Aggression in dogs is a serious issue which always needs to be addressed. Some dogs are reactive, but not aggressive, towards other dogs. Some are aggressive towards dogs and some are aggressive towards people. I hope to clarify the difference between these behaviors and explain some of the reasons why dogs act out in an aggressive manner. Getting to the root of the behavior and why it is occuring is key to a rehabilitation plan for the dog.
Some dogs show aggression when protecting their human, their territory, or things of value. Other dogs show aggression when in a state of uncertainty and fear. Very few dogs that I have encountered are aggressive due to their dominant temperament. Dogs are not born aggressive. The environment, which includes the humans around them, can contribute to developing aggressive behavior.
Reactivity is when a dog barks, lunges, shows their teeth, or the hackles are raised on their back. They are reacting to things in their environment. Sometimes reactivity can be mistaken for aggression because the dog’s reaction can appear to be intense. Aggression is taking it to the next level of intensity and the dog bites either another dog or a human. However, just because your German Shepherd may have bit a stranger while he was protecting you, it doesn’t mean that your dog will bite all humans after that incident. It is important to know the traits of your dog and seek the guidance of a professional dog trainer to help manage these types of breed traits and identify potential triggers that cause the reactivity and/or aggression in your dog.
The training I received at Petco was based on the positive reinforcement philosophy. The company policy prohibited dog trainers to work with any kind of reactivity or aggression. I probably dealt with more reactive cases than what Petco wanted me to. However, I knew my limits and I was not qualified to handle a certain level of intense reactivity that could turn into aggression. I had no formal training on how to deal with it. Therefore, I referred these cases out to Chuck Stella, owner of Elite K911.
I met Chuck almost 15 years ago. It was very rare when I had to refer aggressive cases to him, but it was a necessity nonetheless. The dogs I referred to Chuck would take part in the board and train service that was and still is offered at Elite K911. The dogs stay on premise and trainers work with the dog to discover the root of the aggression and devise a rehab plan to help the dog and the humans live harmoniously together. Whenever I come across a dog that is beyond my expertise, I still refer them to Chuck, as well as Gary Flynn, an excellent dog trainer who has been a guest on my podcast.
Presently, I still base my assessment of a potentially aggressive dog as I did many years ago while working at Petco. I observe the dog’s body language, how it interacts with me first, then with their pet parent, and finally with other people. If a dog has bit their pet parent, I will find out what happened which caused the dog to act that way. If a dog has bit strangers, I will find out what environment and position the dog was in, in relation to their pet parent. For example, if a dog was out in front of their handler, the dog may be in protection mode. In this case, a dog should be walked in the heel position to confirm that they are being led by their handler. Their handler does not need to be constantly protected.
Conversely, if a dog is a cautious dog and is also allowed in front of their handler, they feel more insecure and may lash out because of that. This type of dog prefers to be led than to lead. They don’t want to make the decisions on how to react to stimuli in their environment. They prefer their handler to make those decisions.
I also assess the dog’s temperament and body language. Finally, I feel I have a sixth sense which picks up the dog’s energy. I always tell people I am way better at sensing a dog’s energy than people’s energy. Dogs can’t fake how they act or feel. People can be experts at it!
I will work with the dog that is having aggressive tendencies, as long as the dog lets me handle them. The best way for me to really get to know a dog is by walking them on leash. I may try different tactics, and specific walking tools to come up with how to manage this dog in different scenarios. A lot of times, I am successful. However, when I have exhausted my options and I am not seeing any improvement, I will refer this dog to either Chuck or Gary. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen a lot. The good news is the majority of dogs that come my way can be rehabbed and very few have unfortunate outcomes.
Cesar Millan, a famous dog trainer/behaviorist whom I admire, says the true nature of a dog is to be calm and confident, to exude love, and to be joyful. Everyone wants to be around this type of energy. We all know it when we experience it. My previous dog, Hank the Corgi, did not have it. My current dog, Ebi the Leonberger, does. Part of that is due to the amount of training and knowledge, or lack of knowledge, the pet parent has about dog behavior. The other part is their temperament and true nature that Cesar Millan speaks of. Dogs do not want to be in an aggressive state. They prefer to be in a calm and submissive state of mind. They strive for balance in any pack they are in. It is when they cannot achieve a balanced state that they act out, sometimes in an aggressive manner.
