In the wild, the strongest dog typically presents himself as alpha; he tells the less dominant members of the pack when to hunt, when to fight and who to kick out of the pack. Alpha may kick a sick member out of the pack. If there is challenge as to who is alpha, there is typically a fight, usually to the death, or in some cases, the loser is banished and is forced to leave the pack.
In domestic packs, the dogs you have as “man’s best friend,” there is always a hierarchy of power. Some dogs are naturally submissive. When they meet other dogs, they roll on their backs and expose their neck. This is a memory they have from their feral wild days. By exposing the most vulnerable part of their body, they are showing the alpha dog that they are willing to be dominated, even killed. That is how Oreo and Mira behaved when they first were introduced to the pack.
In my pack, Norman is alpha. He has had some of his older dogs for over 10 years; dogs such as Pallo and Amos have been with him from the beginning. When you have male dogs in your pack, they usually naturally battle for dominance. When Pallo and Amos first met, they tried to square off. They basically attacked one another. Norman attempted to separate the two and exert his dominance. The way he remembers it, he had to physically separate the two apart, throw them against the walls to break up their fight. Submitting to him being alpha, and clearly understanding that this sort of behavior was not to be tolerated. Both dogs and Norman were bloody and bruised. Norman was accepted as alpha, and this situation with these two specific dogs never happened again.
Of course, pack members are a lot like siblings in a scabbling family. Someone took someone’s toy or ate their treat or even just got too close while being transported in the truck. If you think about taking your kids on a road trip, and the only thing you hear for hours while driving is “Will you stop touching me?”—Norman and I just laugh because we sound more like our parents every day. Especially during those times when we find ourselves saying things as absurd as, “Don’t make me come back there”.
Of course there are certain rules for alpha: Alpha eats first. What is left over is for the rest of the pack. Alpha makes any move first, and the rest of the pack observes and follows; when we are at the dog park, the dogs look to Norman for direction. If a member of the pack is frightened or sick, they look to Norman for comfort.
I have two dogs in my pack living with me on a daily basis. I have tried since I rescued Oreo in 2018 to establish my dominance with him. I don’t think he quite understands that I am alpha, at least not yet. He is torn between having been feral, on the streets of Clayton County Georgia in a pit bull fighting ring and having severe separation anxiety. He wants the freedom of taking off, doing his own version of the “walk about.” During this time, he does not respond to my commands to “come.” He is oblivious to my dominance. However, then he looks up and sees I am not there, he panics. I have seen it with my own eyes. He realizes he has ventured out on his own and wants the security of knowing I will always be there. He comes running back with such fear in his eyes, like he is saying “never leave me again.”
Some dogs do well in a pack. Others like Mira get overwhelmed with so many dogs coming at her at once. It is important to observe and meet each pack member where they are right now. Yes, Mira may get more comfortable with time with 7 dogs, but right now, she needs to gain her confidence and realize I, as alpha, will not let anything bad happen to her. She trusts me to look out for her. To protect her. To comfort her. I am her alpha. Of course, until Oreo shows her it is more fun just ignoring me and taking off like he does. 
