Before you can even hope to get to grips with the problem, you need to appreciate the motivation - and that's rarely as straightforward as it seems. The information on this page is explain by Sarah Heath, a behaviourist from the British Magazine, Your Dog.

Aggression is the most common canine problem referred to behavioural counsellors and a subject quick to attract media.

Shock headlines about dogs attacking children capture the nation's attention and before long the dog is seen as a threat to society rather than man's best friend.

However, we need to remember that the caseload of any behaviour counsellor is not representative of the canine population as a whole. While aggression is a problem, other behaviour such as separation anxiety, fears, and control problems, are just as common but perhaps more easily tolerated.

While canine aggression demands rapid attention and simply cannot be ignored, it is important to put the subject into perspective and resist the temptation to sensationalise.

WHAT IS AGGRESSION?

Aggression is an essential facet of every animal's behaviour. In any species, there are a range of normal aggressive responses necessary for survival; the dog is no exception. Raised hackles, a deep growl and bared teeth may, in certain circumstances, be perfectly normal and acceptable behaviour. Other mainfestations of canine aggression, however, such as inflicting actual physical injury, are not.

A normal human reaction is to counter aggression with aggression, and many try to control an encounter with an aggressive dog by force. Not only is this a futile exercise, it can be dangerously provocative and often leads to unnessary conflict and injury.

It is essential never to use aggression as a 'treatment'. Instead you need to take a detailed look at when, why and how the aggression occurs and institute a treatment programme geared to the individual.

In most instances full-scale physical aggression occurs when other mechanisms, such as body posture, vocal signalling and flight, fail and this makes perfect sense. After all any animal that engages in conflict not only opens up the possibility of inflicting injury but also of receiving it. Unless an animal has learned to select aggression as a primary form of defence it is much more likely to adopt one of its other, less dangerous, options.

This is highly relevant to understanding aggression in pet dogs; one of the most important questions is why does an aggressive dog consider this to be a suitable and successful strategy?

In many cases the answer will lie in the dog's previous experience and in the repetition of situations in which aggression has paid off.



THE CAUSES

Aggression is a term used to describe a series of behavioural signals, which occur as a consequence of a range of motivations. When it comes to treating this behaviour the most important thing to determine is not the context of the behaviour but its motivation.

Aggression can be either defensive or offensive. Defensive aggression is motivated by an animal's desire to keep itself from harm and, in many situations, it is associated with fear. Offensive aggression is associated with an animal's desire to gain control of a resource within its environment and this behaviour is driven by the desire to succeed.

However, a dog that is territorially aggressive may behave this way either because of a desire to protect and retain control over his territory or because he is frightened of being threatened or even attacked by an 'intruder'.

Being context specific might lead people to treat both of these situations in the same way but if the behaviour is viewed from a motivational angle the picture becomes much clearer and treatment can be far better targeted.

Determining the motivation for a dog's aggression involves interpreting the dog's signalling - both visual and vocal - and observing the situation from a canine perspective. Body posture can be a good indicator although it is important to remember that some defensive animals learn to show confident postures as an aid to their defence.

Offensively aggressive dogs show:

Erect body posture - large and stiff
Raised hackles
Raised ears
Direct eye contact
Curled lips


Defensively aggressive dogs show:

Crouched body posture
Flattened ears
Avoidance of eye contact
Narrowed eyes
Retracted lips



DEALING WITH IT

When treating a defensively aggressive dog it is important to remember that the animal is likely to feel treatened and while other defence strategies may be preferable, aggression will be selected if those other options are withdrawn.

Defensive aggression can be displayed towards animate or inanimate objects. When the potentially threatening person, animal or situation moves away or the dog himself is removed from the situation, this reinforces the aggressive behaviour. The dog sees the aggression as having been successful and this increases the likelihood that he will use it again when he finds himself in a similar situation.

Eventually, to the inexperienced eye, it may not seem as if the dog is fearful at all, which is often the motivation in cases of territorial aggression.

Defensive aggression is often said to be unpredictable. However the dog's behaviour is easier to predict if there is a good behavioural history and information about the dog's previous experiences and reactions.

Some dogs become aggressive when people attempt to move away, for example visitors leaving the owners' home. In many cases the dog chooses this action because he anticipates that the behaviour will be successful - after all the visitors were leaving anyway!

If you know that your dog has shown aggressive behaviour on previous occasions then you have a responsibility to take appropriate action and seek professional advice. You are legally responsible for the actions of your dog and you have an obligation to keep him under control.

