Most of the cases I am called out to see involve some type of aggression, whether that be the dog attacking another dog or it owner or It becoming aggressive over its toys or food.
Some dogs have learnt fear based aggression like my Annie, She came to me with fear based aggression problems. She had been re homed twice for biting her new owners.
On observing Annie it was clear to me that she needed some rules limitation and boundaries setting, She needed to know her place in the pack and learn what was acceptable behaviour in my pack and what wasn't.
When she arrived in my home I gave her no affection at all.. I ignored her as much as possible and let her sniff her new territory out. I gave her own place that she could feel safe in and that only I as the alpha could enter.
The first time I gave her a bone she took it to her bed and started chomping on, it, I wanted to see if she had any food based aggression which is a sign that she believed she was the alpha. She growled and bared her teeth at me so I pinned her down with the alpha bite and projected my calm but assertive energy that I was the alpha and wanted her bone. She soon gave it up to me. Since that day I can take her food from her at any time. She knows who is boss now.

I have taught her that it is not acceptable to bite my human friends and I did that by remaining calm when she did bite them. I sent her away with a firm but calm shush and gave her no eye contact.
She has now learnt to give a warning to anyone that enters her space with out invitation. We had to bear in mind that something in her past made her feel fearful. I have removed her fear by showing that I amt he leader and that I am looking after her. She has no need to feel she has to protect her self or me.
Dogs bite fear or negativity. In the wild the dog will hunt out and attack and kill the weakest of the herd. The one that shows the most weakness and fear will be killed. This is mother nature and natural selection. If a dog senses your negativity or fear then it is more likely to attack you than someone that shows calm assertive energy.
A dog will bite to communicate to us that something is wrong or out of balance and that something needs to change..
A dog that is aggressive is frustrated, it might not be getting enough exercise or might even be on the wrong diet. This I will cover in more detail later.
A dog that becomes aggressive ultamatley thinks it is the leader and can often be stressed and uncap bale of the title you have given it.
There are many types of aggression from territorial, to fear based to leadership aggression.
Many of the aggressive dogs I see have been treated aggressively in the past.
Most human respond to dog aggression by shouting, hitting or smacking the dog. Many people think this is the way to discipline their dog. This is the worse thing you can do as aggression only breeds more aggression. If your dog is aggressive and you then lash out and hit it then you are showing no control and no leadership status. You are not being calm and assertive. Your are being negative and aggressive. Your dog will only learn from you that aggression is the way forwards in his pack environment.
You must teach him that aggression is not welcome behaviour in your pack. I have never shouted or hit Annie once.. I have shown her that the best way forward to is to keep calm and in control. After three months she has learnt this very well.
I notice her warning sign if she is to bite and I step in with a shush and take control, I take the job off her and show her its ok there is nothing to feel afraid of.
What makes a dog aggressive?
Aggression in dogs can be caused by the following things
Food. many of today's cheaper pet foods contain a large numbers sugars and preservatives, e numbers and colours. This is not for the benefit for the dog but to make it more appealing to the human eye. Also preservatives are added to prolong the shelf life of the product so they manufactures can make more sales and more profit.
These ingredients are not found in food that the dog in the wild eats. Its chooses its prey kills its prey and then eats all the bits of the prey that it knows is good for it. Dogs eats a combination of marrow bone, meat and organs, some skin or Hyde and earth or soil that the kill is covered in. Most of all they eat raw meat and bone. They do not cook their food in the wild and nor should we cook it for them at home.
A dog in today's society still has the same internal workings of that of its wild ancestors. They have not developed to eat and digest such high in protein and sugar foods.
If a dog feels bad on his diet he has no way to tell you other than to perhaps get aggressive.
I have seen many dogs change their diets along with a behaviour modification programme and turn from little devils into angels.
A dog may be in pain and become aggressive there for it is imperative to have our dog checked over by the vet and a chiropractor or massage therapist to see if the body is unbalanced in any way.
Most cases I see of dog aggression though is due to the fact the dog has taken on the leader of the pack role and is not coping with the job. They only do this as they know they have to have a leader to survive and if you are not doing a good job then they will challenge and take over.
The alpha dogs in any pack will only become aggressive to the other dogs when something is wrong within the pack or when a subordinate dog tries to take the alpha position.
This is most likely what is happening when a dog becomes aggressive towards you especially when it is over food or toys.
When a dog become aggressive with other people or dogs it is because he is believing that he is there to protect you and the pack. Dogs pick up on energy vibes of us or other dogs or strangers and can take a dislike to anyone with negative vibes. Notice how you feel when your dog gets aggressive.
What is your reaction when you dog gets aggressive? Do you shout at him to stop? When you raise your voice your dog see this as you joining in too. It really does re-inforce the behaviour. There are some incidents when you have to raise your voice, when there is a serious emergency like your dog is being attacked by another.. but if it is general aggression then a calm but assertive shush or Oh noise should suffice
As long as you use the same noise and tone every time you discipline a dog then it will soon learn it is not to get aggressive.
Take for instance, when I took Annie to the vets, she was cornered in the room, became scared and got aggressive when the vet came near her. I stayed calm and did the shush noise and she calmed down, knowing that I am her leader and if I stay calm then she has no reason to feel fear or afraid.
If I had got worked up at that point then she would have too. We took her into another room and the vets got one of the nurses to take off her bandage and she remained nice and calm.
So we have to look at energy when a dog is being aggressive and work out where the imbalance is coming from?
Check to see how you are feeling when your dog gets aggressive. Are you feeling nervous or afraid about something? Are you feeling angry about something? Chances are you are and when your dog shows aggression it is to communicate something is wrong. We need to observer what is going on in its environment. We need to make sure the dog does not think it is the pack leader and is trying to defend its pack. As I say that is not its job.
For those dog owners who buy an aggressive breed to look after their house and family they are indeed putting that dog under a lot of stress.
A dog is no more intelligent than a 2 year old child and we would never put our 2 year child out in front and make it protect us.
This is where most people go wrong.

Labels: dog aggression, food aggression

posted by Canine Angel : 21:55
3 comments