general vs top dog

general and top dog both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
general	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
top dog	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, top dog is a hypernym of general; that is, top dog is a word with a broader meaning than general:

Other hypernyms of general include chief, head.

general (noun)	top dog (noun)
a fact about the whole (as opposed to particular)	a person who is in charge
a general officer of the highest rank
the head of a religious order or congregation

general (adjective)	top dog (adjective)
applying to all or most members of a category or group
affecting the entire body
prevailing among and common to the general public
of worldwide scope or applicability
somewhat indefinite
not specialized or limited to one class of things

general (verb)	top dog (verb)
command as a general