An Introduction to Aggression Problems

Dogs are essentially domesticated predators that we have invited to share our lives and homes. It can be easy to forget that dogs are carnivorous hunters by nature - until you see your dog yawning, barking, or play-fighting, that is. That mouth full of sharp, shiny teeth is an effective reminder that an aggressive attitude was once a prerequisite to survival in the wild.

Food, territory, a place in the pack, a mate, a comfortable bed - before dogs lived with humans, all of these things had to be fought for and defended on a regular basis.

Today, we provide these things for our dogs without requiring a competitive show of aggression first. Instinct is a powerful force though, and most dogs don’t realize that the types of behavior which would once have ensured them a meal and a bed are no longer necessary, or desirable, in their modern-day role as pets.

As owners, it’s up to us to teach our dogs that they no longer need to use those shiny white teeth to get what they want. We have a much better chance of coexisting happily with our dogs when they are trained to “act civilized.”

SOME COMMON REASONS FOR MODERN-DAY AGGRESSION IN DOGS:

Dominance: he believes that he’s the alpha of the pack.

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Self defense: he needs to defend himself from other dogs.

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Territoriality: he’s defending “his” territory from other dogs/humans.

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Guarding: he’s making sure you’re not going to take his toys or food.

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Pain: he may be in pain from an injury or medical condition.

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Fear of new situations: he’s keyed-up and on edge from unfamiliar

● sights and sounds.

Early Warning Signs: Pre-Aggression In A Dog

Aggressive behavior doesn’t just happen overnight. There is a set path to aggression that, if you are alert and observant enough, you can notice and put a stop to.

Some dogs arrive at the aggressive stage much more quickly than others, but all follow a designated path to aggression. An awareness of the early warning signs is very useful: the earlier you catch aggressive behavior developing, the easier it is to fix yourself.

Listed below are some of the warning signs of pre-aggressive behavior. If you catch your dog doing any of these, you need to take a firm stance and reassert yourself as the leader of the pack (we will deal with ways to do this shortly).

Food, toy, or furniture guarding: becomes snappy, tense, or growls

● when you come near. May actually prevent you coming close.

Bossiness: demands attention from you with nudging, pawing, and

● whining.

Bothers you when you’re eating: might sit and stare at you, pace

● around your feet, or nudge you for morsels.

Sudden disobedience: begins to ignore you and fails to obey commands

● that you know he understands.

WHAT MAKES THESE SIGNS DANGEROUS?

Of course, disobedience in itself isn’t dangerous. Bothering you for affection or stealing tidbits of food from your plate won’t actually hurt you.

The reason that it’s so important for you to notice, and put a stop to, these behaviors is because they signal that your dog is starting to think of himself as higher than you in the pack hierarchy of your house.

Obedience is the surest sign that your dog accepts your authority over him.

When he begins to question that authority, by “testing” you with alpha-like behaviors such as those listed above, it’s a definite warning sign that you are not as respected as you need to be in order for you and your dog to live happily, and safely, together.

You need to nip this attitude in the bud NOW before it evolves into truly aggressive, threatening behavior.

What To Do If Your Dog Displays Early Warning Signs

First of all, you need to become clued up on the concept of alpha status. This is dealt with in the bonus book entitled “Secrets to Becoming the Alpha Dog,” but in a nutshell, alpha status relates to who is seen as being in charge.

The lead dog of the pack is called the alpha. Alpha dogs have a host of behaviors specific only to them - lesser dogs are NEVER permitted to act like alpha dogs, and if they try to do so the alpha will defend his authority with a show of aggression.

Dogs are pack animals, which means that they are at their most secure and relaxed when they feel like someone is in charge (and not necessarily them). If there is nobody in your house that’s taking charge in ways that are recognizable to your dog, he’ll try to fill that role himself.

We will look at ways for you to reassert your authority in ways that your dog understands.

The important thing to remember here is to not impose any human values or motives on this canine dominance-related behavior: wolf- and dog-packs have alpha leaders simply because it enables the pack to survive. If your dog is trying to be the alpha in the house, it’s not because he “wants to” - it’s because instinct tells him that the pack MUST have a leader to survive, and if nobody else is going to do it then he’ll have to.

