What to do if your dog is aggressive

Image: Pixabay.com

When you first brought your dog home, you likely had visions of leisurely walks around the neighborhood, throwing the tennis ball at the park, or going camping together. You probably didn't envision spending your time worrying if your dog might harm your or someone else. But if your dog is aggressive, you're certainly not alone. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, aggression is the most common behavioral problem dog owners’ face. It might be overwhelming now, but your dog can get over her aggression. Understanding the nature and type of aggression your dog has is the first step toward helping her get better.

Is It Really Aggression?

Not every bite and snarl is a result of aggression. Puppies tend to chew on everything – including hands and feet – as they're teething. If your dog didn't learn to control her chewing as a puppy, the behavior may continue into adulthood, but this behavior is not considered a form of aggression. Similarly, some very hyper dogs get so excited that they jump, lick, and even knock people over. While it's easy to be hurt by such a dog, this behavior is a sign of poor training, not aggression.

Dogs also tend to play more roughly with their canine friends than they do with people. If you see your dog biting the neck of another dog, it's easy to panic. But unless you hear growling, the other dog

seems scared or angry, or either dog gets hurt, your dog's just playing. Some dogs have bad social skills and play too aggressively, but in these cases, the aggression isn't deliberate. Of course, if your dog has bad social skills, he might provoke another dog into a fight, but the bad behavior isn't a result of aggression on your dog's part.

Common Types of Aggression

There are two primary types of dog aggression – interspecies and interspecies aggression. Interspecies aggression is aggression targeted toward other dogs, while interspecies aggression is aggression targeted at anyone else – strangers, your family, a neighborhood cat, etc. Most aggressive dogs only behave aggressively in certain contexts. For example, a dog who displays aggression toward people might only be aggressive with strangers or men, while a dog that’s aggressive toward other dogs might only bite or growl when there's food around. Aggression problems are the most severe when a dog is aggressive in several different contexts, or behaves aggressively toward people and animals he knows well.

Dog owners frequently worry that any type of aggression will lead to worse aggression, but this isn't always true. Dogs who behave aggressively toward other dogs are unlikely to suddenly become aggressive toward their human caregivers, and dogs that are aggressive with humans frequently get along just fine with other dogs. Aggression is a learned behavior, which means that if your dog hasn't “learned” to be aggressive toward, say, cats or people, he's unlikely to suddenly start.

The Importance of Early Intervention

There's a huge stigma surrounding aggressive dogs. Neighbors may be afraid of your dog, and friends might make you feel like a bad dog owner. Consequently, many owners of aggressive dogs are so embarrassed about the problem that they wait months or even years to get help. This is a huge mistake. Every time your dog behaves aggressively, he learns that aggression is acceptable. And when aggression causes your dog to get what he wants – such as when growling makes a stranger leave or biting convinces another dog to give up his bone – it tends to increase. The longer you wait for the worse.

Aggression will get, because there will be more opportunities for your dog to be “rewarded” for her aggression, and more opportunities for her to learn new ways of behaving aggressively. No matter how bad or embarrassing the problem is, you need to begin working on it – often with the assistance of a professional – immediately.

Safety and Management

A dog who behaves aggressively, even if it's only some of the time, is a dog that can't be trusted. If your dog bites someone, you could end up defending a costly lawsuit or even seeing your dog is euthanized. To avoid these risks, you need to take extreme precautions until you can work through your dog's aggression. Put your dog in a muzzle whenever you leave the house, and never leave him unattended outside. If strangers come to visit, crate your dog. Don't allow your children to play unattended with your dog, and never allow strange children to pet or approach your dog; children are a significant aggression trigger for many dogs.