Dog Aggression

Dog aggression is a behavior that can harm or intimidate a person or an animal. Baring teeth, growling, snapping, snarling and biting are some of the aggressive behaviors. With the perspective view of dogs, dog aggression always happens due to some reason. There can be a lot of difference between a dog and a human as their communication system is very different.

Even if you intend to be friendly to a dog, it might feel that you are intimidating or threatening it. Aggression can be considered a very complex matter and since the potential consequences are always serious, professional in-home help from an animal behavior specialist is strongly recommended.

Aggression types

Dominance aggression: If the social status or control of social interaction of a dog is challenged then this type of aggression takes place. Dogs are very social and for them their family is a very important social group. In case a dog perceives his ranking to be higher than yours then he might challenge you in some situations.

Fear Motivated Aggression: This is like a defensive reaction and occurs when dogs believe that they are in danger of being harmed by someone. Always remember that this may not be your intention but your dog perceives it like this. When other dogs approach, it may be fiercely aggressive.

Territorial, Possessive, Protective Aggression: Be it possessive, territorial or protective aggression, all are the same and involves defense of resources that are valuable. Sense of your dog’s territory might as well extend even beyond the boundaries of his yard. For instance, the entire block can be your dog’s territory if you allow him to mark with his urine. Protective aggression is aggression that is directed towards animals or humans that are perceived as a threat for the family by the dog. When it comes to defending valued objects like a bottle stolen from the garbage, toys or food, dogs get possessively aggressive.

Redirected Aggression: This is a relatively very common aggression. This kind of behavior of dogs is seldom understood by the owners. If dogs get aroused in an aggressive response by an animal or person that it is prevented from attacking then its aggression might be directed to someone else. For instance, when two family dogs get excited, they growl or bark in response to another dog that passes through the front yard. Confined behind the fence, the two dogs may attack each other because they were not able to attack the intruder.

There is a lot of variation, when it comes to dogs showing aggressive behavior. Some might get aggressive with very less stimulation whereas others might not. Whatever the reason, make sure that you take professional help to solve the problem.