How does a wolf show that it is the leader of the pack?

The early wolf studies were seriously flawed. First, the wolves were held in captivity and not in studied in their natural habitats. Second, the wolves had been captured from different wolf packs, creating a volatile and unnatural pack structure. Finally, the studies focused largely on hunting/feeding behavior, a small percentage of wolf behavior. None of these factors provided researchers with an accurate view of normal wolf behavior. According to one biologist, this study was akin to using the concentration camps of Germany and Poland to study natural human behavior.

More in-depth studies of wolves in their natural habitats over the last 50 years have since revealed that a wolf pack is made up of a family; the breeding pair who shares leadership, and their offspring (1), who stay with the pack until 2-3 years of age, when they start their own pack. Eventually, almost every wolf becomes an "alpha" if they survive long enough mate and breed.