This article addresses one of the problems commonly experienced by dog owners – unwanted dog aggression. This article explains three of the causes of canine aggression but by no means, consider them the only causes since there are more than 20 categories, the scope of which is beyond this article.
Aggression Triggers
Rank Drive
It is difficult to explain the intensity a dog’s pack drive can take to a new owner. Since it is innate, it will definitely affect how a dog behaves when brought home and made to interact with family members.
If you think your dog should be taught that your children rank higher in the pack, then you are looking at this the wrong way. Imagine trying to make a dog feel inferior to a two-year-old. It is not doable, instead teach your dog that your child is always off limits. You can do it the way I did – by making sure, the dog is never alone with your child – or through training that starts with always having the dog on a leash, even inside the house. Correcting the dog, either verbally or in some other way, is another way to reinforce the lesson, every time you see him display unwarranted aggression.
Attack by other dogs
When a Personal Protection Dog has been scared or badly hurt by another dog, he will become aggressive. One occasion like this can lead to life-long aggression. It is very similar to how we will behave, had we been mugged, or after an episode where our personal space and safety have been violated.
We know you are always concerned about the safety of your dogs but do not always realize that a dog in the presence of stranger dogs is an aggressive dog in the making. When taking your dog to a park, understand that any of the dogs there could have dominance issues that translate into aggression.
Your dog, no matter what age he is will look to you for protection and leadership when under threat. Do not make the mistake of thinking your dog needs to learn how to protect himself and wait for him to act tough. If you stand by and allow a strange dog to hurt your dog, he will take it to mean that since he has to protect himself, he should respond through either a fight or flight. If they act aggressive and scare the incoming dog away, the aggressive display will keep increasing in intensity with every such occurrence. It is something that I always practice.
Multiple Dogs
Having more than one dog in a household is entirely possible; however, you need to realize that while controlling two dogs is manageable, a third dog’s presence forms a pack. A dog pack’s establishment will skew the balance and the animals will form their own pecking order shortly. While it may at times, work out peacefully, with every dog understanding where they stand, sometimes a dogfight may also break out while establishing dominance.