Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Reasons Why A Pet Dog May Be Aggressive

By Diane B Collins

You know aggressive dogs can be an issue for everyone. They may be especially frightening for small children and adults alike. Even though some breeds are more aggressive than other breeds there's usually a fundamental issue why a dog is aggressive. If you find out why your pet is acting out you are able to tailor your training methods to curb his aggression. You will be a happier pet owner if you're able to trust your dog to be calm in most situations.

Sometimes aggressive behavior is because your dog wants to establish dominance. Dogs are pack animals and there is always a hierarchy to the pack. The alpha dog is the leader and the other dogs follow. Proper training will make you the alpha dog or the leader. Do not allow your dog to think of himself as the alpha dog or you will continuously encounter problems. Even so your dog may still try to establish his dominance over other dogs or animals and this may be the reason for his dominance aggression.

Another common form of aggression in dogs is territorial aggression. Your dog will fiercely protect everything that he considers to be "his" including yourself, your home and your family. While this can be a good thing if you are threatened at some point, it can cause many problems in regular circumstances. It is seldom that a family is truly threatened and if your dog's territorial aggression is crazy it can cause problems with visitors and neighbors. Excessive territorial aggression is unacceptable behavior.

Often a dog will strike out from fear. Something frightens your dog and rather than back off he lashes out and attacks. The dog will start growling, pull his ears back and tuck his tail between his legs. Many times this type of aggression is mistook for direct aggression. Fear aggression is mostly caused by a situation that has scared the dog. He is striking out because he is frightened and does not know how to handle that fright.

Aggressive behavior can sometimes occur for no obvious reason. However this aggression is usually misdirected. Something happens that instigates anxiety within the dog but he is unable to react to the actual stimuli so he takes it out on something else. This may be a reason for some unexplained dog fights between 2 or more animals. The dog is simply not able to act on the real issue.

There can also be medical or biological issues for aggression. A mother dog will most likely convey aggression any time she is protecting her litter of puppies. This kind of aggression is easy to understand nevertheless sometimes a medical issue could be causing excessive aggression so it is always smart to have a veterinarian give your pet dog a comprehensive examination.

Spaying your female dog and neutering your male dog will usually help alleviate excessive aggression. Your own training efforts will also be easier and more effective. For anybody who is not planning to breeding dogs, spaying and neutering is the responsible action to take.

If you consider the reasons why your dog could possibly be acting aggressively you are able to tailor your training methods and curb the aggression. It is possible to work with your dog's own specific needs and have more success.

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