Dog Aggression – Handling Aggression in Dogs
Dog aggression is one of the most common bad behavior problems that pet owners have to handle. About 1% of emergency room cases are due to dog bites with victims mostly children below the age of 10. Most dog trainers will tell you that this form of dog behavior can actually be prevented if factors causing aggression in dogs are understood.
Causes of Dog Aggression
Usually, a dog biting a little child may come as a surprise to its owner, often not understanding what has caused this “sudden” aggression. The truth is the dog may have already shown small signs of aggression in the past, but his behavior was just not corrected soon enough. Here are the most common factors that can lead to dog aggression:
1. Biological Factors
Based on their genetic make-up, there are naturally aggressive dogs such as dobermans, while there are also those who are expected to show no sign of aggression at all like golden retrievers. Sometimes, hormones play a part as well, especially with pregnant females or those nursing their pups.
2. Not enough socialization
According to most dog trainers, the critical period in a pup’s life to socialize is between three to fourteen weeks when he should receive affection from the people around him. If a puppy is not given enough opportunity to socialize before he is 14 weeks old, he may feel stressed in the company of other people or other dogs and may show some aggression to mask his fear.
3. Social dominance
Dogs are used to living in packs and would always try to establish a social hierarchy where the strongest and the biggest would be considered dominant or “the leader of the pack.” This alpha status comes with privileges in food and territory, and when dogs live with people, they tend to carry over this thinking as well. Inside the homes of their owners, they view humans as part of the pack and they need to know their position in the pack again.
Managing Aggression in Dogs
If dogs are not corrected when they try to show dominance over the other members of the family, especially the children, they will continue to show this behavior in simple ways such as growling when a child comes too close to his food dish or toy. In order to prevent your dog from developing aggression, you must expose him to more people and other dogs at an early age.
You must also show him that he is not the alpha dog, that he has to submit to your commands. Children should also not be left alone unsupervised with dogs.
If your dog has already been showing signs of aggression, do not attempt to correct his behavior on your own. Instead, consult a veterinarian or highly qualified dog trainers who can teach your dog how to overcome aggression.
