"...Why is that important..."

I haven't had a dog since my last one caught one car too many when I was a kid. But I suspect that in packs, the alpha is the leader, the rest are followers. Take away the leader and they are basically headless. Unless of course there is an alpha wannabe waiting in the wings. I'm gonna assume that the alpha would be leading the pack, but you know how things often go when one assumes. If a solo dog, I suspect that an alpha would be the one to actually attack, others more bluff. Help me out here dog owners...