In all of these situations, a dog may be pushed too far and can transition quickly from reactive, fearful, or guarding behaviors to being aggressive. Reactivity: Reactivity is commonly confused with aggression. Dogs that are reactive overreact to certain stimuli or situations. Genetics, lack of socialization , insufficient training to learn self-control , a frightening experience, or a combination of these can cause reactivity, and fear is typically the driving force.
Reactive dogs have certain triggers, such as men with beards or hats, small children, or situations when the dog feels trapped on a leash. If a reactive dog approaches you, the best thing you can do is give him space. Do not approach in an attempt to greet him. If you have a reactive dog, working with a trainer to try behavior modification techniques that will address the cause can prevent escalation to aggression. Fight or Flight: Fear is the most common cause of aggression.
Normally when a dog is scared and feels threatened, he chooses to run from whatever is frightening him. Fearful dogs may not give any warnings other than their body language. Bites are typically quick snaps and may occur when the person is leaving and has his back turned. There would be fewer bites if people understood that our behavior , even when we think it is friendly, could appear threatening to a dog. For example, when we lean over a dog and reach out a hand to pet him on top of his head, he may feel threatened.
Another common cause of fearfulness in dogs is lack of socialization. A dog who has positive experiences with different types of people, noises, and places from a young age is less likely to be fearful.
Teaching a puppy to relax when being handled will also help. Resource Guarding — Dogs tend to guard things they believe hold great worth.
If your dog is showing any of these signs, try to remove them from the situation. Telling them off or forcing them into a situation they aren't happy with may cause your dog to act more aggressively and could lead to injuries. If your dog is showing any changes in their behaviour, especially if they have started showing aggression suddenly, you should contact your vet as soon as possible.
Aggression tends to get worse over time and can lead to serious injuries to you, your dog or other people and pets so getting help is essential. Your vet will be able to rule out any medical causes for the change in your dog's behaviour. Some dogs can become aggressive if they are in pain, for example if they are arthritic and have sore joints or a sore back.
Your vet will also be able to recommend an accredited behaviourist who can help your dog to cope in the situations that trigger their behaviour and help them learn a better way to react. Most dogs only act aggressively in certain situations so identifying the cause of their behaviour can really help. Discussing these triggers with your vet and behaviourist is a really important part of their treatment.
If your dog is aggressive towards other dogs, the best thing to do is avoid them as much as possible. Distract your dog with something they really like, such as a treat or toy, and get far enough away from the other dog that they are calm again. It can help to try to get a physical barrier between the two dogs, for example a gate, fence or car.
If your dog is aggressive towards people, it can be more complicated to find the trigger for their aggression. Look for patterns in how your dog reacts:. This can make everything a lot worse for both you and your dog. If your dog starts to show any of the warning signs above, avoid or stop whatever is triggering their behaviour as soon as possible. Children may not understand the signals your dog is giving and they can act in ways your dog finds unpredictable and scary.
No matter how your dog behaves around other dogs and people, it is a good idea to muzzle train them. That way, it will be much less stressful for them if they ever do need to wear one. There are lots of reasons why your dog might need to wear a muzzle, such as when they need tests or a painful examination at the vets. Knowing and calmly responding to the warning signs above can reduce the risk of a dog biting you.
If there's no space to move away then stand still and try not to stare directly at the dog. There are a few things you can do to help avoid your dog becoming aggressive in different situations:. Many people who have experienced dog aggression find that they become afraid of dogs. We would always recommend contacting a professional, like your vet or a behaviourist. They will often be able to provide support and help for you and your dog and discuss the options with you. You could try contacting Blue Cross on their pet behaviour helpline: , or Wood Green pet support line: If coping with an aggressive dog is affecting your mental health, you may want to consider contacting the NHS or your GP for advice.
Learn all about what your dog is trying to tell you in our free dog body language guide. You'll be able to learn when your dog is feeling happy, stressed or even angry.
Training is a really important step in helping your dog learn what is expected of them. Take a look at some of our tips on teaching your dog the very basics. Sadly, a lot of dog bites involve children.
It's really important to teach children how to behave around dogs to make sure everyone stays safe. Donate Menu. Get help. And, what lead you here might be the frustrating fact that it was your dog displaying these nasty behaviors. Let's say you own a corgi pitbull mix , a blend of two stereotyped aggressive dogs. You might immediately conclude that it must be because of the breed.
But the truth is, it has little to do with the breed of the dog because any dog can become aggressive. It brings us back to the question, "What's causing their aggression? When dealing with dog aggression, one of the best things you can do is quickly identify the cause of aggression.
Knowing the source of aggression will help you find the best options for correcting their behavior. Some illnesses cause dogs to become aggressive. If your dog loves to horse around with their furry friends, but recently has become quick-tempered and lashes out, they may be suffering from a serious medical ailment. Often called redirected aggression, this is frustration that stems from a dog not being able to get to something. The dog then takes out their frustration in other ways — usually at the expense of another pet or even human.
Instead, the very dangerous behaviors that result when dogs become hyper-vigilant over their perceived territory.
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