Originally Posted by
AlphaOut
That's funny, there are actually 2 alphas in a wolf family (and still accepted today). An alpha female, and an alpha male. This mentality is all through the animal kingdom. I'm not entirely sure where you're getting your information. The only thing that has changed is what the term "Alpha" actually means.
Considering the best trained dogs are still trained in this manner, I'd have to disagree. Military dogs, and the dogs that come out of Germany - which has arguably the best canine training academy in the world, still train in this fashion. It does not "instill fear" in a dog for them to know their place in the family. It teaches straight up obedience. I've trained all of my dogs (huskies) the same way, they don't eat when I put food in their bowl until the command, "Eat!."
One thing that people go wrong on is they put their hands on their dog in a negative way. That is an absolute no no. Not even a tap on the nose when he's being punished. Your dog must never worry about physical harm, but know that you're capable of punishing bad behavior. But also always rewarding good behavior.