Aggression in Dogs
Aggression in dogs is important to display or maintain a hierarchy amongst themselves, but when you own a family dog, aggression should not be allowed.
A mother will display intense aggression when she has puppies or is still nursing them. Any strangers, humans or dogs, will receive a curled lip and deep, guttural growls when they stray too close.
I took my Husky to the veterinarian, and sitting next to us was a smaller breed and a crate. I just assumed it was a mother and puppies, but I never dreamed she’d react so aggressively towards those around her. She would’ve attacked my dog, which is not only four years old, outweighs her by at least 20 pounds, but is also a male. My clueless Husky almost got a chunk taken out of him. If you have mother dogs, and they do show aggressive behavior, keep them isolated so their stress around others doesn’t escalate. Or at least warn those around you to stay a good distance away!
On-leash dogs should not show aggression to other dogs on leashes, according to seefido.com. It is your responsibility to teach your dog manners. Take the dog to a place where dogs on leashes normally socialize and get him accustomed to being friendly. You may require treats, a clicker, and an abundance of patience.
Dogs who were friendly when they were younger but have grown into adulthood with an aggressive behavior that was never curbed, these are harder to control. Obedience training is the first step. Persistent aggressive behaviors may need more drastic corrections, i.e. shock collars but only as a completely last resort!
Aggression between dogs that live together is normal. One will always be dominant and the other will always be submissive, according to cannismajor.com. If the submissive puts a paw out of line, the dominant will be there to correct him. When the aggression gets out of hand and you start having non-playful fights between your dogs, you should probably separate them when you are unable to keep a constant eye on them. The dogs have likely developed a “pack” behavior, according to cannismajor.com, which makes them treat each other differently from how they treat you or any other dogs they come into contact with. Pack behavior is definitely hard to break, and you should start with obedience training.
Dogs who exhibit aggression, either around other dogs or around people, should be monitored closely at all times. If they have to be around dogs or people, always keep them on a leash or secured in some way. The safety of others should always come first.
By Kenna Rogers