Dog aggression is an overloaded word.
It can mean anything from staring, jumping, showing teeth, lunging, growling, barking, or the terrible B-word – biting.
Usually, aggression is used to describe dogs that overact to a stimuli (e.g. another dog, a stranger, food).
Reactivity is a new, perhaps less negative term, coined to describe the same behavior. Some trainers use aggression to describe dogs that overact as a result of dominance and reactivity to describe dogs that overact as a result of fear.
These terms, however, are just labels, and it is not useful to overly focus on which label to use.
The important thing is to recognize extreme behavior in our dogs, which causes us to lose control.
What constitutes extreme behavior varies from person to person, and is dependent on context. Mouthing and showing teeth in one context may just be play (top and right), while in another, it may be dangerous.
A problem only arises when the human/owner is not in control of the situation.
If your dog is biting you and causing puncture wounds, it is best to seek help from a professional dog trainer.
My Experiences with Dog Aggression
I was very embarrassed, shocked, and worried when my Shiba first showed signs of aggression. It happened four days after we brought him home (at 10 weeks old), when we took him to the vet.
The vet was very afraid of him and had to muzzle him to do an examination. She later recommended that we return him to the breeder. I never visited with this poor vet again, but at the time it was very difficult not to be embarrassed, and try to show that we were good dog parents by scolding and punishing our Shiba.
Many of my neighbors also gave us the ‘you are such a bad dog parent‘ look.
Because I was so embarrassed I made some very bad mistakes. The worst was using alpha rolls and other aversive techniques including leash jerks with him. My embarrassment also caused me to get angry, and frustrated with my dog.
I was jealous and hurt when my dog would behave better with other people. After all, I feed him and take care of him most of the time, why should he misbehave most with me?
Although it is very natural to have such feelings, they are very detrimental to helping a dog with his reactivity or aggression issues.
Dog Aggression and Love
Remember that your dog’s behavior is a result of behavior conditioning, and not from lack of love
It is natural for us to place our own, very human values and expectations upon our dogs but that is not the way they think.
Dogs respond to conditioning (classical and operant). Dogs will repeat behaviors that have good results and reduce behaviors that have bad results.
What constitutes a good or bad result can sometimes vary from dog to dog. If your dog is showing aggressive behaviors that are continuing to escalate, then he is inadvertently being rewarded for that bad behavior.
- Does he get to go on a walk when he jumps up on you and makes a pest of himself?
- Does he get to smell the other dog by whining loudly and lunging?
- Does nail clipping stop when he mouths or bites you?
- Do you back away when he growls and shows teeth?
If so, then your dog is getting what he wants through aggressive behaviors and will continue those behaviors.
Once we accept that our dogs are not acting out of hate, jealousy, or some other human emotion, we can move on and start reshaping their behavior by changing the consequences of their actions.
Dog Aggression and Other People
Do not worry about what strangers think. Your dog’s welfare is a lot more important.
Actively watch out for feelings of embarrassment, anger and frustration and try to redirect yourself to a more positive frame of mind. Rather than focus on the judgment of strangers –
- Think about the fun you had with your dog just this morning and how cute he looked with cheese bits all over his muzzle and his tongue hanging out in a goofy smile.
- Carry some happy pictures of your dog with you to help redirect your negative feelings.
- Remove yourself and your dog from the unpleasant stimulus as soon as possible.
Dog Aggression and Breed
Some dog breeds may be more prone to reactive or aggressive behaviors. Breeds that are strong-willed, stubborn, and independent will have a higher propensity for challenging you, and displaying aggression in that process.
Breeds that have a strong prey drive may easily become over-excited when they spot prey (e.g. squirrels, cats) and redirect that energy onto you if you thwart their instinct to chase.
Similarly, a strong protective drive may result in using aggression to guard territory, food, toys, or other resources.
More primitive dog breeds often have a lower reactivity threshold. I.e., they may easily go rear-brained when excited, stressed, or fearful.
Make sure to take your dog’s temperament and natural breed instinct into account while retraining his aggressive behaviors.
