Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

by Alexandra Horowitz

The key to dogs’ success living with us in our homes is the very fact that dogs are not wolves. For instance, it is high time we revamp the false notion that our dogs view us as their “pack.” The “pack” language—with its talk of the “alpha” dog, dominance, and submission—is one of the most pervasive metaphors for the family of humans and dogs. It originates where dogs originated: dogs emerged from wolflike ancestors, and wolves form packs. Thus, it is claimed, dogs form packs. The seeming naturalness of this move is belied by some of the attributes we don’t transfer from wolves to dogs: wolves are hunters, but we don’t let our dogs hunt for their own food.13 And though we may feel secure with a dog at the threshold of a nursery, we would never let a wolf alone in a room with our sleeping newborn baby, seven pounds of vulnerable meat.