The Causes behind Dog Aggression

Dogs can be extremely aggressive especially if they haven't had the proper training.?Finding out what is causing your dog to display signs of aggression is extremely important.?

What causes Dog Aggression?

I抦 sure almost everyone has come across a dog that has showed signs of aggression including growling, bared teeth, and biting. 燤ost of us do not understand the actual meaning of this aggressive behavior.?When this aggressive behavior is coming from a dog that you own, it becomes extremely important to find out what exactly is causing this behavior.

Revealing the underlying message is the first step necessary to correct and prevent dog aggression.?A dog that is happy is also a dog that is well behaved. A healthy relationship with your dog starts with an understanding of their personality and the origin of your dog抯 aggression.?

Dogs were initially raised in packs: groups of dogs from the same breed with an established hierarchy or pecking order.?It is a natural instinct for dogs to establish these same hierarchies within their own home. Some dogs associate their human family as their pack, and instinctively try to establish their role as alpha dog or pack leader.?This type of dominance aggression is displayed when there are a lot of people within the home and/or or pets around.?If your dog is displaying aggression for these reasons, they are trying to outline where exactly they rank in this hierarchy of the pack.?

One of the most misunderstood reasons for dog aggression is fear.?A dog will display warning signs before striking out of aggression.?Such behaviors include laying back ears their ears, growling, and tucking their tail between their legs.?These are serious warning signals that the dog is feeling trapped or cornered which if left unrecognized by the dog抯 owner can lead to lashing out by the dog.牋

Another strong instinctive characteristic of dogs is the hunting or predatory intuition.?This is another natural instinct that is often mistaken as aggressive behavior. Certain dog breeds are born to hunt and chase game when placed in a home environment they may begin to chase or hunt other animals found in or around the home. 燭he natural predatory dog breeds will often mistake smaller dogs, cats, other small household pets and in some cases even children as being food.

Some dogs may have an undiagnosed medical problem that may be causing their aggressive behavior.?If a dog begins to show unusual repeated signs of aggression, it is important to have a veterinary examine the dog抯 physical health to ensure that their aggression is not caused by some untreated medical condition.?

One of the most common reasons for dog aggression is when the dog believes their space or family have been violated or threatened.牋 Dogs are often possessive of their home and family and will protect them fiercely at all costs. When dogs display this form of territorial aggression it is important to teach the dog that this aggressive behavior is not only unacceptable as it poses huge risks to other animals and especially humans.

If your dog is showing signs of being aggressive, even if it抯 just a few bursts here and there, it抯 important to take a moment to assess and identify the probable source of the aggression. This is the first step towards eliminating the unacceptable aggressive behavior.?Once the underlying root of the behavior is determined, taking the next steps to appropriately training your dog can be introduced, specifically catering the training to your dog抯 aggressive traits.?

Remember just because your dog is displaying behaviors you are not happy with, it抯 important to realize that they are either trying to communicate with your or protect you and/or your home.?