According to the old saying, a dog’s bark is worse than its bite. But if you’ve ever been at the receiving end of the angry snarl and snapping jaws of a dog with an aggression problem, you might have reason to question the truth of that piece of folk wisdom. And, as it turns out, excessive aggression in dogs is a more common problem than many people realize.
Aggressive behavior in dogs is a complex phenomenon that can result from many factors. To deal effectively with an overly aggressive dog, you have to understand the psychology behind it.
Recognizing Different Kinds of Canine Aggression
The Humane Society of the United States—as well as most dog-behavior experts—recognize several different types of canine aggression. Three important types are:
- Dominance Aggression: As pack animals, dogs have a natural sense of their ranking in a social hierarchy (hence the expression “top dog”) and view their human families as their “pack.” If a dog feels that its “rank” in the pack is being challenged, it may react aggressively to reassert its dominance.
- Fear-Motivated Aggression: If your dog perceives itself to be in danger, it may react aggressively to protect itself. It’s the dog’s perception of a threat—not the reality—that counts. Some dogs are just edgier than others and may perceive a threat from an innocent action as, for example, when you raise your hand to throw a ball.
- Territorial or Protective Aggression: Dogs instinctively defend what they consider to be their “territory,” which may include not only your home, but also the surrounding neighborhood where they are usually walked. They may also react aggressively to protect those they regard as members of their pack. A related kind of aggression is sometimes called possessive aggression, in which a dog defends its food, toys, or objects it has retrieved.
Recognizing the importance of the problem of canine aggression to dog owners, WebVet sought out the advice of canine-behavior professionals Miranda G. Bourque, DVM, owner of Foothills Animal Hospital, Okotoks, Alberta (Canada); Adam Goldfarb, director of the Pets at Risk Program of the Humane Society of the United States; Pamela Reid, PhD, CAAB, vice president of the Animal Behavior Center in Urbana, Illinois—a division of the ASPCA; and Anthony T. Kremer, DVM, of Kremer Veterinary Services, Ltd., Plainfield, Illinois.
Causes
A variety of factors may contribute to excess aggression in dogs.
- Improper training and lack of socialization.
- Abuse or trauma that has left its psychological mark in the form of excess aggression.
- Breed differences: some breeds are naturally more aggressive than others and require more training to keep that aggressiveness from getting out of hand.
- Metabolic or other medical problems.
Prevention
It is easier to prevent excessive aggression in a dog than to correct it once it has taken hold. Here are some preventive measures you can take:
- Have your dog spayed or neutered. Goldfarb points to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that male dogs that have not been neutered are responsible for more than 70 percent of dog bites.
- Begin training and/or socializing your puppy as early as possible. Eight weeks of age is the ideal time to start.
- In the case of an older dog, don’t assume that its past training was any good. “Start with the dog as if it were a pup and include all family members in the training process so it learns the hierarchy of the family,” Kremer said.
- Keep your dog active by exercising and playing with it. Remember the saying: “A tired dog is a good dog.”
- If you know from experience that certain things—such as cats, children, or loud noises—set your dog off, then do your best to avoid those stimuli.
- If you haven’t yet chosen a dog, Reid advises selecting it carefully: “Don’t choose a puppy from a litter if its parents are aggressive, and if you’re adopting an older dog, learn as much as you can about it first.”
