Most dog owners are totally caught off guard the first time their dog shows any level of aggression towards anyone. While a dog showing aggression isn’t a good thing, it isn’t always the tragic end of the dog. There is always room for improvement.
There are two types of people aggression: that which is directed at strangers and that which is directed towards the human family members.
Aggression towards strangers:
There are several reasons that are common for aggression towards strangers. The most common reasons include:
• Fear: Fear based aggression is just simply to say that the dog is fearful of new people. He feels threatened or worried by their presence, and the aggression is likely more intense when that person invades his personal comfort zone which may be 2 feet away or 10! Fear based aggression is most often derived from lack of socialization as a young puppy and dog, but there can also be a genetic component as well. If the dog has genetic tendencies towards this issue and then isn’t socialized on top of it, the outcome is not positive.
• Territorial: This is a dog that feels threatened by strangers on his property and would like to either control them while they are there or rid the property of them altogether. Territorial dogs are only territorial on what is perceived as their property. If you see aggression in a dog within a new place, this isn’t being territorial.
• Protective aggression: Many kinds of dogs will exhibit protective tendencies towards strangers if they feel it is warranted. These are most obviously breeds bred to be instinctively protective, but there are tons of cases of other kinds of dogs being naturally protective of their human children and family.
• Self preservation or fight: This is less common in the average pet dog, but this is a type of personality trait that is highly desirable in working dogs such as police and military patrol dogs as well as personal protection dogs. These are dogs that are solid temperament dogs, but if a stranger acts in a threatening way towards the dog, the dog will respond with aggression. This is commonly called fight drive. This isn’t something the average pet owner can handle or wishes to handle.
Aggression towards family members:
It can be shocking to have a canine member of your family treat you aggressively, especially for the first time. Not only does it come as a surprise to most people, but it can be scary as well.
The most common reasons that dogs display aggression towards their human family members are:
• Resource guarding: This is probably the biggest reason. This is a dog that wants to keep something it values all to itself, and owners often see this expressed through food aggression, aggression around toys or chew bones, or aggression over items the dog isn’t supposed to have. The dog may even resource guard a person, and this is the case when you have a dog that growls or will not allow one member of the family near another one. Resource guarding can also commonly be directed at children.
• Dominance issues: While not as common as many might think, true dominance aggression can be highly problematic. These dogs are in a constant power struggle with their human counterparts. Some dogs display this with a high intensity and others are milder. It can be directed at everyone within a family or can be directed at a select person or two or children.
• Redirected aggression: This is when the dog just aggresses at whatever is nearest to it out of frustration or pent-up excitement. The dog isn’t meaning to bite the owner, and if the dog realizes he did, he often appears to be feel badly about doing so.
• Self defense: This is underrated among dog owners. It is more common for a dog to react out of self defense than dominance. It has been well documented that punitive, highly corrective punishment, and methods like alpha rolling (this is placing the dog on the floor on its back) are more likely to elicit an aggressive response towards the owner as the dog feels threatened or scared.
• Medical issues/pain: Particularly in cases of aggression that appear out of character or are sudden, a full medical evaluation is in order to rule out medical issues or pain that may be causing the dog to react aggressively.
Notes:
Prevention is key. Here you can find some guidelines to stop your dog for becoming aggressive in the first place: Tips to Prevent Dog Aggression
As with all cases of aggression, it is very important to consult with a professional. A professional can help identify what is occurring and the best way to handle the situation. Additionally, no dog should have a running tally of aggressive events. Even if the dog hasn’t bitten anyone yet, it may only be a matter of time. An aggressive dog, particularly one that bites, is a huge liability, so don’t delay in getting advice and help.
Dog aggression and behavior expert with 30 years of experience.