Problems of aggression rarely go away on their own and denying the existence of a problem or playing down the potential implications is a dangerous game. It is far better to seek advice at the very first signs of aggressive behaviour, rather that wait until crisis point and then find it is too late to take action!

As with any behaviour problem, prevention is better than cure and it is a tragedy that so many cases of canine aggression could have been prevented.

Everyone involved in dealing with dogs has to take some responsibility for this, from breeders to trainers, and owners to vets. Understanding normal dog behaviour and educating people to react appropriately is the key to reducing problems of aggression within our dog population.

The importance of adequate and appropriate socialisation and habituation cannot be over-emphasised. Teaching bite inhibition is also essential; a dog who has learned to inhibit his bite will always cause less injury if the ultimate crisis occurs than a dog who has not learned this vital lesson.

A good grounding in basic obedience, understanding the hierarchy, and learning to deal with novelty and challenge will all help in preventing all forms of aggression.

Defensive aggression may occur...

When the dog is on the lead.
When the dog is tethered.
In territorial situations - when people approach the home and garden.
In the owner's car.
During Veterinary examination.



PREVENTING FEAR-RELATED AGGRESSION

Do not reassure your dog when he is showing fear.
Do not use harsh correction techniques - any pain that the dog experiences will be associated in his mind with the fear-inducing stimulus and make the fear worse.
Try to ignore your dog's response as much as possible while taking adequate precautions to avoid injury.
Remember that the dog will associate any negative reaction from the owner with the subject of his fear rather than with his own actions.
Associate potentially fearful situations - for example, visits to the vet, meeting strangers and encountering strange objects or novel situations - with pleasant experiences such as tidbits or playing with toys, from a very early age.
If a puppy shows fear, use a 'happy' approach to show that the owner does not find the situation threatening.
Never force a dog to confront his fear.
Always reinforce appropriate behaviour with well-timed rewards.



TERRITORIAL RESPONSES

Dogs are innately territorial animals and, in some breeds, selective breeding has enhanced this trait. Many people cite the dog's usefulness as a burglar deterrent as a prime reason for getting a pet and yet dogs are expected to know automatically when to be territorial and when to be welcoming!

Inappropriate territorial behaviour often coincides with sexual maturity and can have serious implications for both visitors and passers by, and from a legal point of view.

Traditionally, it has been linked with dogs of high status but fearful dogs will often display territorial aggression, and dogs who have both a fearful personality and an enforced perception of high status (through inappropriate signals from the humans around them) are prime candidates.

Territorial responses are very heavily reinforced by the departure of people who approach the property and by the owners' reactions. The trend of keeping dogs in small areas with artificially defined boundaries has contributed to the problem; a dog who sits behind a garden gate watching people walking past his property may have hundreds of opportunities every day to learn that barking and snarling at the gate makes people walk away.



PREVENTING TERRITORIAL AGGRESSION

Give puppies the opportunity to meet regular callers to the home such as milkmen, postmen, and delivery people and learn that they are pleasant.
Ask visitors to reward the young puppy when they approach provided that he is not displaying any inappropriate behaviour.
Reward the dog when he does not respond to people passing the home.
Remember that territorial behaviour will naturally develop with maturity and do not encourage juvenile dogs to bark.
If a dog is apprehensive about the approach of visitors, avoid meeting them at the threshold of the property or in narrow restricted areas.
If this is unavoidable, a pot of tidbits or a toy should be kept next to the door so that visitors can offers these to the dog as they enter.



COMPETITIVE AGGRESSION

One of the most common reasons for dogs to be aggressive towards people within their own family is competition over valued resources. These may be as diverse as a comfortable spot on the sofa, a tasty bone or a stolen slipper. Traditionally these dogs have been labelled as dominant. However, in many cases the behaviour starts as an innocent form of attention-seeking, but becomes complicated by inappropriate responses from the humans involved, and ends up as a problem of defensively motivated aggression.

The development of the problem behaviour often follows a pattern: young puppies are orally inquisitive and will pick up items they find. However, when they pick up something that the family considers to be inappropriate, the humans react by attempting to regain possession of it. The puppy quickly develops this behaviour as an attention-seeking mechanism.

In the early stages, owners are often amused at their puppy's antics but as the dog matures and the owners feel 'he should know better' they begin to punish the behaviour.

In response, the puppy learns that once he has stolen an item, he may need to defend himself against his owner and the cute little puppy with the tea towel in his mouth now starts to curl his lip.