Chuck recounts on our podcast how it pains him to see dogs who want to be dogs, but their pet parents get in the way. Some people have their own version of how dogs should be trained, which goes against what professional dog trainers believe. It is necessary to make the pet parents understand dogs are animals with certain instincts which are different than ours. We have to call out the pet parents when they try to anthropomorphize their dogs. This is when humans project human emotions and logic on to their dog. They explain their dog’s behavior using human logic and reactions, and not basing it on dog psychology. This is one way that pet parents get in the way of fixing their dog’s behavior.
Chuck believes dogs are survivalists. Their brain is always in survival mode. They assess their world by determining if they need to fight or flee any given situation. It is up to us humans to assure them through our confident and consistent leadership that “we got this.” It is through repeated events that are handled in this way, when the dog begins to trust us. The majority of dogs do not want to handle unknown situations. They much prefer to surrender that job to their leader.
It is when this leadership and trust are not present that the dogs become unstable. We cannot love our dogs into changing their behavior. There is a time and place when it is appropriate to show affection towards our dogs. However, what typically happens is the pet parents will pet the dog who is barking or is scared. This reinforces the exact behavior in the dog they are exhibiting in the moment.
From a dog’s point of view, petting is a reward. Ultimately, you are rewarding the dog for barking or you are rewarding the dog for its current fearful state of mind. That coupled with saying “It’s okay, it’s okay” in a soft voice, is not only rewarding the dog, but also demonstrating that their leader is no longer calm and confident. In the dog’s eyes, their leader has weak energy and therefore there must be something to be fearful about. This is another way pet parents get in the way of rehabbing their dog.
Always remember the behavior you are reinforcing in the dog when you pet them or give them a treat.
It is very rare to come across truly aggressive dogs. According to Chuck, people tend to quickly label a dog as aggressive, even if the dog is not biting, but is growling and showing their teeth. These are all warning signs a bite may be imminent, but doesn’t mean the dog is aggressive. There are many reasons why dogs may act out in an aggressive way, but it doesn’t mean that this dog should be labeled aggressive. So many of these aggressive tendencies can be managed by teaching the pet parent how to handle the dog when triggered.
In order to highlight the issue of reactivity, I will cite examples starting with my own dog. When Ebi was about 15 months old, she went into heat. During those months prior to the heat cycle and post heat cycle, she didn’t want any stranger dogs near her. She started barking at any dog passing by, sometimes rather intensely. I was able to manage her 110 lb. body, but it was challenging. I did not know at the time this could happen during a heat cycle. I had to work through this reactivity in order to rehab it. This took a long time. As of today, she may bark and jump a little at certain dogs who stare her down, but she has never gone after a dog aggressively.
It was around this time that she started barking a particular bark when she was outside in the backyard. A key instinct of a Leonberger is to protect their territory from predators. She started barking at pedestrians walking by on a nearby busy street. I had to go outside each time to put her in a sit by my side, which communicated to her I was now in charge, and her job to alert me of the stranger was done. She still does this occasionally today. It’s difficult to fight Mother Nature and that actually is a useful trait to have. I want my dog to alert me, but then I also want her to stop once I get involved to manage the situation. If I never addressed this issue, some other negative behaviors could have formed and she could have become aggressive.
Both of these examples are reactivity examples. The second example is one of two reasons that Chuck says can trigger a dog to be aggressive. If Ebi thought the stranger on the street was encroaching on her territory and a potential threat, she could bite that person. She would be in the territorial mindset and could act upon it and become more intense. I would never say that she won’t ever bite anyone. She is still an animal with animal instincts. Again, it is up to me to manage it so we never get in that situation.
Another trigger can be for predatory reasons. Some dogs may only want to chase a small animal, but others want to chase, catch, and kill. All dogs have a prey drive. Some breeds have it much stronger than others. Recognizing the intensity level of the prey drive in your dog can help you manage them most effectively. Terriers are known to have the tenacity to hunt, catch and kill prey that comes across their path. It is possible to manage this prey drive through extensive training. Gary Flynn and I will be discussing this topic in a future episode when we talk specifically about training hunting dogs.
