Pet Care
Your dog and.....Aggression
Owners of dogs that have displayed and developed aggressive behaviour should seek immediate professional help. The APBC (Association of Pet Behaviour Councillors) will give you details of your local behaviourist. A dog is rarely aggressive to humans for no reason. Aggression can be a response to what a dog feels is a stressful situation. There are different types of aggression.
Territorial Aggression
Territorial aggression can occur when a dog’s natural instinct to protect an area they feel that is their own, is invaded. They can show aggression when they feel their territory is being threatened. The car, garden and entrance to the home are all prime areas for territorial aggression. To reduce the risk of territorial aggression it is vital to make sure your dog is fully socialised. Dogs should enjoy meeting new people and accept visitors as being a fun and exciting experience.
Fear Aggression
Fear can make a dog react aggressively. If your dog is in a stressful situation which he can’t run away from he may respond by being aggressive. Socialisation is very important from an early age. Make sure your dog meets as many different people as possible including children. Make sure your pet is not cornered with no way out from potential stressful situations.
Food Aggression
Food Aggression can occur when a dod feels it needs to protect his vial resource. If a dog hase been deprived of food at some stage in his life, or had to fight over communal bowls, then food aggression can occur.
Tips for avoiding food aggression.
- Feed dogs individually, even in separate rooms to prevent meal time squabbles
- Never react to aggression with aggression. This will only encourage your dog to feel he needs to be more aggressive back, making the problem worse.
- Teach your pet, you being close to his food is not a bad thing. Gently approach your dog as he is eating and leave some tasty treats beside his bowl. Praise him as he lets you close to him. Your dog will learn that you being close to his food will result in receiving an even tastier treat than he is eating.
Pain Induced Aggression
When a dog is sick or in pain, we may cause further pain when moving them. It is not unusual for even a placid dog to respond with aggression. Extra care should be used handling sick and injured dogs.
Dominance Aggression
Wolves in the wild operate a hierarchical order where all members have a rank and status within the pack. A higher social status brings improved benefits in terms of mating, food and eating priority and sleeping locations. Domestic dogs retain this natural instinct and your dog sees itself as being in the same pack as your family! Dogs who believe family members to be weaker than them will often display aggressive behaviour to assert their rank and status. It is important you to maintain your status as pack leader!
Tips for maintaining your status as pack leader
- Reinforce yourself as pack leader at meal times. The pack leader always eats first!
- Don’t feed your dog at the table. Feed your dog AFTER you have finished your meal
- When walking through doors in new territory, enter first. Don’t allow your dog to walk through a door ahead of you.
- There should be areas of your home where your dog should be restricted. Allowing your dog into these special areas should be a reward for good behaviour and not taken for granted.
- Don’t let your dog sleep on the bed or furniture! Dominant dogs always have the sleeping area, usually higher than other pack members.
- Don’t always respond to demands for attention and petting all the time. You as pack leader should instigate grooming and attention.
- Don’t allow your pet to take up superior positions, such as paws on shoulder.
- Your dog should be aware you own all of the territory. If your dog is lying in the way, ask him nicely to move, don’t walk around him!
- During play, assert you status as pack leader by ensuring you WIN at strength games such as tug.
- Make sure your dog releases toys from his mouth when instructed to. This reinforces you are the owner of the toy and can have it back at any time. · Be consistent, and make sure the rest of the family understand they must stick to these rules.
A DOG SHOWING AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS HUMANS IS EXTREMELY SERIOUS BOTH IN TERMS OF THE HIGH RISK OF LEGAL PROSECUTION AND INJURY TO PEOPLE. IF YOUR DOG IS DISPLAYING AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR, SEEK IMMEDIATE PROFESSIONAL HELP.