Alpha Pup Best of Manwork?

[SteelFistVelvetGlove]

I have noticed that one of my pups is usually dominant sometimes overtly overwhelming. I have also noticed one of the others pretty much ignores him, goes his own way and is much more interested in attacking and yanking on my pant leg that being dog aggressive.

Lets Me to wonder. I have been told that the alpha one is the one to keep. The behaviour I have seen sort of makes me question that. What do the more experienced of you have to say?

Thanks

SteelFistVelvetGlove

[ButchCappel]

Boy, does this open up a potential can of worms! This is where a large group of people may feel the need to disagree with me, and they certainly have that right, so I will try to be very specific in everything I write.

The question seems to be "Is the ALPHA pup the best to keep?" the problem in answering, for me, is an answer means that I see some valididty in "puppy tests". Only if you can pick the "alpha" as a puppy can you know if you should keep it.

I have come to believe (here is where somone gets mad) that puppy tests are totally inaccurate for any temperment predictors as an adult!

I first became familiar with "puppy evaluations" in the 70s' when several AKC breeders assured me they could pick future "show" quality pups as early as 7 weeks of age. They could also charge a lot more for those pups. I also noticed that several of these breeders ususally had about an 85% show quality rate if they had that many "show" buyers. Then evaluations began to be used to predict adult tempermant as well.
Not being a breeder I went along with that too.

I tried to learn these tests, but when following up on the pups as adults, found that I was never really that accurate. While reading "The Dogs Mind" by Bruce Fogel DVM I found I was not alone. Clinical tests had been done in England, with "expert" evaluaters, to predict tempermant.
When followed up as adults these tests were found to be no more accurate than random guesswork. Several other trials have shown the same results.

With the mapping of the human Genome and other new DNA discoveries a great deal more has been discovered about what makes animals work.
Emotional as well as physical The age old argument about what makes us tick, is it our enviroment or, our inheritnace, seems to have been answered. That answer is hands down, our early up bringing does the deciding in what most mammals become.

That backs up the belief that early puppy evaluations will be inaccurate, because the way the pup is raised, will influence more than the pups genetics.

Does this mean that parents, pedigree, and genetics are not important? Not no, but hell NO! They are still very important. But it means that a pup percieved to be "Alpha" at 12 weeks may be "Zeta" at 24 weeks, therefore I can't (though many others think they can) tell you the alpha will be better because I can't tell you, accurately which one the alpha is!

I can tell you that the one you put the most time in with, will probably be better than the ones you don't put as much time into. I can say that without a doubt as to the accuracy of my prediction.

Now, I know this is not exactly what you had in mind when you posted the question, but it might lead to some very interesting, and informative replies.