Understanding & Handling Dog Aggression

CHAPTER 1

WHAT IS AGGRESSION?

The word 'aggression' produces different responses from different people. It does not necessarily need to have been applied to a dog, since aggression is in evidence in every living being and manifests itself in different ways. When used in connection with a dog it often produces nervousness or even fear. We can accept 'aggression' in human beings but often fail to see anything but harmful behaviour from a dog classed as aggressive. Yet many dogs are often trying only to protect themselves because they have, albeit unwittingly, been put in a position of leadership by their owners and are not mature or experienced enough to handle it correctly.

If human beings are aggressive we do not immediately picture them as attacking everyone they see; at some stage of their lives we may hope that they will have been taught how to handle any aggressive tendencies they may have and how to deal with anger. If they have not received such education, usually from one or both parents when they are young, then it is possible that their aggression will manifest itself violently and often against another human being. However, correct guidance will help a child or a young person to control his or her aggression and in many cases this will provide the encouragement to redirect this energy into becoming a useful tool, not only for themselves but also to help others.

How can aggression be useful and how can it help one's fellow beings? If we think of aggression by using another word we can begin to lose some of the preconceived notions of how it will manifest itself; so let us for the moment forget 'aggression' and replace it with 'indomitable spirit'. Now it is easier to understand how this can be both useful and helpful. It is indomitable spirit that keeps the body going against all odds. When fellow humans are suffering through no fault of their own, as in an avalanche, rock fall, shipwreck, or fire, it is the stubborn, 'never-give-up' spirit of those people in the rescue bid, using their aggression to combat the elements to bring hope to the stranded.

So are 'indomitable spirit' and 'aggression' the same? No, but each one is a product of correct or incorrect channelling of certain characteristics as they show themselves in the human being or the young animal. If a child discovers that, by bullying other children, he not only gets his own way but also experiences what could be termed the 'feel-good factor' he will continue to keep up this behaviour and, if not re-educated, may become aggressive. However, with sensible adult guidance the child's behaviour may be redirected into more acceptable forms, for example, competitive sport, then the aggression can begin to work favourably, and, of course, this would be looked on as admirable and not as something harmful.

Appearances may be deceptive; large dogs are often thought to be dominant or aggressive but they are just dogs, many of them are big softies. However someone approaching a dog and thinking that it may be aggressive will transmit his or her nervousness to the dog and this may cause it to react in a defensive manner. The relaxed body language of this dog poses no threat but he is still entitled to his own space.

Appearances may be deceptive and can cause us to judge without any valid reason. A tall, well-built person is often expected to be strong and capable, but a smaller, more delicate-looking one may appear as needing protection. But time spent with these people may prove that the taller person is quite sensitive and the smaller one well capable of looking after him or herself. We are often guilty of judging without any reason other than appearance, and to make a judgement on first sight may cause unnecessary hurt to the individual. This is not to be confused with a person's 'gut instinct': there are times when two people meet and they instinctively like or dislike each other. This is a natural, animal instinct and one that human beings do not always have enough respect for, either in themselves or their dogs. Dogs, like us, have a natural protective 'space' around themselves and they often instantly like or dislike an intruder in that space, it may be another dog or it may be a human. This 'opinion' will not have been made on just an outside appearance, there will be other factors causing the gut instinct to manifest itself. It could be smell, body language, attitude or any other of a number of possibilities; but the dog will not make a judgement, it will simply protect its space. Humans, however, do judge and if they are basing this on appearance rather than knowledge or instinct they may often judge in error, and, to make matters more confusing, they will often bear a grudge too.

If we study human reactions and then compare how a dog would react in similar circumstances it may make it easier to understand. If a human being has a dislike of a fellow being, it may be the result of an instant judgement, a gut instinct or a private feud. They will not want to be in each other's company. Should they know that this is inevitable they will become tense at the thought of meeting; they may even begin to anticipate how the situation will evolve. In fact, if care is not taken, what could have been a sensible, adult conversation between two people who have to be in each other's company for a time may change into an argument whereby little of sense or value is derived from either of them. But the situation can be changed if the people involved control their emotions, curb any aggressive tendencies and either dismiss the meeting from their minds until nearer the time (preventing a build up of negative thoughts) or try to look forward to something positive about the outcome. The point to bear in mind is that they are forewarned, therefore they can control the outcome if they wish. Knowing the meeting is going to take place means that they can either let aggression dominate their feelings and make the meeting non-productive, or they can be sensitive to each other's feelings, tread with caution and turn what could be a potentially aggressive encounter into something more positive.

This dog's body is showing signs of tension, the head is dropped and a clear message is being sent that he does not want anyone to enter his space. A dog that is nervous and feels he needs to defend himself may resort to aggression, whereas allowing him to keep his personal space can help him to relax a little.

Animals are not naturally forewarned other than by sight or smell, and so when they see a person they do not wish to be near they do not take that thought away with them nor do they harbour aggressive feelings towards him. But the next meeting can bring about the same feeling of dislike, partly from memory and partly because the basic instinct is still telling the animal to protect its space. But it will be a short-lived reaction: out of sight out of mind, until smell, action or sight triggers a memory. However, dogs are not relying purely on their own reactions, for if they show a dislike of someone or of another dog then their owner will show a reaction. Then an expected meeting with the dog's current 'enemy' will find the handler conveying his fearful thoughts of the possible outcome to his dog, causing it too to become fearful. This fear may then manifest as nerves, aggression, nervous aggression, or a gleeful anticipation of an event to come that is making its owner exude an air of tension and stress.

A dog would meet a 'threat', deal with it and then get on with its life. If it were to meet the threat again it would act in a similar way; but dogs in their natural environment would fight for survival, they would not deliberately provoke a threat. Dogs are instinctively pack animals, so in their natural world they would have the support and safety of a pack around them and a strong pack leader to guide them. If their human pack leader is conveying the wrong messages or if he is not credible as a strong pack leader then the dog must make its own decisions. If it is not given the freedom to avoid the space of the approaching threat then it will have to defend its own space and this will be with a show of aggression. Whether nervous or dominant, the dog has made the decision and now it will be wary regarding the threat in future, and it will also have lost any respect for its owner as a pack leader.

At this stage you will be able to see how the natural instincts of the dog would make it react to certain situations and how human reactions can affect the dog's attitude. The owner's thoughts transmitted via body language to the dog influence how it deals with a possible threat and can also cause it to harbour a resentment regarding that threat which will surface each time they meet. There is a subtle difference between a dog protecting its space, which is natural if its pack leader does not protect it, and a dog taking a potentially hostile attitude towards a threat because its unsuspecting handler has forced it into a confrontation.

CAN A DOG BE BORN AGGRESSIVE?

There are several reasons why a dog may become aggressive and quite often the problem has been brewing for some time before it is recognised. There are some cases when the aggression is due to breeding, for if a dog with aggression in its genes is bred to another line of aggression then the chances are that at least one, and quite often more, of the young will have aggressive tendencies. Even then it does not have to surface since with correct and sympathetic handling the dog can be educated to subdue its aggression in favour of respect. It is important for all dogs to see their owner as the pack leader, but it is vital that a dog with a...