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Dog Tips, Care & Training

Dog Aggression – What Does it Mean?

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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.

Dog Aggression - What Does it Mean?
Dog Aggression - What Does it Mean?
Mouthing and showing teeth in one context may just be play, while in another, it may be dangerous.
Mouthing and showing teeth in one context may just be play, while in another, it may be dangerous.

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

Don't let that cute face fool you - He is a terror that flaps in the night!
Don't let that cute face fool you - He is a terror that flaps in the night!

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.

With proper reward training, Shiba Sephy is now less of a terror and more of a lover.
With proper reward training, Shiba Sephy is now less of a terror and more of a lover.

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.

Reshaping dog behavior by rewarding desirable actions, and not rewarding aggression.
Reshaping dog behavior by rewarding desirable actions, and not rewarding aggression.

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.

Breeds that are strong-willed, stubborn, and independent will have a higher propensity for challenging you, and displaying aggression in that process.
Breeds that are strong-willed, stubborn, and independent will have a higher propensity for challenging you, and displaying aggression in that process.

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.

    • When the world says, "Give up,"
    Hope whispers, "Try it one more time."
    ~~[ Author Unknown ]

  • Your dog will challenge you less as he matures.
    … but he may keep challenging you. That is one of the joys of dog ownership šŸ˜€

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

Canine Body Language

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Comments

  1. I have a 3 year old Akita that we adopted 9 months ago. She didn’t now her name or any basic commands. She is a lovable girl that is happy to be at my side at all times. I have 2 problems I cannot seem to straighten out. 1. Separation anxiety. I have a beautiful of run with a warm shelter I try to leave her to go to the store or maybe lunch. She digs, howls, paces and has even got caught under the chain link fence. I have never left the house, just observe these behaviors from bedroom window. HELP! #2 Agression toward all dogs while walking. Lots of other posts on this so I won’t elaborate. We have spent quite a bit on training. She does well at the trainer but not for us on theses 2 issues. Any advise? She may be ruining our marriage. Thanks in advance.

    Reply

  2. I recently recuse a eight year old Maltese who badly beaten and abuse medically negative I took vet had everything done for him problem is aggressive he has growl me even bite drew blood what could do resure he safe love I have three another dogs there not aggressive at all and Maltese doesnot have problem with them get along

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  3. I just got a Maltese dog who was neglected and abuse the thing is when try give him medicine that vet gave me because teeth are bad shape and I have take him back for cleaning I try brush or give him dental spray or just to be nice he growls and even bite me I just have for week try everything show love but he growls and try bite me what should do I love him but I cant keep dog so aggressive toward me so help

    Reply

  4. My 4 months old Shiba inu, Mamoru, has been living with me for about 1 and a half months now.
    He has no problem or what so ever and he is not that stubborn in most part. However, for some reason he HATES my 6 years old cousin who always come visit me at my house and come for sleepovers. It’s the third time he met my cousin and he’s been acting out even more. Since the first time they met, he started barking at my cousin for no reason. My cousin NEVER tease or poke him at all. I always supervised them when they play. He does play with my cousin at times.. One thing that bothers me most is that he keeps on barking at my cousin while sitting on my foot. He won’t let him near me and will do shiba screams when he does. He usually dont follow me around that much but when my cousin is here, he follows me everywhere.
    I heard that when dogs sit on your feet, they are dominating you. However i feel like im the pack leader and he always listen to me. ( But, i guess no?) Anyways, when he starts barking and whining, I tap him a little and tell him to go away, or go to his bed. When he sits on my foot, i kinda push his away. And recently today, me cousin came for a sleepover and he started pulling and nipping on his pants and shirt. When i tell him to go to his bed he keeps whining and doing the shiba scream. Ever step my cousin makes, he will whine and bark. The first few times he listen to me but today he just wont.
    I really dont know what to do. Im not stress or scared or anything but im concerned that if this continues, one day he will bite my cousin.
    He bit and pull my cousin’s clothes but it hasnt draw blood. When I try to carry him he screamed and tried to bite me. But I taught him bite inhibition so there was no blood. I just dont understand why he keeps on doing that. I dont know if he is scared that cause aggression or what.

    It’s not with all strangers. It’s just my cousin.

    Please helpp!!!!!!!!
    I really need helps and suggestions.

    Reply

  5. My boyfriends Dog Boxer male. Not fixed. He’s good .but when my boyfriend takes him for a walk with a leash. He’s fine. Untill were about home he let’s go of his leash and he’s good at listening. But then turns around jumps on him and bites him.and draws blood. He’s a good dog but we don’t know why he does that and how do we stop it.

