Aggression is a natural canine behavior, and almost every dog will show signs of aggression at some point in their lifetime. When a dog reacts to something using aggressive or reactive behavior (growling, barking, lip curling, etc), they are trying to tell you they want to add distance from whatever is triggering their emotion (a person, dog, garbage truck, etc).
Aggression isn’t something you can “fix”, but it is something you can manage by recognizing the signs and using counter-conditioning techniques to change their feelings about the underlying stressor. With that in mind, let’s get started!
What causes your dog to be aggressive?
(1) Their social distance has been violated
Every dog has a “social distance zone” when it comes to other dogs and humans. Some dogs are comfortable with dogs and humans very close to them and others are not. Problems usually arise with reactivity and aggression when the social distance is violated by humans or other dogs, and the dog feels they have to be on the offense to keep others out of their “social distance zone.”
(2) They’ve experienced too many back-to-back stressful events
Stress can push dogs to be aggressive. For instance, if your dog experiences multiple instances of people violating their “social distance zone” on a particular day, they may be more likely to growl, snap or bite. This is because your dog is close, or at, their aggression threshold and has had enough.
(3) What are the most common aggressive and reactive behaviors?
Use the “Aggression Ladder” to determine the severity of your dog’s reaction. Depending on the trigger and situation, your dog may start at the bottom with yawning, or immediately start in the middle with growling.
Guidelines to follow when you notice an aggressive or reactive behavior from your dog
(1) Keep a behavior log of your dog’s triggers and reactions.
The first step is identifying your dog’s triggers and most common reactions. From here, you can start to employ counter-conditioning techniques to address each of the triggering situations. Include in your log:
- Reaction (and where it falls on the ladder)
- Trigger
- Time of day
- Location
- Event details
(2) Don’t punish your dog, especially for growling or barking.
If a dog learns that threat displays such as growling and barking work to increase their distance from the perceived threat, they will likely not escalate beyond that. However, if these warning signs are ignored or punished, they may move on to air snapping or biting. This is why you should never punish your dog for growling or barking. Instead, stop what you are doing, remove your dog from the stressful situation, take note of what happened and make a plan to use counter-conditioning techniques to address the triggering situation.
(3) Use counter conditioning techniques to change your dog’s underlying feelings
Counter conditioning techniques can help desensitize your dog to the perceived threat. For instance, if your dog is showing signs of aggression towards other dogs, move to a safe distance where your dog is not reacting to the dogs. Every time your dog looks at another dog, reward them with a treat. The goal is for your dog to recognize that when they see another dog, good things happen. Over time work on decreasing the distance between your dog and the other dog.
(4) Muzzle train your dog
If your dog has any history of aggression (e.g. biting, nipping, growling, etc) towards people or dogs, you should integrate a muzzle into your dog’s routine.
How to handle aggression towards people
(1) General safety
If your dog has exhibited signs of aggression towards people, you should muzzle your dog whenever they are in the presence of other people. Furthermore, if you are concerned about anyone being in danger around your dog, have them on leash and don’t let anyone close enough to come into contact with your dog. Stay in tune with how your dog is feeling by monitoring.
(2) In your home
When you have (new) friends come over to your home, always meet them outside. This will reduce your dog’s need to protect their home. When visitors come to the house, have them bring something delicious with them (hot dogs, cheese, bacon, or, at the very least, give them some of your dog’s regular food). When you’re outside, your friends can feed your dog these delicious treats. Once inside, they can continue providing your dog a smorgasbord of goodness!
To practice, have someone you know come to your around mealtime. The more days they come, the better. Meet them outside, have them drop a few treats on the ground for your dog, and when you go inside, have them immediately drop more of the delicious stuff on the floor of your home. Follow these steps even if your dog is barking. In this simple way, you can change how your dog feels about new people entering your home.
(3) On leash
When encountering new people on the street:
- Use your body to get in between the stranger and your dog. If you plan on speaking to the stranger, throw a treat behind you to entice your dog and create space from the stranger.
- Use your body to prevent the stranger from touching your dog. Try a phrase like, “No touching – we’re in training!” This phrase is generally more effective than “He’s not friendly” because people tend to respond with, “Oh, but I’m great with dogs.”
- If you’re stuck, move between cars, body block, hide and feed your dog treats on the ground to simply distract or prevent your dog from reacting.
How to handle aggression towards other animals
(1) In your home
Always introduce dogs to other animals at a distance. If you determine that your new dog, or any other animal in the home, is exhibiting signs of aggression, you will need to keep the animals separated. You can use a barrier like a baby gate to keep all animals safe while you practice counter conditioning techniques to help the animals make better associations with one another.
(2) On leash
When encountering dogs on leash there are a few things to remember:
- Create enough distance between yourself and the other dog. Because your dog is fettered, he thinks he needs to bark in order to create distance between himself and the other dog. By creating that distance for him, you are helping reduce his stress levels and keep him under threshold (i.e. not barking).
- Walk your dog at your side. Easier said than done, but this can be accomplished with loose-leash walking training. If you have not yet mastered that, distract your dog with treats as you move past the other dog.
- Position your body between your dog and the other dog. For instance, of the other dog is on your right, make sure your dog is on the left side of your body. Creating a physical divide will help create a sense of security for your dog.
- Give your dog LOTS of treats or other non-food rewards. Depending on your dog’s level of reactivity, this might mean handing your dog a great treat the second you spot another dog, or tossing the treat in a direction that’s away from the other dog. Especially at the beginning, we recommend continually feeding your dog treats until the other dog is far enough away that your dog is calm.