Dog behavior training: aggression, biting, guarding problems.
Dog behavior training: aggression, biting, guarding problems.
Handling an Aggressive Dog
Aggression is probably the most common reason an otherwise healthy dog is euthanized (put to sleep). We sometimes forget dogs are predators and can inflict serious and even fatal wounds. A truly aggressive dog is terrifying—and rightfully so.
You need to understand if your dog is really displaying aggression. The word aggression has a specific meaning in the field of animal behavior. It’s also relative: What would be aggressive to us may be perfectly ordinary to a dog. A good example is play. A child who chased another child across a field, bit him on the back of the neck, and pulled him down to the ground at a dead run would be acting pretty aggressively. However, to a pair of playing dogs, that’s an accurate description of a good time. Play is often viewed as practice for real-life skills, so it’s not unusual to see stalking, chasing, hunting, and even killing behaviors as part of normal dog play.
So how can you tell? Usually by the look and sound. Does the dog have a play face (wide-open eyes and relaxed-open jaws, like a big, toothy grin)? Is the behavior accompanied by furious or loud snarling and barking? Or is it play-growls and happy yips? A surefire sign is if the roles reverse: If there’s a chase on and suddenly the chasing dog changes direction and is being pursued, you can bet it’s play.
There are several reasons why your dog may display aggressive behavior. Here are the types of aggression.
Defensive. Here’s a classic scenario for defensive aggression: The dog does something wrong; the owner catches the dog and scolds him; the dog then retreats under the bed; the owner reaches under the bed to pull the dog out and reprimand him for the misdeed; and the dog bites the owner.
Any dog will bite when he feels threatened. In this case, the dog gave ground and made himself “invisible,” which is submissive behavior in dog society. The only reason the dog could think of to explain why the owner was still pursuing him after he had submitted to the owner’s dominance was the owner intended to do him harm. So the dog protected himself. The best thing to do if your dog retreats is to just leave him alone.
Territorial. Territorial aggression is one of the reasons we like living with dogs. They will defend their territory—which can include our home, our possessions, their food, and us—against all comers. Without territorial aggression, there would be no watchdogs.
But territorial aggression can get out of hand. It can pop up in things as minor as jumping up, as frustrating as marking territory, or as serious as biting. Again, a good dominance relationship with your dog is crucial. If you’re the dominant dog, he’ll feel secure when you feel secure—and won’t defend territory against friendly visitors, meter readers, and letter carriers—but will still defend you and your home when the need arises.
Agonistic (pain-related). A sick or injured dog knows he is vulnerable. The same is true for an aging dog, whose senses have dulled, reactions have slowed, and mobility has decreased. Even ordinary situations can make a vulnerable dog feel the need to lash out in his own defense.
Sometimes the dog’s pain is obvious, and you can be ready for possible aggression. Other times, however, it’s not so easy to tell until it’s too late. If you’re petting or playing with your dog as usual, for example, and he suddenly growls or snaps at you, you should suspect something hurts and call the vet right away. Arthritis is a common cause for this type of behavior.
Reproductive. This one probably needs no explanation. If there’s a female dog in heat anywhere in the known universe, unneutered male dogs know it and will try to get through everything—including each other—to reach her. The drive to reproduce can trigger fighting with other dogs and even uncharacteristic aggression toward family members.
The surefire solution for this type of aggression is obvious but important: You must neuter or spay your dog, preferably before the age of six months.
When to Call the Vet
Aggressive behavior isn’t something that can be ignored or laughed off. Your dog’s life depends on it. If your dog is launching serious attacks, especially without warning or provocation, get him in for a thorough veterinary exam as soon as possible. Your vet can help you determine a course of treatment or refer you to a competent behaviorist. Though aggression can sometimes be related to a physical problem, such as a brain tumor, encephalitis (infection of the brain), lead poisoning, low blood sugar, or liver disease, it is usually a behavioral problem. If your dog shows any form of aggressive behavior, call your vet or an animal behavioral specialist immediately.
One of the most characteristic types of aggressive behavior in dogs is biting—something we dread whether we own a dog or not. We cover this behavior in the next section.
Handling a Dog That Bites
Each year, anywhere from half a million to one million dog-bite injuries are reported. The most likely victims of dog bites are children under 12 years old (accounting for about 60 percent of the total), and the top five perpetrators are Chow Chows, Rottweilers, German Shepherd Dogs, Cocker Spaniels, and Dalmatians. In the general dog population, unneutered male dogs are the most likely to bite. In other words, keeping an unneutered male Chow Chow in a home with a two-year-old, a five-year-old, and twin eight-year-olds will probably guarantee you’ll take at least one bite-motivated trip to the emergency room. This doesn’t mean you should never have bite-prone breeds or that you must wait until the kids are in high school before getting a dog. It does mean you need to have a better understanding of why and when dogs bite, and take steps with your dog and your family to bite-proof your household.
In at least half of all reported dog-bite cases, the bites were provoked by the victim—although often unintentionally. Dogs usually give clear signals they’re ready to bite—clear, at least, to other dogs and to people who know how to recognize them. The most common dog-bite scenario involves a person or young child who misses the dog’s warning sign and gets within range. The other common cause of bites is miscommunication. Perhaps the best known example is the encounter between a child and a stray dog: Frightened by the sudden appearance of a large and unfamiliar pooch, the child instinctively screams and runs away. This triggers the dog’s chase reflex or is misinterpreted as play behavior. Either way, the only way the dog has of catching the child is with his mouth.
