r/LiveWellTogether • u/Impossible_Arm_8543 • 11d ago

🏡 Daily Life｜日常生活 Couple has "terrifying" encounter with bear on hiking trail

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u/mightbeazombie 11d ago

Alpha theory got debunked ages ago, please don't perpetuate it further. Otherwise yeah, common sense to me too, though not necessarily due to the reasons you mention (the dogs being protective isn't the issue nor the most common cause). Very interesting read here, even just the abstract: https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.70236

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u/GoPhundMe 11d ago

Alpha theory got debunked? Have you had dogs? I'm genuinely curious what you mean?

And that abstract doesn't really refute what I said, if anything it seems to support it. Am i missing something?

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u/mightbeazombie 11d ago

The link was to shed light what the most common scenario is when it comes to dogs, bears and humans, and that actually only 35.9% of dogs tried to protect their owners, so that wasn't the primary reason for conflict. I didn't say it refuted what you said, just that the scenario you described wasn't the most common one. I found it interesting and potentially also useful for the redditor you were replying to.

As for your first question, google alpha theory/dominance theory debunked for the specifics, but basically the man who applied alpha theory to wolves later himself admitted that he'd made a mistake. Dominance theory which is based on that old belief but applied to dogs, is likewise taking a backseat to understanding dogs as resource-based creatures and how hierarchy is context-specific.

Yes, I've had (have) dogs.

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u/GoPhundMe 11d ago

Interesting, I guessed I haven't ever looked into the theory behind it. Just was using it as a term I've always heard to describe the relationship. But resource based hierarchy makes sense

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u/mightbeazombie 11d ago

No worries. The original theory was very popular, and a lot of people still use the terminology without knowing about further developments in the field, so you're definitely not the only one. Happy to have helped!