Dog Aggression – What to Expect
Dealing with dog aggression can be difficult, and may take a long time to fix, but …
- The rewards are well worth the trouble.
The journey will reveal many things not just about your dog, but also about youself. In the process, you will develop a special relationship and strong bond with your dog – and that in itself is priceless. - Things will get better.
Many dog owners are going through the same thing, and their dog’s behavior has and continue to improve. - Your dog will challenge you less as he matures.
… but he may keep challenging you. That is one of the joys of dog ownership 😀
When the world says, "Give up,"
Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
~~[ Author Unknown ]
If you are having aggression issues with your dog, know that you are not alone. I had many aggression issues with my Shiba Inu.
There are also many touching stories from the Toronto Shiba Meetup and Dogster about dealing with dog aggression.
More on Aggression
- Aggression: The Humane Society of the United States
- Behavioral View on Dog Aggression
- Desensitizing your Dog with Clicker Training
Canine Body Language
- Calming Signals: An article about Turid Rugaas.
- How to Interpret Your Dog’s Body Language, Facial Expressions and Vocalizations
Good day. I am writing this out of pure desperation. I am embarressed beyond words to adnit this but our spoiling attitude towards our doggy has created a monster! I have a 2 year old Pomeranian. Female. My mother and I treated her like a little princess when we got her and I think thats why she is the way she is. She was always a bit quick to get snippy, at about 6 months she started growling if we tried to bath her, or touch her ears or even if we (the humans) stand to close to each other she got upset and started barking until we move away from each other. And so it just escalated SO dramatically. Eventually we needed to give her herbal calming solutions to clip her toenails BUT for the past two months we cannot get near her toenails. And to top it off we can no longer bath her as she bites us now when we put her in the tub. Tonight I tried to help unhook her paw from the blanket it got stuck in and she attacked my arm and bit me open that I am actually bleeding. I do NOT want to put her down but we have tried everything. Changed her eating routine and disciplined more firmly (NEVER hit her!) And do not allow her to sit on the couches or beg for our food etc but it is gettint WORSE. What do you do with a dog that attacks you despite your efforts, is it too late? I love my doggy so much and I know it was our lack to establish authority in the beginning but is it really to late? A part of me literally thinks there is something wrong with her brain because the one moment im scratching her and she loves it and is so happy and the next moment she snaps and attacks me or my mothet. Please please give advice.
How do you “discipline” her? What is her daily routine?
Based on what you describe, I would get help from some professional trainers. Dog behavior is very context dependent, so in complex situations that involve aggression, it is usually best to have a professional come over to look at the dog, within the context of her routine and environment.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Dogs show aggression for a variety of reasons. It could be because they are trying to protect something, it could be out of stress, frustration, over-excitement, or something else.
Here is a short UCDavis article on dominance and aggression.
When I was having issues with my Shiba Inu, I got help from a bunch of trainers and I also read up a lot on dog behavior and dog training. Learning more about dog behavior helped me to pick better trainers, and also to better understand my dog and where he is coming from.
Where I get information about dog training and dog behavior.
More on my experiences with my Shiba.
my half pit half bull dog 1 and a half years old has been fine until about 2 months ago. suddenly if my husband is sleeping she will growl and act like she wants to eat me. it has been getting worse we put her in her kennel at night and she growls at me if i get near my husband even walking by the door if he is sleeping. how can we stop this. we had a trainer who said to continue training and she will outgrow this but i am unsatisfied with this statement. during day time she seems just fine with me but this is really worrying me. any ideas please
Is your husband around during the daytime? Does she only show this behavior when your husband is around? Does she only show this behavior when he is sleeping and you are near him? Did anything unusual happen 2 months ago? What is her routine like? What type of training is she used to? Who primarily trains and feeds her? What rules does she have in the house?
Dog behavior is very context dependent, and aggression can be the result of many different things. When I am trying to change behavior for my dog, I first try to identify where the behavior is coming from.
For example, is he trying to guard something, is he fearful of something, is he over-excited, is it from stress, or something else. To do this, I try to look at the details of the surrounding environment and look for commonalities. Once I understand the source of the behavior, I can better manage it and come up with a good plan for retraining.