Classic canine body language that signals a dog’s readiness to bite includes staring, bared teeth, growling, stiff-legged stance (it almost looks like the dog is standing on the tips of his toes), raised hackles (the fur on his shoulders, back, and rump), and a wagging tail with a stiff, rapid movement. Usually, your final warning is a more intense stare and deeper growling. When the dog’s head is lowered and the ears go back against his head, you can expect the next thing you hear to be the sound of his teeth snapping together on whatever of yours he can get a hold of. Of course, it doesn’t have to come to that. A wise person will back off well before it gets to this point.
When to Call a Behaviorist
If the potentially threatening dog you encounter is your own, you may need professional help. Dogs may bite out of fear, defense, pain, or to protect territory — all reasons too subtle for you to detect without knowing what to look for. A trained behaviorist can help you pin down the reason for your dog’s biting as well as develop a strategy to change the behavior. This might be as simple as giving the dog more exercise; socializing with people and other dogs; or teaching all family members to leave the dog alone while he’s eating, sleeping, or hiding. However, it may involve a more extensive overhaul of your relationship with your dog.
Stopping a Dog’s Excessive Guarding
Instinct tells a dog to protect his food. However, it’s important for you to have complete control over what goes into your dog’s mouth. Part of this is for safety. If your dog starts to pick up something dangerous or deadly, such as rat poison, you need to be able to get it away from him without losing your fingers. However, access to food is also a dominance issue: When your dog responds by taking his food or dropping things out of his mouth on command, he is recognizing you as the dominant dog. Food guarding is a frequent trigger for dog bites, too. Therefore, the sooner you can establish that you and other family members are the ultimate authority when it comes to meals, the better off you’ll be.
If your food guarder is still a puppy, you need to let him know everything he gets comes through you: food, toys, even petting. Tell your puppy to sit or lie down before you feed him, and make him wait until you give the release word, such as okay or take it, before he starts to chow down. If he comes up and nudges you for attention, use the same tactic to make it your initiation. He should also learn it’s okay for you to touch him while he eats, so give him a pat when you put down his dish, and make it a habit to add a little food to his bowl while he’s eating. This way, when you are near his food dish, it is always a happy occasion.
Location means everything when you feed your dog. If he’s off in a corner, he may feel more possessive than if he were eating in a more spacious area with room to move around. Practice giving him food and taking it away. To do this, give your dog very small portions at a time. Each time he finishes a serving, take his dish away and refill it with another small amount until all his food is gone. As you take away and replace the dish, praise him for being a good dog. Once he’s responding well to having his dish removed and replaced, move on to the next step: adding the food to his dish while it’s still in front of him. Let him eat some of the food while you’re off doing something else, then walk up and add something special to the dish, such as a piece of hot dog or a liver treat.
Let’s get one thing clear, though: All this is so you have the ability to control what goes into your dog’s mouth. Practice these techniques now and then so you can maintain your dominance relationship with your dog. The most important thing to remember is not to pester your dog while he’s eating. Since most of Rover’s meals should be in peace, teach all household members—especially children—that he is to be left alone at mealtime.
Guarding Other Possessions
Lisa is a working single mom with two young children, ages 4 and 7. She got their dog, Hugo, from the pound as a companion for her kids and protection for the house. Hugo is a sweet-natured dog, excellent with the kids. However, he often growls and bares his teeth at them when he has a toy. “I don’t get it,” Lisa told the behaviorist. “My kids can just walk into the room where he’s sitting with his toys and he growls. He even brings a ball for them to throw, chases it, and then snarls at them when he brings it back!”
A dog who’s possessive about possessions is making a statement—you just need to make sure you’re understanding it. In Lisa’s case, part of the problem was a miscue on playing. Hugo loved to play fetch, but after several rounds of running down a tennis ball, he just wanted to lay down and chew. Unfortunately, the children thought his flopping on the ground a few feet away was part of the game and would take the ball away and throw it again. Hugo learned the only way he could end the game was to act threatening.
In other cases, it’s more a matter of dominance. Using the same techniques as for food guarding can be effective, but owners often need to be assertive in other ways, too. Keeping the dog on a leash—even in the house—sends a clear message that you’re in control and everything is fine. Obedience-train your dog, and when he starts guarding a toy, issue a command, changing the focus from the toy to the behavior required. Praise him when he responds to the command (even if you had to correct him or use the leash to get him to do it). As part of his obedience training, every dog should have a command to stop him from picking something up or drop something already in his mouth. (Variations of this command are “Drop it!,” “Leave it!,” “Don’t touch!,” and “Out!”)
If a particular kind of toy causes the green-eyed monster to visit your dog, dump it. Bones are especially likely to turn even the nicest dogs into jealous, possessive brutes. If your dog can’t handle them—or certain other toys—don’t give them to your dog. Don’t forget to lavish your dog with praise when he does something right. Any time your dog turns away from a toy to respond to a command or lets you take something away, don’t hesitate to tell him what a great dog he is. The amount of praise you give should always outweigh the number of corrections you make.
When to Call a Behaviorist
If guarding behavior becomes a recurring problem for your dog, an animal behaviorist can recommend the proper course of treatment. Once a remedy has been established, make sure all household members learn how to approach this problem.
Source: howstuffworks.com
Maureen Adams
June 28th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Dog Obedience Training…
Not everyone knows about this. Thanks for sharing….