In their review published in Biologia Futura, Henrietta Bolló and colleagues expand the understanding of social hierarchy by applying a functionalist approach to animal and human societies, including the unique dog–human partnership. Traditional interpretations of hierarchy in animals often emphasize dominance-based systems governed by aggression or control. However, Bolló et al. argue that in both humans and dogs, prestige-based hierarchies—built on cooperation, imitation, and mutual benefit—may better explain the structure of social relationships.
The authors differentiate between dominance, which is enforced through power and threat, and prestige, which is earned through competence, trust, and prosocial behavior. In prestige-based hierarchies, individuals gain influence not through force, but through demonstration of skill or reliability that others wish to emulate. Within human societies, prestige serves as a foundation for social learning and cultural transmission—mechanisms that also appear to influence dog–human interactions.
Extending this framework to dogs, Bolló et al. suggest that domestic dogs’ social relationships with humans mirror prestige-oriented systems. Dogs are predisposed to observe, learn from, and cooperate with human partners who demonstrate competence and reliability. This reliance on learning and emotional attunement indicates that trust and cooperation—not dominance—underpin the dog–human bond.
Building upon the traditional dominance–prestige model, the authors introduce the novel concept of “super-prestige” to describe the unique dependency-driven social dynamic between dogs and humans. In this framework, humans act as super-prestigious figures—sources of security, knowledge, and reward—whose influence extends beyond typical social imitation to include emotional and survival dependencies. This model highlights that dogs’ social behaviors toward humans, such as attention-following, deference, and attachment, are not submissive responses but adaptive strategies evolved for interspecies cooperation.
This perspective aligns with contemporary research on social cognition, attachment theory, and cooperative communication in dogs, emphasizing that their behavior within human households is more reflective of prestige-based learning systems than rigid dominance hierarchies. By framing the dog–human community as a cooperative partnership built on asymmetric yet prosocial interdependence, Bolló et al. provide a new theoretical foundation for interpreting canine social behavior and human–animal bonding.
The prestige-based social system hypothesis offers valuable implications for both ethology and welfare. Recognizing the role of social learning and trust in dog–human relationships encourages positive reinforcement training and relationship-based caregiving, fostering respect and empathy rather than control.
Source: Bolló, H., Kis, A., & Topál, J. (2025). A functionalist approach to social status in social animals, humans and the dog–human community. The prestige-based social system hypothesis. Biologia Futura. Published August 11, 2025.