Other reasons that can cause aggression in dogs, but don’t necessarily mean that your dog is aggressive:
* boredom and frustration - not draining enough physical and mental energy
* being groomed - touching ears, paws, and tail are sensitive spots
* lack of fulfilling breed traits - for example, a hunting dog confined to the home
* lack of leadership by pet parents - not enough structure and too much affection
* resource guarding - when dogs won’t surrender their toys/food
* reacting defensively to being bullied or dominated by another dog in the pack
* spatial pressure - when dogs feel cornered or when two dogs are going thru the same threshold at the same time
* redirected aggression - particularly when on leash, the dog is restricted to pursue something and turns around and bites whatever is nearest to them
* already excited state of mind over one thing can intensify another reaction to something else
* defending themselves from being hit by humans
Communication between dogs can appear harsh, but it is not necessarily aggression. My dog Ebi has never been aggressive towards any dogs, even dogs she has met for the first time, which can be stressful. If she is playing with a dog and the dog is trying to hump her, she will air bite at that dog to let them know that she doesn’t like that behavior. This is not aggression. This is how dogs communicate. However, if the other dog does not get the hint, Ebi would send a more powerful message. Dogs need to learn what the boundaries are of the other dog they are playing with. If the dog still doesn’t get the message, I would step in with no words spoken and make the dog surrender to me as if to say with my body language only “Stop humping her”. When dogs are playing, they should always be supervised for this reason. No one wants to break up a dog fight!
Another similar example is when there are several dogs running around and playing together and one dog decides to be the peacemaker between two dogs who are playing too intensely. That peacemaker dog will go after the dog who is causing the intensity by barking, nipping or even putting a paw on that dog’s back to settle him down. This is not aggression. This is dog communication.
Dogs do not like unsettled energy in a pack. They operate best when there is calm energy in their environment. This is also why a happy but hyper dog can get “corrected” by another dog when they approach each other. It can actually cause a fight. Dogs must be in a calm state and all four paws on the ground when being introduced to another dog. If the dog rears back on its hind legs, that can be seen as an aggressive sign and cause the other dog to react negatively. I have seen dog fights break out because of this. This doesn’t mean that your dog is now going to be aggressive with all other dogs.
Dog communication cannot be confused with aggression.
Some dogs can be aggressive with other dogs, but not people. Pit bulls that I have known have been very sweet, but they can be a different dog out in the community. This is common for the bully breeds. According to Chuck who has had pit bulls as pets and rehabbed many pit bulls, they can be challenging to socialize. Pit bulls were bred for bull baiting until it was banned in the 19th century. However, instead of bull fighting, that type of entertainment moved underground. They were then bred to kill rats in a pit. Some pit bulls are used as bait and others are used to fight and kill each other.
Since the AKC does not recognize pit bulls as a purebred, there are no reputable breeders to disclose temperament and breed traits. So many times their history is not known. Therefore, a lot of pit bulls end up in shelters due to overpopulation and behavior reasons. It is important to be aware of their history as a breed and their specific instincts, in order to manage the dog in the optimal way.
Chuck has always had a dog in his pack that he had to keep an eye on. He talks about a dog he adopted named Radar who bit 3 people, including Chuck. Radar was used as a fighting dog. Sometimes, when you bring a dog home for the first time, the dog needs time to acclimate himself to his new surroundings. The dog’s fight or flight response may be on active alert because of so much fear of the unknown. During this time of uncertainty, or as Chuck calls it “detox phase”, the dog may strike out at anything and anyone in their path.
Some dogs have experienced trauma wherever they were living before and their trust of humans can be almost non-existent. Chuck had to work with Radar and be vigilant for many years. Over time, he learned what Radar’s triggers were. He had to make sure to manage those situations properly in order to avoid mishaps. Radar never bit anyone else after those initial 3 bites and became a well balanced dog.
Another dog Chuck was very fond of was named Venus. She was a young 100 pound Cane Corso that went from street dog to therapy dog in just a couple of years. Rescuers were chasing her around Cleveland State campus trying to catch her for some time, but to no avail. They wanted this large dog off the streets. Chuck offered his help with a big enough crate to handle her. He put food inside the crate, Venus took the bait, and she was caught.
However, they all had to come up with a plan for this huge dog that was nasty and thrashing about in the crate. Chuck volunteered to take her home. He recounts how it was as if a lightbulb went off in her head and she all of a sudden became Chuck’s best buddy. Chuck ultimately was able to take Venus into hospitals and nursing homes. She made a lot of people happy with her unconditional love. She will always be remembered fondly by whomever was lucky enough to know her.
The majority of cases can be rehabbed in a few weeks or months. For a more difficult dog, it can take longer. The problem is not everyone has the patience, skill, and knowledge to manage a dog with aggressive tendencies. If a dog has bitten more than once and the pet parent wants to surrender the dog, the shelter will not take the dog back. It is very difficult to find a home for a dog with a bite history. It is important to note that not everyone reports dog bites. They may not even know they are supposed to. However, if you seek medical attention for the dog bite and admit that you were bit by a dog, that medical establishment must report it to the local health department.
