Aggression in dogs is often misunderstood. It’s difficult not to take it personally if your dog growls at you. And it’s upsetting if he or she barks at another dog. In the past, it was thought that dogs became aggressive because they were trying to be ‘dominant’ or achieve social status. But we now know that aggression has nothing to do with status. In fact, in almost every case of aggression the behaviour starts through fear.
Just like us, dogs have three options to deal with a scary social situation: indicate that they want to avoid conflict (showing behaviours known as ‘appeasement signals’), avoid contact by withdrawing or hiding, or get the other guy to move away with aggressive signals. Dogs learn which strategy ‘ works’ to avoid the threat, and will be more likely to do the same the next time they are in the same situation.
Read the articles below to find out more about how aggressive behaviour develops, how to prevent it, and what to do if you have aggression problems with your dog.
Understanding aggression: How does it develop?
Aggression in dogs is often misunderstood by us humans. It’s difficult not to take it personally if your dog growls at you, and it’s upsetting if he or she barks at another dog. Read on to find out more about how it develops.
Research tells us that where puppies have a more varied social environment, they are less likely to be aggressive as adults. Read on to find out more about what you can do to help prevent your dog becoming aggressive.