    Reply

  6. hello my partner just got a 13 week jack Russ puppy sometimes he turns on my with out warning starts bitting my leg if I stop still he bits harder if I try and walk a way he follows then starts growing and barking at me I have to go in our spare room to get away form when do go back to him he start licking me when I think he is ok he starts bitting again this time me hand even if say och still keeps bitting have to open his chew to get me hand out he really making me scared as never know if he going to bit me he has not bitten my partner

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  7. I had a new friend over to the house for the first time and all seemed ok till he went out to the car and on his return,…, my 162 pound female Rottweiler stacked on him and would not let him in,…, not that he wanted to try to. She washed him like a hawk all that evening and after he left, I heard a crazy Rottie in the guest bedroom. I ran in thinking it was a robber or something and there she was,…, Stacked, hair up from her head ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE TIP OF HER TAIL. She never gets like that unless there is a real threat. I found my guest’s shoes under the bed. SHE HATED EVEN HIS SHOES! She is a totally HUMAN LOVING DOG and has never shown any aggression to guests,.., If I’m ok with them, she’ll warm-up fast. But this one person has PTSD and I have to wonder,…, you think this imbalance in this person,. their fear, anger, irritability etc made her fear for the pack’s safety. I mean I have MS and all my dogs, (I rescue abused Rotties), since 2002 have been able to sense a MS hit like a few days before and they’ll lick my head where I think the exacerbation is focus at. I’d just take it easy and sure enough a much minor attack of MS would come on me. I just felt bad to tell the guy that he could not be on property since I felt it unsafe for him. But like I said, this in the first person in MaC’s 6 years on earth that she has ever kept guard on a guest so I have to believe there was something not quite right with him. I mean it was not like we were going to be best friends but she sensed something about him that was just not going to fly. Just wanted your take on this since I call it dog sense and I use mine as well,…, but I don’t bite,.., I just fade out of the relationship..-Thanks-Steph

    Reply

    • Yeah, my dogs (especially my Shiba Inu) are very sensitive to the energy of the people around them. Dogs can smell things that we cannot, and are very good at picking up body language.

      When I am stressed out, they can pick that up pretty quickly, and they get stressed too. Similarly, if they meet over-excited people during walks, they are more likely to get over-excited. Angry people will generally cause my two Huskies to become uncertain/fearful. Shiba Sephy, who is more dominant, may feel threatened is such a situation. Therefore, I generally only let my dogs meet calm people who are willing to listen to greeting instructions from me.

      The more calm and successful people greetings my dog has, the more he associates people with positive events. Similarly, reactive events will create undesirable associations, undermine trust, and may cause more reactive behavior in the future. Therefore, I always try to set my dog up for success and only introduce him to calm people that I know he will be successful with. I also supervise very closely, especially when he is meeting new people.

  8. Hello I have a 5, nearly 6 year old shih tzu. We’ve had him since he was a puppy, but very recently he has started to growl and snap at us. This only happens when he has gotten into a comfortable position and we need to move him, for example, when we need to put him to bed, or when we need to pop out or just if he is sat in an awkward place. He will turn and growl, sometimes escalating to snapping. It seems clear to me why he’s doing it, he’s comfy and doesn’t want to move, but it cam make going to bed or going out a nightmare as we need to tip toe around him just to get him to move. Any ideas on what could have caused this behaviour all of a sudden and what we can do?

    Reply

  9. Hey all. I’ve been having some trouble with my Shiba and wanted some input. Just about three months ago he decided he wanted to hump my leg. He hadn’t tried that since he was a puppy although he does with my girlfriend more often. Well when he decided he wanted to hump me I said “no” and wagged my finger at him and had him sit. While he sat I decided (probably not the smartest move) to pat his head and tell him it was ok. As I leaned forward and down and scratched him behind the ear he decided to, without a growl or peep, to spring and bit my chin. And ultimately backed me into a corner by way of knocking me off balance and charging me while attempting to gain my balance. Now jump forward three months and he has now bit my girlfriend in the arm. She was brushing him as she does every few days but this time when she was brushing his hind legs near his butt he spun around and bit her arm so bad she was dripping blood. This was without any warning sign be it posture or sound. Now he has had extensive training and every trainer says he is a very well behaved dog but these two instances have ruined the trust in the house. Its hard to say but it’s become unbearable. The thing is he normally shows signs that he doesn’t wish to be handled but to not even have a warning has raised two many red flags. Especially to my girlfriends arm as blood was pouring from both sides of her punctured arm.

    Reply

    • Now he has had extensive training and every trainer says he is a very well behaved dog but these two instances have ruined the trust in the house.

