Is the largest puppy in a litter usually the most dominant one?

Choosing a new puppy to join your family is always a very exciting time, regardless of the type of pup you’re looking for or if you wish to buy a pedigree dog from a recognised breed, or a cross-breed/ mongrel.

Making the right selection from amongst the pups in a litter, or even choosing a pup from several different litters you may view is a highly loaded decision, because the impact and implications of your ultimate choice will have an effect on both yourself and your pup for the rest of their time with you.

Being able to tell a good quality pup from amongst a litter, determining if they are healthy and assessing the risk of any potential breed-specific health conditions that may develop later in life are all things that take time and research, and the personality and temperament of the pup is naturally vital too.

However, it takes time and exposure to various “firsts” and life experiences to shape the personality of a puppy, and whilst both nature and nurture play a part in shaping a pup’s temperament, being able to tell from a pup’s behaviour when they are still young and living with their littermates what their core character traits will be when they are older can be very hit and miss.

Puppies are something of a blank slate when very young, and their early interactions with their dam, each other and the first people and strange dogs they meet all contribute towards shaping their later reactions and approach to other things.

However, even as early as when the pups reach a few weeks old and are ready to start meeting their potential new owners, their personalities, respective positions in the pack in relation to their other littermates, and the type of traits they will display when they get older may begin to become apparent.

You may be able to identify one pup that seems to be more outgoing than the others, another that is quieter and more reticent, and other pups that fall somewhere in the middle – and often, you will find that those smaller pups are less forwards and dominant, possibly as the result of being the runt.

You may also find that the biggest pup in the litter is the most outgoing and dominant – but does this also mean that the largest pup is by default the alpha amongst their littermates, and will this trait manifest when they are adults too? In this article, we will seek to answer this question. Read on to learn more.

When puppy personalities begin to become evident

When pups reach around the age of eight weeks and begin to become more active, mischievous and interested in the outside world, the first clear indications of their individual personalities begin to shine through.

However, before this point and even when the pups are very young, they’re in competition with each other for resources, including the dam’s milk as well as her attention.

In medium to large-sized litters, it often becomes evident early on if one pup is particularly strong and active, and may push other pups out of the way to feed, and/or if one pup is weaker or less pushy, and may miss out on getting enough milk without supervision.

The largest of a dam’s male pups will often be more pushy and proactive than the others, but the relative roles that each member of a litter plays in relation to each other can be fluid and adaptive, and don’t generally become established until the pups are four or five months old, by which time they will usually have gone on to their new homes.

This means that if you buy or adopt a pup prior to them reaching four months old, their relative position in the litter hierarchy and interactions with other pups might not translate until later on, and the way they interact with other dogs that they meet and where they fall in other pack structures might vary considerably too.

Size and dominance

How size relates to dominance in terms of pups is something of a chicken and egg question. A pup that is more forwards or dominant will get more attention and resources (like food) which will lead to them being larger and developing a little faster than other pups.

However, a pup that is naturally a little larger than the others itself has an advantage in terms of their strength and presence, which makes it easier for them to get the resources that they need, in turn, helping them to maintain their size and growth arc.

Ergo, a large puppy may be more dominant as a result of their size advantage, but equally, a dominant puppy may grow larger than the others as a result of their dominance itself.

However, it is not always the case that the biggest pup will be the most outgoing or dominant, and sometimes even the smallest pup will take this role – particularly if they are used to having to compete hard to get an equal share of food or attention.

Does a dominant puppy become a dominant adult dog?

Whether or not dominance in a pup is a desirable trait for a prospective owner can vary – and dominance is not necessarily a bad thing, because in any pack situation, one dog will tend to be the leader, and some pup has to take the role!

Dominant dogs are often sometimes a better pick for certain working roles or living situations in which an outgoing dog would thrive but a quieter dog might be daunted, and as long as the dog’s dominance is managed and channelled in healthy and appropriate ways, this is a good thing for their owners.

A pup that shows clear signs of being confident, not easily phased, outgoing and engaged with things will be more likely to maintain these traits as they get older than a shyer or more reticent pup is to develop these same traits, but this is not set in stone.

A pup’s personality forms over time, and when a pup is removed from a litter and has to find their role in a new pack and life, their eventual traits can change and adapt, and may surprise you.

Puppy size isn’t a definitive indication of relative dominance, but it can help to indicate the pups most likely to be dominant or bold when considered in conjunction with their behaviour. However, picking a new puppy means being prepared for some surprises along the way, and so you won’t really be able to tell for sure how dominant or otherwise your pup will be until they are around a year or more old.