The training field is not regulated, so when I was having problems with my Shiba Inu, it was a challenge to find a good trainer for him.
Here is more on my trainer search experiences.
How to choose a trainer (Association of Pet Dog Trainers).
I just came across this and hope you can answer a question. Our 9mo apbt has been attending play groups for socializing, very playful and enjoys it. He had an incident which they think back 2 back days and being confined indoors (rainy day) contributed. We’re very aware his breed history, and know sometimes adolescent dogs just decide they don’t feel like playing as they once did. We were told he corrected 3 different dogs this one day..easily verbally redirected from staff. We were told the staff member didn’t see all 3..heard, turned around and said “hey stop”. Another staff member heard our pup was “rounding” the other dogs. I don’t understand that term, I believe it means correcting? I can’t even find it on the net. How does one continue socializing outside of play groups at a daycare? And should I be alarmed of this? No behavior issues since. His trainer is going to observe his play at his next scheduled day.
My first guess is that it probably means “rounding”-[up] as in herding/collecting the other dogs. Border Collies or other herding dogs, may sometimes try to round up other dogs, and may even do that with people. Best to get clarification from the staff member though.
As for daycare, is really depends a lot on the quality of the staff, size of playgroups, and more. How big are the playgroups at the daycare? Do they group the dogs based on age, size, energy level? What type of training techniques do they use? Do their staff seem engaged with the dogs? How does your dog respond to the staff? Is your dog very excited to go to daycare?
What worked best for my Shiba Inu is to organize very small play-groups with friendly neighborhood dogs. We had a great dog living across the road from us in our previous place, so I would often bring her over to play with my Shiba. I supervise the whole time, so I can set up consistent rules, manage excitement level, throw in lots of play breaks, and keep things positive.
With Sephy, we also did a lot of desensitization and socialization sessions at our local SPCA, under the direction of one of their trainers.
We did try daycare with Sephy in the beginning, but he really did not enjoy the daycare experience. My Huskies are more ok with it, but ultimately, I was more comfortable with setting up and supervising their play sessions myself.
I was just wondering, I have a jack russell x beagle and recently started showing aggression to me after being left alone for periods of time with my house mate. My house mate is not a dog person and regularly uses a washing backet to stop the dog coming near him… Lately, if i leave the house for work commitments etc, when I get home, my dog won’t let me near him, snarling and growling at me and snapping on occassions… He has never displayed any of these signs until about a month after my house mate moved in… yet he seems to want to be around the house mate all the time, even though hes not wanted…. any tips or advice?? I’m at a loose end. cheers
I think it would depend a lot on his behavior and interactions with your house-mate, routine, environment, and more. What is his routine like? How long is he alone with your house-mate? What actions cause the snarling behavior – is it only when you approach? Get too near? Are there food or toys around? I.e. what things seem to trigger the snarling behavior?
Does he know trained commands, e.g. Come? Does he still do commands for you? Does he still come when called? Does he vocalize with other people during walks? Was he friendly with other people before your house-mate moved in? What was his routine like before house-mate and after house-mate? Are there other changes in behavior?
Since there are so many factors involved, it may be best to consult with a good professional trainer who can visit with the dog and observe his behavior with you, your housemate, and with others.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
He still responds to my commands, and the longest he would be left with the house-mate would be 6 hours… once a week maybe.. His interaction with the house-mate is generally trooper tries to get his attention, house-mate takes out washing basket and uses it to keep the dog away from him. He doesnt pet him, he doesnt do anything for him. Im thinking is it troopers way of being angry with me for leaving him alone with him, as he is so used to getting so much love and affection from me? there are no problems with my other dog as he is quite happy to spend the time alone sitting out the window! No change in routine since house-mate moved in, only difference now is if im out for a while, he’s at home! He is still very friendly with people.. its only when i come home he wont let me touch him.. but when its bed time then he’s the first under the blankets and all is forgiven!
My *guess* based on what you have described is that it is stress-driven. My Shiba, for example, is very sensitive to other people’s energy, so if I am fearful or anxious, he will pick up on that and become stressed himself. Once I remove the bad energy and Shiba has some time to calm down, his behavior improves significantly.
