How to Stop Dog Aggression and the Causes
An aggressive dog can be extremely frightening, may result in injury or legal action, and may be aimed toward you or another family member, a stranger, or another animal. Even though it could appear that your dog suddenly started biting you or acting violently, most dogs only act aggressively for one of the following five reasons: Your dog may also be sick, scared, possessive, domineering, or frustrated.
The first step in stopping this potentially harmful behavior in your dog is to recognize the triggers that are causing them to bite, snarl, or exhibit other aggressive behaviors. Too many dog owners believe that a dangerous dog ought to be put down or found a new home. However, you'll frequently discover that the aggression disappears or is significantly reduced once you take action to address the circumstances that are making your dog act out.
If your dog is acting aggressively toward you, your family, other pets, or strangers, you should be aware of the following.
What Causes Dog Aggression?
To come up with the most effective strategy for curtailing this frightful behavior, you must first determine why your dog is acting aggressively. Though few dogs bite without first exhibiting escalating behaviors that signal an impending attack, it is nevertheless helpful to be aware of the warning signs of canine aggression. A dog acting aggressively might:
- Stand rigidly still and still very still.
- Make and maintain eye contact.
- the ears should be pressed into the head.
- Threatening growls or barks
- Snarl
- Close its lips and show its teeth
- Leap ahead without coming into contact.
- Without making contact, snap
- Bite gently to avoid tearing the skin
- Bite firmly enough to cause a skin break or a mark.
One of the following five factors causes your dog to act aggressively the majority of the time.
Injury and Illness
Aggressive behavior in dogs can result from certain medical issues. It may be the result of a disease or illness if a dog who has never displayed aggression suddenly starts snarling, snapping, or biting.
In dogs, pain is a very frequent trigger for hostility. 1
Your dog may be suffering from a serious injury or sickness that is making him suddenly aggressive. Arthritis, bone fractures, internal wounds, different cancers, and abrasions are a few potential causes of pain.
Other ailments that affect the brain in your dog could result in irrational aggression. Aggression may manifest as a result of ailments like brain tumors, diseases, or cognitive dysfunction. Although they can happen to dogs of any age, these issues are more likely to affect older animals.
Before attempting to handle unexpected, unexplained aggressiveness in your dog as a behavioral issue, see your veterinarian.
Although you might be tempted, you shouldn't try to give your dog medication to treat its pain. If your dog is ill, you must first identify the exact cause of the illness before you can administer care. Don't try to solve the problem on your own until you are certain of what you are working with. The best prescription advice for your dog can only come from a veterinarian.
Fear
An anxious dog is more likely to become hostile. 2 Most dogs only act aggressively when they perceive danger, are unable to flee and feel the need to defend themselves. This might happen, for instance, if a dog is trapped in a corner and has no way out or if it interprets a raised hand over its head as an impending blow.
If your dog was rescued and is acting more aggressively or fearfully than usual, it may have been mistreated, abused, went through a traumatic event, or wasn't properly socialized when it was a puppy. You could decide on the best course of action with the assistance of whatever information you can obtain from the agency where you acquired the dog.
Rescue dogs occasionally require obedience instruction from a trainer with experience working with abused or improperly socialized dogs. With training and persistence, you might be able to control your dog's fear in some situations. A veterinarian can advise you on the best course of action.
To prevent inciting this kind of aggressive behavior, cautiously approach dogs you don't know. To reduce future fear, socialize and train your dog.
Possessiveness
When a dog is possessive of something, it might display possession aggression, also known as resource guarding. Frequently, this consists of food, toys, or some other valuable item. When someone approaches his food bowl or goes too close while he is chewing a favorite toy, a dog that suffers from possession aggression may growl. 3
A dog may also bite or act aggressively toward a visitor who enters your house or property, as this is the dog's domain. Dogs that "hate the mail carrier" or bark ferociously at people who are just outside the property line or fence frequently find themselves in this situation.
Another frequent reason for aggression toward other house pets is resource guarding. When other pets in the house approach the dog's food bowl, bed, or favorite toy, some dogs will growl, snap, or bite them.
Aggression levels can differ between dogs and things as well as between individuals. For instance, your dog might not mind if you pet him as he chews on a rubber toy, but if you do the same thing while he nibbles on a pig's ear, he can turn and snap at you. Everything is based on the value that the dog assigns to each resource or object.
A Display of Dominance
Dogs will occasionally act violently to show their dominance. 4 This frequently affects other dogs, but it can also affect people.
Understanding that dominance is a behavior rather than a psychological characteristic is crucial. Dogs are not naturally dominating or submissive. Some people might have a propensity for one type of behavior over another, but this is usually dependent on the situation.
Dominant dogs feel the need to demonstrate their authority in every situation. They will growl, snap, or bite when they think their position is being challenged.
Unfortunately, people frequently assume that dominance-related behavior is the root of canine aggression when in fact there may be another cause. In contrast to the other causes of aggression, aggressively dominant behavior is not actually as prevalent.
Frustration
Redirected aggression or barrier frustration are common names for hostility brought on by frustration. When a dog is frustrated that it can't reach anything, it happens when it vents that irritation in another way. 5 Dogs who spend a lot of time tied up, on a leash, or behind a chain-link fence frequently exhibit this kind of aggression.
A dog that is tied up in a yard, for instance, might spend the day attempting to reach a dog that is across the street or in a yard next to it. The more frustrated the dog is, the more aggressively it will bark and snarl. The dog could turn its anger against the owner when they get close. Redirected aggressiveness may also manifest as the dog snapping at a different household pet, whether they be feline or canine.
Avoid interpreting your dog's hostility incorrectly. Before assuming you understand the cause of your dog's aggressive behavior, make sure you rule out any potential health problems or fears. Otherwise, trying to fix the problem can potentially make it worse. Hiring a professional dog trainer who specializes in canine aggressiveness may be helpful if you are unable to identify the cause of your dog's aggression. These experts have expertise and training techniques that, even with dogs who appear to be "lost causes," may be quite successful.
