It's a long shot, but it's for my dad who's been looking for this book for a very long time now. It's quite ironic since he's the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to books; you mention a book, and he'll tell you everything about it.
Anyway, he read the book around 1976. It's a story about a professor(?) who, together with his dog, regularly goes to his cabin in the woods to rest and relax. This one time however, he brought his young son with him, and everything seemed to go well until suddenly his dog attacked the boy. He drove away the dog and took his son to the hospital.
The story however, seems to continue with the dog on his journey through the wilderness. It encounters a wild pack of dogs or wolves and despite being rejected, tries to become the alpha dog of the pack. Eventually he succeeds.
Even if you don't know the book, any tips on how to find this book would be appreciated also. It's not anything from Jack London, by the way.