      What type of training has he had? What is his daily routine like? What does your girlfriend do when he humps her leg? What did you do after he charged you? Does everyone use the same training methods and apply consistent house rules? Did his behavior change suddenly or gradually?

      As I leaned forward and down and scratched him behind the ear he decided to, without a growl or peep, to spring and bit my chin.

      How does he usually respond to being scratched behind the ear? What usually happens when he growls?

      Based on what you describe, I would get help from a good trainer/behaviorist. Dog behavior is very context dependent, so especially in cases of more serious aggression, it is safest and best to get professional help. When I had issues with my Shiba, I did private consultations with several trainers.
      https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/finding-professional-help
      https://apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/

      In the beginning, I had a lot of problems with Sephy. He did the humping-move on my leg, he did crazy biting on my clothes as well as on the leash.
      Early experiences with my Shiba Inu.

      Some things that I learned from my Shiba-
      1. Controlling my own energy is very important. Sephy is very sensitive to the energy of the people around him. If I am fearful, worried, frustrated, or stressed, he will pick up on that energy, get stressed himself, and his behavior will worsen. Usually when I am trying to stop him from doing certain behaviors I try to be very very calm. Shouting and engaging with him physically usually gets him more excited and crazy, so I minimize those things as much as I can.

      2. Management, structure, routine, and consistency. I put a lead on Sephy (with a regular flat collar, only under supervision) and I use that to control him and stop him from humping, charging me, etc. I also use the leash to take him to time-out if necessary. I establish a fixed set of house rules, and I consistently enforce those rules.
      http://shibashake.com/dog/pack-leader-to-an-aggressive-dog
      http://shibashake.com/dog/build-a-strong-bond-with-your-dog

      3. I do bite-inhibition training, no-bite training, as well as manage Sephy’s environment and energy. I try to set him up for success. I manage him so that he is not exposed to situations that he is not ready to handle. The more aggressive or reactive episodes he has, the more likely he will repeat that behavior in the future. Therefore, I want to manage, prevent, or redirect before such events occur.

      I use resource management techniques and positive training. I absolutely stay away from physical and dominance based techniques. Those worsened Sephy’s aggressive behavior.
      More on how I do bite-inhibition training and no-bite training.
      More on how I teach my dog self-control.

      Extra precautions and management will need to be taken to ensure safety for more serious biting behavior. For example, in the beginning, I used a spoon to teach Sephy bite inhibition, because he was biting too hard on my fingers. However, Sephy never broke skin. For dogs with a bite history, it is best to consult with a good professional trainer/behaviorist.

      Sephy did not like being handled in the beginning. I did a lot of desensitization exercises with him to get him comfortable with people, handling, and grooming. However, even today, he is very sensitive of his butt area. I am very careful when I groom his back area. I make sure not overdo it, and I make grooming sessions short, fun, and rewarding.

      Some useful lessons I learned from training my Shiba.
      More on the difficult beginning I had with my Shiba.

  10. Hello! I have an Alaskan malmute X German shepherd. He’s eight and is fine at the dog park but he cannot stand (some) submissive dogs and is really aggressive towards them. I feel so guilty because it’s him who starts fights (it’s like bullying) he was raised by his German shepherd mum who was protective and played aggressively. I think because of this he thinks it’s normal behaviour. He never got overly aggressive with her because she was alpha but now since she’s passed he thinks he’s alpha at the park causing unwanted aggression to innocent dogs. Help me please I need some guidance! Thanks, Pauline

    Reply

    • My Shiba Inu does best in very small playgroups that are very structured and very well supervised. I pick his playmates carefully so that they fit his temperament and play style. This ensures that there are fewer conflicts.

      I set up consistent rules and I supervise to make sure that everyone is following the rules. I make sure there is no bullying, and nobody is getting overwhelmed. In this way, Sephy learns good social behaviors with other dogs, associates other dogs with positive experiences, and everybody has a good time.

      The dog park environment is very high stimulus, unstructured, sparsely supervised, and there is no separation of dogs based on energy level, temperament, etc. Sephy was getting over-stimulated and he was starting to learn and develop unwanted social behaviors.

      While Dog Parks can be fun, they also bring plenty of NEGATIVE interactions by forcing your pet to come up against dogs that might be overly stimulated, short-tempered, outwardly aggressive or otherwise badly managed. Smart Socializing means keeping your friend dog-tolerant, and that involves AVOIDING dicey situations where conflict can spark.
      ~~[Smart Socializing]

      More on my dog park experiences.
      More on how I manage play-time with my dogs.
      More on dog socialization.