Aggressive behavior in dogs
Sweet Buddy gets upset and can engage in aggressive-looking behavior in certain situations.
we’re working together both to reduce exposure to those scary scenarios and to teach him that they predict most excellent things for him, and he is doing so well!
Aggression is normal, adaptive behavior in virtually all animal species — and our domestic dogs are no exception.
Adaptive behaviors are ones that animals learn to do that produce consequences important to the animal’s survival. For instance, a dog who growls at another dog approaching her food bowl has learned that growling protects a resource necessary for her survival.
Animals have a variety of aggressive behaviors in their repertoires, to defend themselves from perceived threats as well as to compete for resources such as food, mates and territory.
Selective dog breeding (domestication) has toned down or stylized aggressive and predatory behavior in most breeds. Behaviors like watchdog barking, herding, pointing, fighting for human entertainment, and retrieving are all modified forms of either aggression or predation.
You’ll note throughout that I refer to aggressive behavior, rather than aggressive dogs, because while it can be scary for us to witness, aggression is a normal behavior that most dogs engage in from time to time.
Most aggressive behaviors are ritualized displays
Growling, snarling, snapping and biting without injury are examples of ritualized aggression. Ritualization allows contests to be decided without the use of fatal or maiming force to either participant.
All animals do this.
Aggression to strangers
When a dog is uncomfortable around certain people, such as men or kids, it is usually because she has been under-socialized.
A socialized dog is generally comfortable around unfamiliar people. To become socialized, a dog must have sufficient exposure and positive experiences between 8 – 16 weeks of age.
Aggressive behaviors happen when the dog encounters something she is not socialized to. She will be highly motivated to increase the distance between herself and who or whatever is making her uneasy.
She can achieve this in two ways: she can flee or she can try to make the person flee by behaving aggressively. The underlying motivation is fear.
Fear of new things is a normal survival mechanism in all animals
It makes sense to retreat or try to chase away something unknown.
We do it too - think of a stranger in a dark alleyway. We might yell to make it move away, or rush toward it waving our arms. If that fails, we may turn and run.
Your beloved uncle may be a kind, gentle dog-loving person, but this is not relevant to an unsocialized dog. The fact that they are unfamiliar will provoke fight-or-flight reactions that are based in fear.
Aggression to family members
When dogs threaten or bite family members, the usual suspects are resource guarding and poor tolerance of body handling.
Ancient hardwired resource guarding frequently pops up in our dogs, in the form of possessiveness of anything from a food dish and bones to sofas, tissues and even garbage!
Body handling problems
Many dogs are reluctant to have their bodies touched or manipulated. If they are not taught to accept and enjoy handling, they may threaten or bite.
“It came out of nowhere…”
A mild resource or handleability issue can combine with a mild or unnoticed socialization problem to produce a “sudden” biting incident. Although seemingly unprovoked, over time ignored warnings can lead to the dog feeling the need to bite.
Think of it like that old Verizon commercial: “Can you hear me now?”
A sudden episode may also be due to undiagnosed pain. I worked with a woman whose dog suddenly bit her when the put the harness over his head. Turns out, the dog had some painful teeth and the harness brushed against his jaw.
Always visit your vet for any sudden behavior change.
Treating aggressive behavior
Most resource-guarders and hard-to-handle dogs can be improved with desensitization and counterconditioning exercises.
This is not a DIY job; you need a pro trainer’s assistance.
repeatedly Pulling on leash due to excitement can eventually turn into frustration and aggressive behavior.
On-leash aggression with other dogs
Dogs are highly social. When most dogs spot another dog on the street, they want to approach and investigate. Being on a leash restricts their ability to do so.
The resulting frustration translates into increased excitement and agitation, which can be alarming to the owner, who may then restrict access, tense up before encounters or even punish the dog. This starts an association between the sight of dogs and frustration plus possibly punishment.
This vicious cycle often culminates in thwarting-related or “barrier frustration” aggression. This is why so many dogs appear more aggressive on leash.
Part of the solution is recognizing the inherently abnormal situation of dogs meeting other dogs without freedom of movement. Owners can mitigate this by allowing dogs to approach and investigate friendly dogs or allowing them to do so after performing a “please may I” cue such as “sit.” If a dog already has barrier-related aggression, changing the association from negative to positive, and remedial socialization can produce profound improvement.
Housemate squabbles
Fights between dogs who live together are fairly common. Dogs compete for resources such as food, bones, and owner attention. Many dogs are also sensitive to proximity and body contact.
If the fights are not frequent and are non-injurious, there are several options, including non-intervention. People sometimes argue and so do dogs.
My own dogs, Daisy and Petey, tend to scuffle when there are other stressors in the household - visitors, significant changes in routine, and so on.
Fights are usually context-driven and, once the triggers are uncovered, management and time-out penalties for fights will bring relative peace. If the fights are damaging to either participant, efforts must be much stricter, with an airtight management regime usually being necessary.
Dog park fighting
Dogs can be bullies, competitive over resources, socially uncomfortable and defensive, and male dogs are at statistically higher risk of tangling with other males.
If dogs play well in general but seem to target certain dogs for bullying, they can be given time-out consequences for their bullying behavior.
Resource-guarding dogs are rarely dangerous unless they inflict injurious bites to other dogs. If dogs are under-socialized, their confidence can sometimes be gradually built up with exposure to the right dogs, or exercise options other than dog parks employed. And, it is difficult to overstress the importance of neutering male dogs, mainly to prevent their scent from triggering other males.
Preventing aggressive behavior
The proverb “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” also applies to our dogs:
Socialize your puppy to as large a variety of people and friendly dogs as possible.
Make it fun with lots of treats and playing.
Practice anti-guarding exercises (a pro trainer can help with this).
Teach puppies to bite softly by using time-outs for hard bites before forbidding all play-biting.
Handle your puppy all over and make it fun with treats and praise.
Find and enroll in a reward-based method puppy kindergarten class that covers these exercises and allows free puppy play.
Maintain socialization and comfort around resources and handling in adult dogs with regular practice.
Allow your dog regular opportunities to socialize with other dogs.