia Virányi1,2,Kurt Kotrschal1,3, Friederike Range1,21 Wolf Science Center, Ernstbrunn, Austria, 2 Comparative Cognition,...

Partner preferences and asymmetries in social play among domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, littermates

CAMILLE WARD, ERIKA B. BAUER† & BARBARA B. SMUTS*Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann ArborDepartment of Animal Programs, Smithsonian...

The Indispensable Dog, Clive D. L. Wynne

Abstract Dogs’ remarkable success in living in a human-dominated world rests on a set of adaptations to cohabitation with humans....