No, no they don't - because dogs do not live in the wild.
Dogs are a domesticated species, which means they rely on humans to survive, and cannot (and should not) be compared to their wild counterparts (wolves). Yes, some dogs live in feral groups, however it has been found that these dog packs act very differently to wolf packs (and it is wolf packs that we base our knowledge on dog behaviour and the 'dominant theory' on). One example of their many differences is their hunting behaviours - wolves are coordinated and herd the animals they are hunting, before splitting the individual they desire away from the group, compared to dog packs which pick an individual and mob the animal.
But I think the massive difference between a dog raised by humans and a dog raised by other dogs is that dog-human relationships are very different to dog-dog relationships. My border collie has a very close relationship with me and I know when he is upset with me or something due to his body language and cues (such as ears back, wide eyes, shying away etc) however he never growls at me. When he is having a disagreement with my other dog (saluki x) there will always be a growl to signify his disproval. Bare in mind that I am not saying here that dogs never growl at people and dogs don't communicate through growling with people - of course they do, and a growl is one of the most misunderstood but important ways a dog can communicate - I'm just pointing out the difference between how an individual dog can interact with people, and with other dogs.
There is scientific evidence to suggest that dogs to use the alpha-beta-omega hierarchy, whereas wolves in their natural environment live in family groups with a very different social order. What I do not understand is where people go from knowing that dogs will respect other individuals and won't challenge the individual for certain resources (a dominant individual is the individual that holds the resources and decides how to distribute them, many dominant animals will share resources if they are not needing them, in some cases even if they do need them, as altruism is a very beneficial evolutionary trait in social animals) to believing that owning a well behaved dogs requires excessive force in the name of discipline.
You all know the myths that are spread about how to handle dogs and how to get them to believe you are the alpha: if the dog bites you, bite it back; pin the dog on its back; grab the dog around the muzzle; snarl at the dog; pull it down by the scruff of its neck etc. But all of those things will most likely end with you being bitten by your dog. Your dog is a dog and knows how to communicate in dog language. You are a human who knows how to communicate in human language. Do not try to communicate to your dog as if you are a dog because you will not be able to read the millions of tiny social cues that he is emitting - sometimes through scent or subtle facial movements!
Dogs have evolved through the domestication process to read our body language, facial cues and vocal cues on a much more succinct level than all other animals. We have learnt how to understand dogs through studying their behaviour - there is a difference here. I believe that some people understand dogs on a natural level without need for research, to a degree, as I feel I am one of these people. I have however, to become as experienced and successful with handling dogs as I am now, had to study dog behaviour, and study hard! I'm just able to pick up on subtleties easier than some people, and I pay a hell of a lot more attention to the dogs around me than many people... but that is my job.
The main point I want to get across to you in this post is that aggression and punishment, which are so often used to make the human seem dominant to the dog in the relationship, do not cure behavioural problems in our dogs. At the kennels we use choke chains on every dog as a safety measure. They have a double ended lead with one end attached to the collars they come in wearing and the other attached to a choke chain. Some dogs come in without a collar and so purely have the choke chain, others come in with choke chain collars and so get doubled up. Our choke chain is purely for safety purposes, however when a dog is pulling like a lunatic the choke chain does come into use no matter how much you don't want to - simply because we have to keep it on at all times when walking the dogs. What I will tell you now is that EVERY dog that comes in wearing a choke chain still pulls THE ENTIRE TIME they are out on a walk. Choke chains do not solve the root of the problem, they simply offer a mediocre response. The dog needs positive training to show it how it should be walking, not a sharp pull on its throat every time it tries to get to where it wants to go - because often the outcome of getting to where it wants to go is much more beneficial to the dog than the pain of the choke chain!
B.F. Skinner was the man that coined the punishment and reward learning techniques and even he stated that if the animal does not understand what behaviour it should be doing to earn the reward, the behaviour causing the punishment will not die out.
Also, side note, in my opinion discipline is not the same as punishment. Discipline is setting boundaries and keeping these consistent, whereas punishment is using a negative experience to try and teach a dog how to behave. You can discipline a dog by being fair and positive - the dog jumps up onto the sofa, you don't want this so you pull him down (or ask him to get down if he knows the command) and then reward him when all four feet are on the ground. If he goes to move back onto the sofa, i.e. puts a paw on the sofa, you brush the paw away silently and then give praise after a moment of him not trying to get onto the sofa. The moment he turns away you praise him, if you are trying to train him to sleep in his own bed you give him extra excited praise when he gets into his own bed - maybe even go over to him and give him a belly rub in his bed! Training your dog how to behave does not need to be aggressive in the name of the human being alpha.
The dominant dog theory has been disputed and criticised many times over the last few years because the relationship between people and dogs is so different between dogs and other dogs. The dog seeks us out and has a bonded relationship with people, like a child, family member or friend. Do we have to be 'dominant' over our children to make them listen to us? Do we have to be dominant over our friends and family? Do we have to be the alpha and hold onto the resources and force the other members to comply? No. To have positive relationships you have to provide positive rewards for the positive behaviours, and be fair and consistent when stating what isn't right or accepted. Saying a dog needs an alpha because wolves in captivity show alpha-subordinate relationships is like saying humans need a dominant male to beat his chest because thats what gorillas do. Dogs are dogs, not wolves. We need to stop applying behaviours and techniques learnt from the captive wolf packs (which also have been shown not to apply to wild wolf packs due to the completely different environments and social upbringings) to the dogs raised by people from 8 weeks of age.
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