Do you see yourself as the “alpha” or pack leader that your dog must respect and obey? If so, you’re leaning on a concept that doesn’t actually exist in the wild—yet it’s still being used today to justify harsh, outdated dog training methods. Learn why force and intimidation are never necessary in dog training and how positive reinforcement builds trust, confidence, and more long-lasting results.

At some point, every dog parent hits the wall: you’ve tried YouTube tips, a pocketful of treats, and your firmest “no”—but the leash pulling, guest-jumping, or barking when you leave still happens. It’s frustrating, because you love your dog, and the gap between what you’re teaching and what they’re doing feels… wide.

So the question comes up: should you send your pup away for an intensive board-and-train program, or work with a trainer through private lessons where you learn alongside your dog?

Both can help. One may simply fit your dog, home, and schedule better than the other. Let’s break down how dogs actually learn, where each approach shines, and how to choose with confidence.

This brief history of the evolution of modern day dog training provides readers with insight into how today’s dog training methods were developed. Our goal in reprinting this article by Dr. Mary Burch is to help you, caring pet parents, understand how the different approaches in dog training were developed and to, hopefully, choose positive methods over force-based ones.

The alpha myth is everywhere. Google “alpha dog” on the Internet and you get more than 85 million hits. Really. While not all the sites are about dominating your dog, there are literally millions of resources out there – websites, books, blogs, television shows, veterinarians, trainers and behavior professionals – instructing you to use force and intimidation to overpower your dog into submission. They say that you, the human, must be the alpha. They’re all wrong. Every single one of them.