If you keep him in a quiet area of the house away from your house-mate, does he seem more relaxed?
my house is small so when the house mate is around there is no getting away from him unless he locks himself in his room and trooper cant get in.. The past two night i have been home before my house mate and there have been no aggression issues….. tonight,, my house mate came home before me, by about 2 hours… i get home, he’s snarling, locking his paws, showing his teeth…. and refusing to engage in his usual play…. no issues around toys or food… only acts like this when any time on his own with house mate….. its coming to.. housemate or dog has to leave…. and its not gonna be the dog!! thats for sure!
Hi I need some help to decide if I should neuter my 5 yr old Pomeranian. I have not neutered him do far as I’ve always been scared as to how this is going to affect him health wise and behavior wise. I am not worried about him making puppies as he rarely meets other dogs and when he does he is very shy and runs away and hides from them even from the females. He “plays” with stuff toys at home. I’ve heard and rear so much that I should neuter him because he could get testicular cancer or prostate cancer but I’ve also read that if you neuter them they have a bigger chance of developing many other kinds of cancer: thyroid, bone, heart or other diseases. So i am not sure what’s best for him. 🙁 I am considering neutering him only because I’ve heard and read it will help with his behavior. He is tiny but is very snappy and dominating even with me he shows teeth when he doesn’t want to be made to do what he doesn’t like to do- get from one room to the other, get from under the couch, move him by picking him up from the bed, or when he feels like he will be excluded from the company or activity. He did bite my mom who was trying to get him from under the couch to show him on Skype camera once, since then we are very warey of his change in tone. He also is very snappy and barky at people and dogs when he is on a leash walk in our block where he feels this is his territory- he doesn’t do it anywhere else unless a person provokes him. If the leash is loose he hides behind me if the other dog responds aggressively too so he just does it for show. Also he does not bite people for any other reason than picking him up. I wonder if this is normal and if this is caused by the testosterone or is it just his character. I also wonder of this will be corrected with neutering. But I don’t want to neuter him if this endangers his health just so I can correct his aggressiveness. Do you think I should neuter him? Is it ok to neuter a 5 yr old male (he never mated with another dog and never mounts humans, only toys)? Will he be healthier neutered than intact? Will neutering really stop the aggression – biting and snapping? I also don’t want him to lose energy and become sluggish and not interested in play or toys, he is fun because of that, I don’t want him to be sleep around all day dog. I hope you can help me? He has a neuter appointment for tomorrow and I’m getting the cold feet. 🙁 Help?
For health concerns, it is best to consult with your vet.
As for aggressive behavior, there are *many* reasons why a dog may display aggressive behavior. To address aggression issues with my dogs, I first try to identify the source of the aggression. I do this by carefully observing them, reading their body language, and also by consulting with good professional trainers. Once I understand the source of their bad behavior, then I can develop steps to correct it through positive socialization, desensitization exercises, handling exercises, careful management of their environment, and more.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Some articles about neutering from the ASPCA-
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/spay-neuter
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/top-10-reasons-spay-or-neuter-your-pet
How long will my intact male mid size pomeranian live?
How long will my mid size male pomeranian live if I get him neutered at 5 years of age?
There are more cancers and diseases he can develop neutered than intact, what will make him live longer if neutered?
🙁
I do not know of any definitive scientific data or studies which show an association between neutering and dog life spans. If you know of any, please let me know.
However, there is always a lot of opinions and conflicting information on the web. For health concerns, I usually talk to my vet since they also have a complete health history of my dog, have medical training, and are more likely to have accurate information on dog related medical issues. For important issues that my vet cannot resolve, I talk to a specialist.
Getting fixed won’t help still aggressive
Great Article …
I have a 15 wk old border collie/jack Russell (border jack) with traits of an alpha male and he is now more aggressive torward me when it comes to his toys, space, and when I’m near his crate. (While grabbing for his bedding to clean it. He does not do this when I pet him or while he is eating, he also barks at people when passing. Any suggestions as to what might be causing this at a young age?
