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August 31st, 2009 by KittyKitty

By their very nature dogs are aggressive animals. They evolved as pack animals who used their aggressive instincts to hunt for their prey and to protect their den and pack mates from danger. Although in the course of their evolution aggressive behavior in dogs was necessary to their very survival, in today’s society our dogs need to control their aggression. If you have a dog that is aggressive, you will need to know the reasons for his type of aggression before you can pick the proper training method to correct the problem.

I have written a list of the six  most common  reasons behind a dog’s aggression.

• Dominance Aggression: Each time 2 dogs greet each other, they figure out which one is submissive and which is dominant. This is a type of behavior that was developed due to being pack animals, and for the harmony of the pack each dog must understand its place in the pack’s hierarchy. Most of the time, this process is figured out quickly and without any friction or aggression between the dogs. Displays of dominance normally only lead to dog fights when one of the dogs refuses to become submissive to the other dog.

• Fear Aggression: Fear aggression is the other end of the spectrum from dominance aggression. An extremely agitated dog suffering from fear aggression may lunge and snap at anything close by when it is in this state. For example, a dog that had been abused by a former master, will likely show fear aggression towards certain people-especially if that person is doing something to agitate the poor dog. This type of aggression is easily recognizable-the  fearful dog will display a cringing, slinking body language that includes tucking its tail up between the legs and up against its stomach. Be sure not to try to offer comfort to a dog in the throes of fear aggression, because they sometimes lash out and bite anything nearby-like your hand.

• Territorial Aggression: Many dogs display this type of common aggressive behavior to some degree or another. This type of aggression originated when dogs needed to defend their families and their dens from predators-nowadays they want to protect your family and home instead. You must be sure your dog’s territorial instincts don’t get overly engaged or he may end up attacking a passerby or another dog. Be aware of territorial aggression problems, and correct them as soon as you notice them with your pet dog. The dog must learn to know to not let the barking turn into violence.

• Redirected Aggression: Redirected aggression is a type of behavior that may seem confusing at first.  For instance, somebody may be walking down the alley on the other side of your fence, and is doing something that is agitating your dogs-as sometimes happens-your dogs may become so over-excited that they turn on each other for a moment. It is similar to when sharks go nuts in a frenzy. Even thought the dogs were not usually enemies, the aggression got the better of them and they ended up going at each other.

• Predatory Aggression: All dogs are born with the instinct of a predator deep down. If you have a dog or a cat and live in the countryside you probably already witness predatory aggression all the time. Your dog displays predatory aggression by chasing a cat up a tree, or by chasing birds, dogs or  other animals. sometimes dogs enjoy something just for the fun of the chase and are not really aggressive in a predatory sense. If the chasing is more serious and not just for the thrill of the chase, your aggressive dog could  cause serious damage, so be sure to correct this type of aggressive behavior.

• Medical Reasons Causing Aggression: An example of this would be the aggressive natures of some female dogs that are either pregnant or are taking care of a litter of puppies. A dog that is feeling unwell may have something that is causing him to respond with aggression.If you notice your dog having unusual aggressive behavior for no understandable reason, make sure his health is fine with a visit to your vet. One other category that comes to mind is when a dog is just goofy-some dogs are just not right in the head. Unfortunately, just like some people I have met, that is just how it is with them.

By learning to understand the different reasons for dog aggression you can more easily pick the best way to correct your dog’s problem and be sure to have the well behaved pet you really want.

Please click here to read more articles about dog aggression and solving other dog behavior problems at: BehaveDoggy.com.

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