What is the best to own: Alpha? Omega or Beta?

Question

What the heck is that all about?

Can someone please tell me what each one does...??? What does an alpha do in a pack? What does a omega do? What does a beta do?

Secondly: Are dogs either purely dominate or submissive?....How can you tell which is which?

Answer 1

Honestly? I think the alpha theories are the biggest load of garbage to ever come out of the dog training world. Ridiculous and outdated. Why? simply, dogs are not wolves! that is like comparing a human to a chimpanzee. Sure, we are related, but through many thousands of years of evolution. Species adapt and change -- they move on. Our domestic dogs are not primative creatures that sleep at night plotting a coop to take over as 'alpha' -- utter nonsience. People who believe such such nosience are clueless about canine behavior. I also suspect that the majority of people who preach about the alpha theories are Cesar Millan followers.

Here is an excellent article on the subject:

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2004/Debunking.pdf

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the best to own: Alpha? Omega or Beta?
What the heck is that all about?

Answer 3

Well, very interesting question. Dogs do have personalities, just like humans do and these personalities are mostly inherited through their genes, although we, as humans, can influence these personalities with our behavior.
There are Alpha dogs and there are Beta and Omega, I guess, for lack of better word. Alphas, true Alphas are rear in most breeds today because of selective breeding practices. Also, Alphas in a toy group are not the same thing as Alphas in an 90 pound male with the right type of experiences.
Depending on the breed, most people could not handle a true Alpha dog and are much better off with a Beta or Gama and so on and so on. Omegas are not even worth discussing here because in my opinion they should not exist. That is where the majority of fear biters live and most problems occur with dogs.
In my 27 years of dealing with work dogs of the biting kind i have dealt with many people who either as a result of excessive testosterone or lack of brains and experience wanted to have an Alpha dog as a patrol dog or a personal protection dog. I always counseled against that and told them that an Alpha dog is only interested in pleasing himself, not you. Many of them learned, through hospitalization, that I was not lying. Alpha dogs are not the type of a dog you want to call off a suspect at 3AM or the type of a dog you need to argue with about holding a down-stay in the middle of a gun fight. A Beta will do a much better job.
Yes, it is true that an Alpha will make your life more interesting, as Loki so eloquently pointed out, but, not in my field of work. I do not need to hang a dog or beat a dog twice a week just because I want an Alpha.
I had a male malinois that was a true Alpha dog until very recently. He was an exceptional animal in every respect and a real world working dog. In the 9 years that we were together it was always a test of who will win today, he or I. While I do love a hard dog with a ton of fight drive and over the top prey and hunt drive, it did make both or our lives interesting when he had something that he did not want to give up. Very few people are capable of handling or even owning a true Alpha dog. I hope this has helped.

Answer 4

Beta Dog

Answer 5

Omega Dog

Answer 6

For a house dog or a pet, you would probably want an Omega, because they are most likely to obey you when you want them to. Beta is really close to alpha, but there is one that you forgot: subordinate. That is close to beta, but more on the omega side. As a sled dog, a beta would be good, because you want the dog to take orders from you, but GIVE orders to the rest of the dogs. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

A well-trained dog makes everyone happy, including his owner. Take a little time training him, and you'll never regret it; you'll always have an obedient dog by your side. Find more https://tinyurl.im/9OCia

By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 8

Depends on what you want the dog for, and your own personality.

Some people can't handle a dog with an Alpha personality. This dog ends up running the house, and may be considered "aggressive". If, however, you're looking for a working dog with a lot of drive, an Alpha dog may be perfect...usually people looking for this type of dog know how to deal with it.

I personally don't like to deal with Omega-submissive dogs. Simply put, they're weenies, and working with them is like pushing a rope. I suppose living with this type of dog as a pet would be okay, but I can see fear-biting issues if the socialization isn't there.

I guess a Beta personality would be the nice, middle of the road dog for the average pet owner.

Since I'm the Alpha b itch in my house, I like the Alphas. They're naughty and evil, and we get along fine. The easy-going Betas are easy keepers, but they don't have that "spark" that gets me. All of my favorite dogs in my life have been Alphas.

