The agressive dog

We often qualify a dog who barks, who growls, who shows his teeth or who bites (with or without perforation) as aggressive. In fact, for the most part these dogs are scared and anxious. A lack of exercise may also contribute to the development of aggressive behaviors.

Anxious dogs will generally try to flee the source of their fear and distress. If fleeing is not possible, they may sometimes freeze. They will also maintain a low posture. Regardless, each dog has a behavioral pattern that is unique to him. It sometimes happens that certain people do not recognize these signs of discomfort or simply don’t know them. In this case, the dog may opt for aggression or biting. If he is again confronted with the same type of situation the dog may assume that none of the postures are efficient to demonstrate his discomfort and he may possibly chose to bite without warning.

In the same line of thinking, you should never punish or prohibit growling because these signals are the warning of an eventual bite.

As was previously mentioned, aggression may also be the result of a lack of exercise or energy being channeled into an inappropriate activity. This is the case for dogs who, by lack of exercise, chose to observe and protect the sofa for example. Among certain herding dogs (Border Colley or other) activities of pursuit are absolutely necessary. We can satisfy this need by making them run after a ball or by having them accomplish a herding job. If ever the need for exercise is not satisfied, they may redirect their aggression towards cars, cyclists or joggers. In such a case where pursuit activities are not possible, all other types of activities can be of great help.

All cases of aggression should never be taken lightly. An aggressive dog always poses a potential risk, particularly if it is a large dog. Although it is impossible to guarantee one hundred percent that the dog will never bite again, it is often possible to reduce the risk of recurrence.