Tapir on Nostr: I actually dislike using the term alpha when referring to wolves, as it implies the ...
I actually dislike using the term alpha when referring to wolves, as it implies the position was gained through some form of adversary, when in reality most wolf packs are just the parents and offspring, with the parents being what is often referred to as alphas.
I believe the original theory of alpha wolves actually came from captive wolves, whom were forced to cohabitate with wolves outside of their family unit and, obviously, didn't have as much territory to disperse. Granted at the time, this was how we thought wolves operated and didn't think much of it. As a result, these wolves were much more violent than what we see in the wild.
One theory on the traits were that they kept the wolf instinct to actually hunt but not kill, like you mentioned, which I find really interesting because herding dogs, if not trained, are actually terrible around small animals. It makes sense, if they have a stronger instinct to hunt than many other dogs. They still need some guidance to not kill everything
I believe the original theory of alpha wolves actually came from captive wolves, whom were forced to cohabitate with wolves outside of their family unit and, obviously, didn't have as much territory to disperse. Granted at the time, this was how we thought wolves operated and didn't think much of it. As a result, these wolves were much more violent than what we see in the wild.
One theory on the traits were that they kept the wolf instinct to actually hunt but not kill, like you mentioned, which I find really interesting because herding dogs, if not trained, are actually terrible around small animals. It makes sense, if they have a stronger instinct to hunt than many other dogs. They still need some guidance to not kill everything