Let’s talk dog aggression! First, what is it?
Aggression is a really common dog problem, and something that I help people with very regularly, varying from a bit of a growl all the way through to dog bites.
In 99% of cases, aggressive behaviour is the dog showing his need to get away from a perceived danger by showing threats such as growling and snapping.
There are many causes of aggression, but mostly, they start with a dog being anxious or frightened.
In the same way as humans, and every other species, dogs need to feel safe. When a dog does not feel safe, they need to have a way to communicate that they need distance, to defend themselves, or to warn the threat.
So now we know what aggression is, how does a dog ‘become aggressive’?
It’s often said that ‘my dog didn’t give any warning he was about to bite’… but is this true…?
When a dog feels stressed, anxious, or fearful, they try to communicate that to their threat, whether that be another dog, a child, a cat, or anything else.
This communication starts very subtly, with a subtle lip lift or ear twitch.
Often, this subtle behaviour is ignored or unseen, because perhaps the other dog isn’t very good at communicating, or the human hasn’t seen the behaviour.
If the behaviour is ignored and the dog still feels threatened, the dog feels the need to increase the warning.
Below is an image of the Ladder of Aggression, by Kendall Shepherd. You can see that the dog will work his way up this ladder.
I like to explain this in terms of what we see compared to the dog…
What the owner sees: We are enjoying a nice walk, I see a friendly person approaching who goes to give my dog a stroke to say hello and my dog growls and then randomly bites them! How rude!
What your dog sees:
“Oh no, there's a stranger coming up to me! I don’t like [strangers / people in hats / people in the colour yellow / etc.]
He’s getting too close and looking at me directly in the eye! Ill show lip licking and yawning to tell my human that I want to walk off.
The stranger ignored me! Why is the stranger putting his giant paw on my head! Stop it – get off! Ill crouch down to see if he backs off.
Now he’s put his other paw on me too and is stroking my ears! Ill turn my head away.
Oh no, he's still touching me. Ill turn my whole body away so he will no I’m no threat and he can back off.
He’s still there! Now I'm really scared, ill just lift my lip a little to tell him im uncomfortable.
He ignored me and my human is too busy talking to him to notice me. Ill have to make a little noise, just a little growl. Grrrrr!
They ignored my warning but I'm still really scared, and the man is now much closer and scarier. Ill have to protect myself the only way I know how! Snap!
Oh no! Now I’m getting told off! Couldn’t he see that I had warned him plenty of times?”
Sadly, this is all too common, but what makes it worse is that because the lower level of aggression signs were ignored, and the biting worked, next time the dog may go straight for the bite.
So, what to look out for!
Yawning
Turning their head away
Lip licking
Tail tucked
Ears back
Looking away / seeing the whites of their eyes (whale eye)
Tense body posture
Lowering their body
What to do if your dog is aggressive?
If your dog has suddenly become aggressive, especially for no particular reason, make sure to see a vet. Sometimes aggression can be a result of pain, so it’s best to have a full vet check to rule out medical causes.
Then, management is key. Find out what the triggers are, and avoid them. If a trigger is other dogs, walk at quieter times of the day and in quiet places, or just avoid walks altogether and exercise in your garden instead. If a trigger is people, make sure to avoid visitors to the house temporarily, and keep your distance on walks.
You may also want to think about having your dog wear a muzzle, which should be done with LOTS of positive reinforcement so your dog enjoys wearing it, and should never be just put straight on a dog.
Never punish your dog, tell them off for acting aggressively, or force them into uncomfortable situations that make them anxious.
Then finally, after a vet check and management, it’s time to get in contact with a qualified dog behaviourist.
What will a trainer do?
I can’t speak for every trainer of course, but I, and most other trainers will meet with you to discuss your dog, the aggression, your family and lifestyle, and your end goal for training, followed by suggestions for management and treatment.
This is often followed up with a training plan (mine is a detailed, step-by-step plan for you to work through and follow) alongside additional in-person meetings or a follow up.
Most importantly...
LISTEN to your dog.
Learn to COMMUNICATE with them.
And TEACH other people.
If you're concerned about your dog's behaviour, get in contact: Book a free discovery call today using this link:
Коментарі