Without endorsing the book (which I have not read), the authors do at least have some academic standing and reviews of the book suggested it was tendentious but not trash.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374157357/thedawnofeveryt...

any dog owner will know first-hand

Having trained working dogs and frequently having random mixes of dogs at home when friends go on holiday, dogs do have hierarchies but they are nowhere near as rigid and stratified as human ones can be.