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There are some cute, well-trained dogs out there. You know, the ones that can high five or walk on their hind legs.
有些狗狗可爱且训练有素，比如那些会握手或用后腿走路狗狗。
But the methods people use to train their dogs can be much less adorable.
但是人们训练狗狗的方法可就没那么可爱了。
In dog training, the term "alpha" is thrown around a lot, and this idea of the "alpha dog" has been popular for years.
在训练狗狗中，“阿尔法”这个词经常出现，这种“阿尔法狗”的想法流行多年。
According to so-called "alpha pack theory", dogs live in social hierarchies
根据所谓的“阿尔法群理论”，狗狗是有社会等级的，
where the top dog or alpha decides who gets to mate, eat, and do basically anything else.
其中阿尔法狗决定谁可以交配、进食以及做一些其他基本事情。
And every dog wants to be the alpha. So to train or even live with your animal,
每只狗狗都想成为阿尔法狗。所以为了训练，甚至和你的狗狗共同生活，
you have to get them to think you're the "alpha" by exhibiting behaviors that, according to this theory, dogs use to let other dogs know they're on top.
根据该理论，你需要通过表现出一些行为，让它们认为你是‘阿尔法狗’，而狗会用这些行为让其他狗知道它们是老大。
Things like staring your dog down, always going through a doorway first, or rolling them onto their back to show them who's boss.
这些行为包括，自上而下盯着你的狗，总是先穿过门口，或者让它们打滚，让它知道谁是老大。
But, here's the thing: Alpha pack theory isn't true. It comes from a misunderstanding of both wolves and dogs.
但事实是：阿尔法群理论并不是真的。这来自于对狼和狗的误解。
And there are much better ways to interact with animals. This theory had its roots in a study done in the 1940s,
并且还有一些与狗狗互动的更好的方法。这一理论起源于20世纪40年代的一项研究，
when a scientist did behavioral tests on a pack of wolves that had been caught in the wild.
当时一名科学家对在野外捕捉的狼群进行了行为测试。
He placed ten wolves from different packs in a small enclosure and noticed that they formed a social hierarchy.
他把来自不同群体的十只狼放在一个小围场内，并注意到它们形成了一个社会等级。
Some animals seemed to control the distribution of resources,
一些动物似乎会控制资源分配，
and resources were passed down to other wolves based on their rank in the group.
并且资源也会根据狼群的等级传递下去。
The researcher named these ranks after the letters of the Greek alphabet.
研究人员根据希腊字母表的字母来命名这些等级。
So, the alpha wolves got the first pick of food, the betas, just below them, got the second pick,
阿尔法狼先选择食物，而在它们下面的贝塔狼获得了第二批食物，
and then came the omega or omegas: the most submissive.
然后是奥米伽狼：最顺从的狼。
Based on this, he proposed that the bigger, bossier wolves used aggression and hostile behavior to establish that they were in charge.
在此基础上，他提出，更大、更霸道的狼利用攻击性和敌对行为来证明它们是老大。
And then everyone took this idea and just ran with it. See, the domestic dogs we see today, from the smallest poodle to the largest Great Dane,
然后每个人都接受这种想法，并按照这种方法训练。我们今天看到的家养狗，从最小的贵妇犬到最大的大丹狗，
are all descended from a common ancestor shared with wolves.
和狼源于同一个祖先。
And although dogs have been comfortably living with us for at least 15,000 years,
虽然狗和人类和谐共处了至少15000年，
their relationship with their wild cousins often leads us to believe the animals act in similar ways.
它们和野生表亲的关系经常让我们以为动物行为方式是类似的。
Which is how the public's understanding of wolf pack research from the mid-1900s led to the idea of alpha dogs.
所以20世纪中期公众对狼群研究的理解导致了阿尔法狗这个概念的产生。
Today, dog owners are often instructed to take the role of the "alpha"
如今，狗主人通常扮演‘阿尔法’的角色
and show their animals that they're in control of all resources, and therefore must be obeyed. But wolves don't actually act like that.
并让他们的宠物知道他们控制着所有的资源，因此必须服从他们。但狼实际上不会那样做。
Since the '40s, many scientists and naturalists have observed wolf packs both in enclosures and in the wild.
自40年代起，很多科学家和自然学家都观察过圈养和野外的狼群。
Including one hugely influential one named David Mech,
其中包括非常有影响力的大卫·麦奇，
who spent thirteen summers in the late '80s and '90s observing wolf packs in their natural habitats!
他在80年代末和90年代花了13个夏天在自然栖息地观察狼群！
Mech found that wolves in the wild live in large, family-style groups where two parents will sire and raise a couple litters of pups.
麦奇发现，野外的狼以大家庭的方式群居，父母双方交配并养育一窝幼崽。
He also noticed that wild wolf packs don't exhibit the intense aggression and competition that were seen in the captured wolves.
他也注意到，野外狼群不像圈养狼群那样表现出强烈的攻击性和竞争性。
In fact, they work together as a family to raise young and keep each other safe.