The owner is incensed by the puppy's threatening behaviour and attempts to put the dog in his place invariable reinforcing the defensive behaviour. As this scenerio is repeated many times over, the adult dog eventually learns to display defensive behaviour in other situations where he feels he may be confronted, so the pattern escalates.



PREVENTING COMPETITIVE AGGRESSION

Teach puppies to retrieve so that if they do take something the situation can be turned into a retrieve exercise, with the dog being rewarded for bringing the item to the owner.
Ignore stealing if possible so the behaviour is not reinforced as an attention-seeking device.
If the dog is likely to cause damage to valuable items or to himself, use distraction techniques to remove the dog from the object rather than the other way around.
Avoid punishment for picking up inappropriate items.
Deny access to inappropriate items.
Ensure that the dog does not develop a sense of high status within the family. This can help to reduce the likelihood of him seeking out 'trophies' or trying to retain control over valuable resources.



DOG TO DOG AGGRESSION

Although aggression towards people is a major concern, dog to dog aggression can have serious implications too. The motivation for inter-dog aggression can be offensive or defensive in nature and, once again, the behaviour is largely preventable through appropriate education. Common motives for aggression towards other dogs include:

Fear
Frustrated play
Poor communication skills
Male to male - or female to female - competitive aggression
Unstable heirarchies within packs


Preventing inter-dog aggression relies on good canine education and on allowing dogs to meet and interact with other dogs from an early age. However, controlled interaction is essential; the owner needs to be able to retain control.



BITE INHIBITION

When dogs interact with each other they usually do so without causing any damage. This is because most dog to dog confrontations are ritualised displays where the full strength of the bite is not used.


Dogs ability to control the bite and limit the potential for injury is learned in early life.

The way in which people interact with young puppies is crucial in ensuring that this process of bite inhibition is successfully completed. Things can go wrong if puppies are not given the appropriate learning opportunities or, worse still, are actively encouraged to bite without inhibition. A dog that doesn't know the strength of his own bite is much more likely to cause injury than one who has learned self control.

Once puppies become active, they play physical games with each other and pester the adults by pulling their ears and tails. As they grow, other dogs become increasingly intolerant of their sharp teeth.

The puppies learn that biting leads to the cessation of play unless they control the strength of their jaws. By approximately 18 weeks of age, they have been taught that hard-mouthing or play-biting is unacceptable.

When a puppy is introduced into the family this learning process is normally incomplete and the family must take over where the puppy's mother and littermates left off. If they fail to do this their puppy will not learn to control the strength of his bite and the situation may become much worse if the dog is actively encouraged to bite in play.



HOW TO DEVELOP BITE INHIBITION

If a puppy makes contact with human skin with his teeth with anything more than minimum force, the person should respond with a sharp 'No!' as if they have been hurt.
They should then ignore the puppy for a few moments. In this way the puppy should learn that when he uses his mouth on people they feel it, and it is counter-productive as an attention-seeking device.
As soon as the puppy stops interacting with the person they should call the puppy to them and give him praise and interaction.


Sometimes a more sophisticated approach is required because the puppy continues to bite despite his owner's best efforts. In these cases it helps to teach the puppy the 'Off' or 'Leave' command.



WHAT TO DO IF YOU OWN AN AGGRESSIVE DOG

Seek advice at the very first sign of aggressive behaviour.
Ask your vet for advice - medical problems can cause dogs to show aggressive behaviour.
If the dog is in good physical health, seek one-to-one advice from a reputable behaviour counsellor.
Take all necessary precautions to minimise the risk of injury to yourself and others.
Do not use any form of confrontation in dealing with the dog - it will be counter-productive.
Do not send the dog away to be trained - the behaviour needs to be dealt with by you in your own situation.
Be realistic in your expectations and be prepared to make tough decisions about what needs to be done.



THINGS TO REMEMBER...

...when confronted by an aggressive dog:

Stay calm.
Avoid direct eye contact with the dog.
Turn your body to protect vital parts of your anatomy such as your face.
If you have anything in your hand drop it slowly to the floor - preferably away from you.
Do not scream.
Do not run or try to pull against the dog - it will do far more damage.
If you have an escape route move slowly towards it.
If possible get someone else to distract the dog.
Do not lash out at the dog - confrontation is likely to fuel the aggression.

Check out this article on When the Dog Bites...it will give you another perspective on aggression.

Paw Through Our Pages...