ADDED:
Wow, trickster...clearly you've never run a sled dog team, or sat in a yard with 6-10 dogs and watched them interact. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be so anti-pack heirarchy.

No, dogs are not wolves, but the body language is similar, the prey drive is similar (harnessed in different ways for different purposes, but there)...why wouldn't the pack order continue to exist? It is a HUGE part of canine social behavior! All canines! I have 3 different "packs" of dogs in my kennel, and I see it every day. I have a Champion male who has insisted on testing my authority every day since the day I brought him home, and I have a Dachshund who will literally pee herself if I stare her down.

How can you say that pack heirarchy doesn't play a role with the domestic dog? I can't even get my mind around that.

Answer 9

Dog training techniques are as controversial as abortion, Palestine and Bill O'Reilly. But, which dog training techniques can you trust to get you out of the dog house? It will help if you think about dog training techniques as being in one of two categories: balanced and imbalanced.

The discussion about which dog training technique to use when training a dog is one that resembles a discussion between an Israeli and a Palestinian. Each one seems absolutely certain of their position and is more than ready to vilify those who don't share their views on dog training. But, if you look at dog training techniques and methods and evaluate their worth and effectiveness based on whether the approach is balanced, it's a lot easier to weed out the garbage.

For the most part, trainers and their methods fall into two main categories. Those who do not use a physical consequence as a deterrent and those who do. There are many variations in the methods used by different trainers however, almost all trainers fall into one category or the other. Some trainers use food as a reward and never allow the dog to experience a negative consequence for a poor choice. Other trainers afford the dog the opportunity to experience a consequence for making poor choices.

The Use Of Food:

Using food is great in the sense that you will probably have a very happy dog on your hands when he realizes that the training comes with an all-you-can-eat buffet. However, using food to train your dog has some pitfalls we think you should be aware of.

Food is great if you just want to impress your guests with a couple silly pet tricks but, in the real world, your dog will probably be much more interested in chasing the cat than hanging around to get your silly, dry biscuit. So, if you are using food as the primary or sole motivator, you're in for some disappointment when it comes time for your dog to perform in the real world.

Strictly Positive Reinforcement:

It is not difficult to find trainers who will tell you they use a kinder, gentler method than those used by consequence and reward trainers. They will tell you that your dog will be emotionally destroyed by the use of correction as a deterrent. Their goal is to sell you on their loving approach to dog training. They would have you believe that their method is much better than those old, barbaric correction methods.

If you try to train your dog with a method of training that is as imbalanced as this, you will be in for some serious disappointments. Sure, it sounds like a great idea; training your dog and never having to correct him for making a poor choice. Never having to do the very thing you like doing the least. However, no matter how distasteful the concept of physical consequence is to you, it is necessary if you want a really good dog. You cannot consistently praise a dog when he does something right and never give him a consequence for doing something wrong, and expect him to turn out balanced.

Consequence And Reward:

In some cases, dog training methods that involve physical consequence as a deterrent cause additional problems. Not by virtue of the fact that the dog received a physical consequence for his poor choice, but because the training was too harsh, improper, or the balance between consequence and reward was not achieved. A bad trainer can destroy any good training system. It is far from true that methods using consequence as a deterrent will result in a fearful dog. It all depends on the skill of the trainer, the manner in which the dog is corrected and the balance between consequence and reward.

Dog training techniques and methods that use a healthy balance between consequence and reward are without doubt, the most effective, healthy training techniques you can use. It is important to remember that consequence in NEVER connected to emotion while reward is always given with sincerity and love.

Before You Spend MORE Money On Expensive Dog Trainers or Products,
Watch This Video First!

https://bitly.im/eVdZg

Discover the powerful dog training secrets to eliminate over 30+ common behavioral dog and puppy issues with step-by-step instructions from one of the world's most skilled dog trainers!

Answer 10

???

Are you asking what is better? Well, it depends if you have other dogs. And what you would want to come to that.

If you have questions about that that is. It is the rankings that dogs might establish in a place were there are multiple dogs living together.