Aggression comes into play when you do something which challenges your dog’s authority as the alpha. Maybe you tried to push him off a comfortable piece of furniture. Maybe you try and take his food off him (or he thinks you’re going to). Maybe you’re just trying to get him to do something he doesn’t want to - submit to a nail clipping, a visit to the vet, or a wash.

Remember, it’s not whether YOU think he’s the alpha that counts here. It’s his own perception of himself as the top dog in relation to you as subordinate to him that’s dictating how he acts. If he has been permitted to become established in his perceived role as the alpha dog, it’s only natural for him to use aggression to back himself up.

The fact is that if your dog is permitted to see himself as the alpha, then the time will come that somebody challenges his authority whether they mean to do so or not. No alpha dog takes kindly to his status being challenged, and this is when dominant-aggressive behavior begins.

The concept of alpha behavior, including how to understand it, achieve it, and maintain it, is relatively complex. There are many different ways that you can prove to your dog that YOU are the alpha, not him - just as there are plenty of ways that thousands of dogs around the world exert alpha dominance over their owners, without those owners even realizing (“Oh look, Huggy Bear’s bugging me for cuddles again. He sure must love it when I pat him!”).

You need to clearly convey to your dog that YOU are in charge, and that you will take no nonsense from him.

Later Stages Of Pre - Aggression

Sometimes, dogs are able to progress right through the early stages of pre-aggressive behavior (discussed above) without anybody noticing or correcting them.

You can tell when things have progressed to the late stages because your dog will cease tolerating your corrections of his disobedience or dominance, and will react with some pretty forceful warning signals of his own.

Note the difference between the THREAT of aggression, and actual aggression.

The threat of aggression is your dog’s way of warning you to back off before he escalates things.

HERE ARE SOME CLASSIC WARNING SIGNALS OF LATE-STAGE PRE-AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR:

Deep growling, snarling

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Defiant barking while standing tall and large, leaning toward you with

● tense posture, ears erect and pointing forwards or back, tail switching slowly back and forth

Growling or barking with front teeth bared

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A bite (not a play-bite) that leaves the skin unbroken

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What To Do If Your Dog Displays Any Of These Signs:

Late stage pre-aggressive behavior is basically the final behaviors that a dog will display before he attacks someone.

A dog behaving like this toward his owners has some serious dominance problems which need to be dealt with by somebody who is experienced and confident.

Although this chapter deals exclusively with aggression in dogs, it’s a highly complex and potentially dangerous problem and, despite our efforts to include all relevant information on dog aggression for your use, it’s difficult to predict how any individual dog will react to certain techniques or methods.

At any point, if you feel threatened or scared by your dog’s behavior, you may wish to consider enlisting the services of a professional trainer who has experience with aggressive dogs. Never be afraid to ask for help!

When To Hire Professional Help:

Your dog bites you hard enough to break the skin

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You're scared

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Your dog guards food, toys, furniture, or other objects ferociously

● enough to stop you from coming near

Why Hire Professional Help?

There are two main reasons for this:

Attempting to handle such a difficult issue on your own without

● immediate hands-on help could put you at risk. If you unwittingly react to your dog’s behaviors in the wrong way, it could backfire and possibly result in a bite.

Inexperienced help could be bad for the dog’s development. If you

● make a mistake, or are too scared by the dog’s threatening behavior to follow through on something, you could end up reinforcing the very behavior that you’re trying to eradicate.

We’re not saying that you should give up all hope and dial your nearest dog-trainer straight away. On the contrary, most dogs respond extremely well to the training techniques laid out in this chapter and in our alpha-dog section. All we’re saying is that, if you begin to feel like you’re in over your head, there’s nothing to be ashamed of in asking for further help.

A Quick Recap

Step One: Observe your dog closely for signs of pre-aggressive behavior. Is he obedient at all times to commands he understands? Might he be exhibiting dominant behavior?

Step Two: Read our bonus book “Secrets to Becoming the Alpha Dog.” Read it twice if you have to, because it’s important that you absorb the information it contains.

Step Three: Consider whether you are comfortable and confident in proceeding.

Don’t be overconfident here - particularly if you have a strong, big-breed dog. There’s nothing wrong in asking for help! At the same time, don’t be needlessly scared - chances are great that, with our help, your relationship with your dog will have improved tenfold in no time.

B: Aggression Continued: Treatment Program for