Dog behavior is very dependent on context, so it is difficult to say without seeing things firsthand. Given that he is showing aggression this early, it may be best to consult with a good professional trainer/behaviorist.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Some articles that may be relevant-
Why dogs get aggressive over food and toys.
Dominance and bad dog behavior.
How I became pack leader to my aggressive dog.
I’m feeling very overwhelmed with my dog, I got her from the SPCA, I have had her 3 years, she will soon be 5. She is an Australian Cattle dog X Rottie, its just her and I and she seems to have become very protective of me, and particularly aggressive with men. She is also aggressive with other dogs, on leash for the most part. I find her so unpredictable, when i first got her I used a dog walker, (in addition to me walking her, I wanted her to have a break in the day because I live in an apartment) that was fine until she started lunging at other dogs, I’ve tried trainers and reactive dog classes. I switched to a dog daycare which has been great they think she is wonderful and look at my like i’m overreacting when i tell them about the issues I’ve had. so away from me and off leash I guess she’s ok but around me she is very aggressive towards people, lunging and snarling at men, if they make any sudden moves she will lunge at them in a very aggressive way. I love her and this is breaking my heart, I don’t know what else to do, ive tried training I could try more but feel like i’m just throwing money I don’t have at this problem with next to no results. I can handle the leash aggression, I will keep up the training i’ve learnt for that but the aggression with people is getting worse and it makes me very uncomfortable to have her around anyone. My next step is to ask my vet about anti anxiety meds, do you have any thoughts on them? I would like to date, I would like to have people over, I don’t know how much more I can do.
One important thing I learned from my Shiba Inu (Sephy) is that my energy greatly affects his behavior. Sephy was very reactive towards other dogs when he was young, and I would get frustrated, embarrassed, and a bit fearful of his behavior. He would sense this in me, become even more stressed-out himself, and become even more reactive.
Sephy and I had a very difficult beginning. Part of training him also involved training myself and controlling my own energy.
What specific training exercises have you tried with your dog? How often and for how long? What is her behavior like during and after the exercises? What did the trainers suggest? What did they say about her behavior?
With my dog, I do people desensitization exercises to teach him to be calm around people and to help him to associate people with positive events. For desensitization to work, I make sure to start small, go slowly, and to always set him up for success. During retraining, I make sure *not* to expose him to situations where he will lose control and start showing aggression. The more successful exercises Sephy had with people, the more confident he became, and the more calm he is with people. The opposite is also true.
Therefore, I try to not only maximize successes but also to minimize bad encounters.
Timing, technique, and energy all matter a lot in dog training. This is why getting a good trainer can be very helpful because they can be right there to help us with these things. I consulted with several trainers during my difficult period with Sephy.
However, it can often be a challenge to find a good trainer.
http://www.cappdt.ca/public/jpage/1/p/ChoosingTrainer/content.do
http://www.cappdt.ca/public/jpage/1/p/TrainingArticles/content.do
Just wanted to say THANK YOU, ShibaShake. I also have a primitive, strong-willed, high-drive dog (a Shar Pei mix who is more the traditional Chinese style–not the typical American, pet Shar Pei). She is a very well-trained and wonderful girl who no longer challenges me, but who is aggressive toward small dogs who come near her territory. I am SO ashamed and embarrassed by this behavior. I’ve heard someone call her “vicious” and a “nasty, dangerous dog” and since I live in a very tight community, I know that many people around me are hearing this about her and judging the both of us.
It makes a HUGE difference to read your posts and get encouragement. You reminded me today to let go of my neighbors’ judgements and focus instead on my dog–who is really amazing–and needs my help. I really needed that.
Thank you again from the both of us,
-D. and M.L. (beloved Shar Pei cross)
Yeah, I felt that same way in the beginning with Sephy. It is easy to say “just ignore the judgement of others”, but in practice, it was not so easy to do. Here are a few of my observations on the “friendly dog”. 😀
I think you will also enjoy this article – “He Just Wants to Say Hi” by Suzanne Clothier
She also has a book Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs
, which is one of my favorite dog books.