实际上，它们像一个家庭一样，抚养后代，彼此照顾。
Although some of the animals are natural leaders of the pack, they didn't grow into this because of competition and aggression,
虽然一些动物是群体中天生的领导，它们并不是因为竞争和攻击而成为领头，
but rather because of personality, seniority, and mentoring their younger siblings. So, how was that study from the 1940s so off?
而是因为它们的品质、资历以及对弟弟妹妹的指导。所以为什么和40年代的研究差距那么大？
Well, turns out, if you put a bunch of unrelated animals from different regions in an enclosure with few resources, they're going to act differently.
结果证明，如果你将来自不同区域且没有关系的动物集中到在一个几乎没有资源的封闭环境中，它们的行为也会完全不同。
That experiment got rid of the only social structure those wolves knew, so they had to come up with something else.
这个实验除去了狼唯一知道的社会结构，所以它们必须想出别的东西。
Also, these experiments were founded on an incorrect idea that wolf packs start fresh each winter, with new wolves joining and some leaving.
还有这些实验是建立在一个错误的观念上，即每年冬天狼群都重新开始，有新狼群加入，也有一些离开。
It wasn't until Mech's research that scientists realized this error.
直到麦奇的研究后，科学家们才意识到这是错误的。
So, that's two strikes against this alpha dog thing. And strike three? Despite the common ancestor, dogs aren't wolves.
所以这是对领头狗说法的两次打击。第三个打击呢？虽然有着共同的祖先，但狗不是狼。
Studies show that thanks to domestication, dogs respond differently to humans than wolves do:
研究表明，由于驯化，狗对人类的反应与狼不同：
For instance, they show more attachment to their humans than wolves in captivity,
例如，它们比被关在笼子里的狼对人类更有感情，
and some studies suggest they're better at picking up on our cues.
并且一些研究表明，它们更擅长捕捉我们的口令。
That's not to say that all dogs live in harmony: When they live together, they can still have conflict over resources.
这并不是说所有狗狗都能和睦相处：当它们共同生活时，它们仍会为了资源发生冲突。
But it's not because of some ingrained, linear social hierarchy.
但这并不是因为根深蒂固的线性社会等级制度。
Today, the consensus among researchers is that alpha pack theory is ineffective when training dogs and actually detrimental to their welfare.
如今，研究人员一直认为，阿尔法群理论在训练狗狗时是无效的，并且实际上对它们的健康是有害的。
Punishment as a training method isn't pleasant for a dog, and it can lead to aggressive behavior where they wouldn't normally be combative.
惩罚作为一种训练方法，对狗来说是不愉快的，这会让狗狗出现攻击性行为。
Also, even though this theory was based on behaviors dogs use to communicate... we're not dogs. And they seem to know that.
此外，即便这种理论是基于狗狗沟通的行为，我们又不是狗，而且它们也知道我们不是。
They've actually evolved unique ways of communicating with us,
它们其实进化出了和我们沟通的独特方式，
so trying to mimic their behavior through, say, physical correction, isn't an effective way to get a message across.
所以试图通过身体矫正来模仿它们的行为，并不是一种有效的传达信息的方式。
Instead, the most effective way to train a dog is to encourage their behavior using positive reinforcement —
最有效的训狗方式是用正面强化来鼓励它们的行为——
things like giving them a treat when they sit or saying "Good boy!" when they wait for their food.
比如当它们坐下的时候，给它们零食奖励或在它们等待食物的时候夸它们，“好孩子！”
Rewarding them with something they like for doing something you like.
当它们做了你喜欢的事，就奖励些它们喜欢的东西。
This has been shown to not only work, but to work better than other forms of training.
事实证明，这种方法不仅有效，而且比其他形式的训练效果更好。
Because not only is it less potentially-confusing, but it's motivating: Dogs learn that it's worthwhile to keep doing some behavior.
因为这样不仅减少了潜在的困乱，也更具激励性：狗狗们明白了保持某些行为是值得的。
So, in short, dogs aren't wolves, and captive wolves aren't wild wolves, either.
所以简单来说，狗不是狼，并且被圈养的狼也不是野生狼。
It's all based on misunderstandings and unintentional problems with study design.
这些都是基于研究设计的误解和没有意义的问题。
But now that we know that, we can treat animals better. If you want to learn more about how dogs became our best friends,
但现在我们知道了，我们可以更好地对待动物。如果你想了解更多关于狗狗如何成为我们最好朋友的知识，
we recommend checking out an episode from one of our sister channels, PBS Eons.
我们建议大家看看我们姊妹频道PBS Eons的一期节目。
They recently came out with an episode about dog domestication, and like everything from the PBS Eons team, it's a delight.
他们近期推出了一期关于狗驯化的节目，和PBS Eons的其他节目一样有趣。
As always, thanks for watching this episode of SciShow, and we'll be back tomorrow with more cool science.
一如既往，感谢收看本期节目，明天我们将带来更多精彩的科学内容。