Dogs may be surrendered back to the shelter without disclosing that the dog bit people. What a terrible predicament the new pet parents find themselves in. They have already bonded with the dog, but later find out that it wants to bite people, including themselves. They realize it isn’t fair to the dog to keep them in their current living situation. They know that the dog would be better off in a different family or living quarters, but no one wants to take on the responsibility of a dog with aggression issues. This scenario usually does not have a good outcome. So, please report any bites to future owners for your dog or seek a professional dog trainer to assess if the dog can be rehabbed.
I was referred to a couple who had recently rescued a young dog from a shelter. They lived in a high rise apartment with plenty of green area for dogs to be on and off leash. I could tell that the dog was definitely unsure and probably never socialized before. He made tremendous progress with training. He learned to sleep in a crate, to properly greet people, and to walk by the pet parent’s side in a heel position.
However, when he would see another dog on the apartment grounds, he went crazy barking and lunging. He also had a very stiff body, his hackles were raised, his pupils were dilated to the point that they were black, and his tail was straight up. These are all signs of what Cesar Millan refers to as a “Red Zone” case. If he ever broke away from his handler, it would not have been a pretty sight. This was a dog I referred to earlier as having very intense energy. A dog trainer with aggression experience needed to intervene.
This client contacted the dog trainer she had worked with many years ago when she had a different dog. He kept the dog for a period of time, and the dog did amazing being around other dogs. However, as soon as he returned to this apartment building, he went ballistic again and bit several people. The issue was where he lived. He had to be exposed to other dogs in tight quarters, on leash, while waiting for the elevator upstairs. There were always people walking around. This atmosphere put too much spatial and social pressure on the dog, and he finally lashed out.
The problem was that with a bite history, the shelter did not want him back and the client could not move to a new place. This client did everything she could to keep the dog alive. There was no guarantee that the dog would never bite again in a new environment. Ultimately, she had to make the agonizing decision to put the dog to sleep. The dog had become a liability. The only suitable person to manage this dog would have been a dog trainer with a lot of aggression experience, and there just wasn’t any to be found.
I recently referred to Chuck and his staff a pit bull mix named Daisy. She was rescued by a couple with a young child. They knew they needed to reach out to a trainer for help because Daisy was so fearful and reactive to everything in her environment. When I went to their home, I observed a fearful dog that was warning me not to get close to her. She was backing up and barking very intensely. I had them put a leash on her and walk her around the house until she calmed down. I could tell that she wanted to check me out, so I told the client to drop the leash and let her sniff me. When a dog does this and I know they are sensitive, I don’t make a move and stay calm. No petting, no eye contact. By the end of the visit, I was able to give her treats out of my hand. I knew there was a lot of hope for Daisy.
However, as time went on, Daisy became more reactive when family visited, and their child became afraid of Daisy’s unpredictable behavior. I did not want this to escalate any further, and therefore referred the family to Chuck. He showed the family how to claim the front door and Daisy did not have the privilege of greeting people at the door. She was to be in her safe place in her crate and had to be quiet too.
The great news is that Daisy is doing amazingly well and the family is putting in the hard work required to rehab her. She responded very quickly to her new rules, boundaries and limitations. Her work is not over and will require a vigilant eye for quite some time. She can walk in a heel position, she can go to public events, and even be pet by the kids in the neighborhood. She has transformed remarkably and quickly.
There are many different scenarios that can send an excited dog into an aggressive state of mind where they lash out at the closest thing to them. Some dogs can be triggered by various things even from far away. Very few dogs are truly aggressive. Rehabilitation can be very challenging and time consuming. The most challenging part of the rehab process can be returning the dog back to the pet parent. These types of dogs must be closely monitored. The pet parent must have an advanced level of knowledge about dog behavior and dog psychology. Even if this pet parent exists, not everyone wants to take on this responsibility. The dog becomes a liability and no one wants to have a dog that could harm another dog or person, let alone a young child. Sadly, these types of cases do not always have a good outcome.
However, in the majority of aggression cases, rehabilitation can be achieved in a relatively short period of time. Dog trainers need to stress how the rehab process does not end when the dog trainers leave. It is up to the pet parent to follow through with a new approach to communicating with their dog. They must closely monitor the potential triggers of their dog to reduce and avoid the aggression.
The big question of the day is “Can aggression ever go away?” I personally believe that dogs have a memory. They learn and retain information through association. If a dog was aggressive and bit another dog or person several times, something in those instances could be remembered and become a trigger for future aggression potentially for the rest of their life.
Please consult a professional dog trainer if you are experiencing any type of aggression mentioned above. Most of the time, it can be fixed with the proper instructions. Never try to manage it yourself.
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