Big hugs to M.L.!
Hi, I am desperate for some help with my 2 year old American Staff X Rottweiler (he is the size of a staffy). In recent months when we take him out off lead he jumps on other dog’s backs and growls and nips into the back of their neck until they submiss. He has always been very over excitable and came to us as a puppy from a vet with a cut in his lip after being left with adult dogs in the garden (we think that he was roughed up). We have socialised him since he was a puppy to ensure that he did not become aggressive. He seemed to be going well until earlier on this year he had a couple of fights with one of our friend’s dogs whilst our friend’s dog was staying at our house. Since this time he has progressively been showing the dominance behaviour with other dogs. It started with one particular dog that he didn’t like and since we returned from holidays has progressed to every dog that he sees. He will charge up to them and jump on the other dogs back. My husband says that he does it less frequently when he is out with him. I’m not sure if he is picking up that I am fearful now when we go out. We are expecting our first baby in Jan and so I am at my wits end as to what to do with him. We have had bark busters around and we have been doing more on lead training with him and have been having him on a long lead around other dogs. Yesterday the long lead gave me rope burn after he went for another dog. Can you suggest anything else for us to try? My thoughts at the moment are that we might have to give him away.
My Shiba was also pretty reactive to other dogs when he was young. Some things that helped with Sephy-
1. We did a lot of dog-to-dog desensitization exercises with him at our local SPCA, under the direction of a trainer there.
2. During walks, I try to create as many neutral experiences as possible – where we just ignore the other dogs. During retraining I *always* walk him on-leash and always manage his environment so that I can maximize successful walks and minimize bad encounters with other dogs. The more positive experiences Sephy had, the more he learned to be calm around other dogs, and vice versa.
3. I pick Sephy’s play-mates very carefully. He does not like dominant dogs and plays much better with larger dogs. Smaller dogs get easily overwhelmed by him, and if a dog challenges him, he will not back-down, so it will become a negative encounter pretty quickly. He plays well with friendly dogs who are interested in chasing and wrestling. I organize supervised play sessions with single dogs that he gets along with.
I supervise play sessions closely, and throw in many play-breaks to manage Sephy’s excitement level.
Creating more structure and managing his environment really helped with Sephy. In a high stimulus situation where there are many loose dogs about, it is difficult to retrain a dog. Therefore, I start small by training him with calm single dogs first, and then slowly build up from there.
At home, I also follow the Nothing in Life is Free program with all of my dogs.
Here are a couple of articles from the ASPCA about preparing a dog for a new babby-
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/preparing-your-dog-new-baby
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/introducing-your-dog-your-new-baby
Is this at the dog park? What did the trainer from Bark Busters suggest?
I used to bring Sephy to the dog park, but I stopped doing that after a few months because he developed many bad behaviors. The dog park environment was too unstructured and not suitable for his temperament. Here is more on our dog park experiences.
I took my dog for a beach walk this morning . He is 2 1/2 and is a Schnoodle ; a schnauzer / poodle x. He loves the tennis ball thrower on the beach and this morning I didn’t take it. 95 % of the time is great on the beach; loves to be chased by other dogs and is very social with other dogs. However with Puppies; especially furry ones; sometimes he bowls them over , jumps on them and nips them. he did this this morning with one puppy and then wouldn’t stop and wouldn’t come. Is there anyway I can stop this behaviour. He didn’t appear to be over aggressive just dominant ; but the puppy owner this morning basically threatened to kill him!
Yeah, sometimes my dog gets overly excited during play and loses control of himself. At that point, he is no longer able to hear or respond to commands.
What works well with my dog is to manage his excitement level *before* it reaches that point. I do this by throwing in many play-breaks or by engaging him in doing something else that he loves (e.g. that is why the tennis ball thrower is so effective). This helps to break things up, so that he doesn’t overly obsess on any one thing, and has many chances to redirect and calm down in-between activities.
If I am too slow and my dog is too far gone, then I go get him, and remove him from the overly excitable situation. He has to come hang with me for a bit, in a quiet area, where he can calm down.