Statistics indicate that there are over 4.
7 million dog bites in the USA each year.
From 2005 to 2009 there were 147 fatal dog attacks.
55% of these attacks were by Pit Bulls, 14% by Rottweilers and various other breeds accounted for the remainder.
Just to keep things in perspective, annually in the USA...
50-100 people die from bee stings...
36,000 die from the flu...
and 40,000 die from car accidents.
What are the causes of dog aggression and how should owners handle this problem with their dogs? Dog aggression is defined by canine behaviorist as "intent to do harm".
This is a common dog behavior and is found in most breeds.
Some dog breeds tend to display more dog aggression than others.
There are many reasons why dogs act aggressively towards strangers, owners and other living creatures.
This behavior can be growling, snarling, snapping, nipping, biting and lunging.
You need to visit your veterinarian as the first step to find out why your dog is being aggressive.
It may be necessary to have the vet visit your home as some dogs tend to be more aggressive on "their own territory".
There a many medical reasons underlying your dog's aggressiveness, such as dog neck pain when pulled by the collar, and many other related causes.
If you find there is no medical reasons for the aggression, a dog behaviorist can obtain a behavioral history and work on a therapy program for your dog.
You should keep a journal of your dog's behavior so you can provide good information to the therapist.
Taking a video of your dog's aggression can be also be helpful.
These are some of the questions the behaviorist might ask.
What triggers the aggression? How often does it occur? Who is it directed towards? What are the specific behaviors? What was the dog's posture at the time? There are many factors that influence aggression in dogs.
Behaviors associated with generic history, hormonal status, sex, age, size and physiological state of mind.
Behaviorist work with a classification system based upon behavioral patterns and circumstances to determine a dog's motivation for a certain aggression.
Dominance-related aggression- Dogs are pack animals and relate to humans like members of their own species or pack members.
They can show aggression towards several family members or other family pets.
Inter-male aggression- Aggression involves dominance or territorial conflicts between males.
Female aggression can occur between dogs living in the same place or residence.
Territorial aggression- This behavior can be exhibited when animals or humans outside of the pack enter a dog's territory.
Pain Aggressionn- Attempt to touch a painful area or when given an injection.
Fear Aggression- When an owner uses severe punishment or mistreatment from children occurs.
Maternal aggression- Approaching a bitch with puppies or a false pregnancy state of mind.
Aggressive redirection- A dog barking when someone enters his space can redirect from one source to another.
When the owner pulls the dog away, the aggression can shift to the owner.
Many dominate dogs will redirect onto subordinate dogs in the pack.
Conclusion: Treating aggressive behaviors varies depending on the diagnosis for the causes.
You must be aware that even though the treatment therapy seems to be successful, aggression cannot always be completely eliminated.
Aggressive behavior is always a danger risk for you and others around you.
Keeping an aggressive dog is a risk that you must evaluate.
Any dog can bite at one time or another given wrongful circumstances.
If a dog is well socialized and treated with respect, kindness and good care, they are less likely to bite than dogs that are mistreated.
7 million dog bites in the USA each year.
From 2005 to 2009 there were 147 fatal dog attacks.
55% of these attacks were by Pit Bulls, 14% by Rottweilers and various other breeds accounted for the remainder.
Just to keep things in perspective, annually in the USA...
50-100 people die from bee stings...
36,000 die from the flu...
and 40,000 die from car accidents.
What are the causes of dog aggression and how should owners handle this problem with their dogs? Dog aggression is defined by canine behaviorist as "intent to do harm".
This is a common dog behavior and is found in most breeds.
Some dog breeds tend to display more dog aggression than others.
There are many reasons why dogs act aggressively towards strangers, owners and other living creatures.
This behavior can be growling, snarling, snapping, nipping, biting and lunging.
You need to visit your veterinarian as the first step to find out why your dog is being aggressive.
It may be necessary to have the vet visit your home as some dogs tend to be more aggressive on "their own territory".
There a many medical reasons underlying your dog's aggressiveness, such as dog neck pain when pulled by the collar, and many other related causes.
If you find there is no medical reasons for the aggression, a dog behaviorist can obtain a behavioral history and work on a therapy program for your dog.
You should keep a journal of your dog's behavior so you can provide good information to the therapist.
Taking a video of your dog's aggression can be also be helpful.
These are some of the questions the behaviorist might ask.
What triggers the aggression? How often does it occur? Who is it directed towards? What are the specific behaviors? What was the dog's posture at the time? There are many factors that influence aggression in dogs.
Behaviors associated with generic history, hormonal status, sex, age, size and physiological state of mind.
Behaviorist work with a classification system based upon behavioral patterns and circumstances to determine a dog's motivation for a certain aggression.
Dominance-related aggression- Dogs are pack animals and relate to humans like members of their own species or pack members.
They can show aggression towards several family members or other family pets.
Inter-male aggression- Aggression involves dominance or territorial conflicts between males.
Female aggression can occur between dogs living in the same place or residence.
Territorial aggression- This behavior can be exhibited when animals or humans outside of the pack enter a dog's territory.
Pain Aggressionn- Attempt to touch a painful area or when given an injection.
Fear Aggression- When an owner uses severe punishment or mistreatment from children occurs.
Maternal aggression- Approaching a bitch with puppies or a false pregnancy state of mind.
Aggressive redirection- A dog barking when someone enters his space can redirect from one source to another.
When the owner pulls the dog away, the aggression can shift to the owner.
Many dominate dogs will redirect onto subordinate dogs in the pack.
Conclusion: Treating aggressive behaviors varies depending on the diagnosis for the causes.
You must be aware that even though the treatment therapy seems to be successful, aggression cannot always be completely eliminated.
Aggressive behavior is always a danger risk for you and others around you.
Keeping an aggressive dog is a risk that you must evaluate.
Any dog can bite at one time or another given wrongful circumstances.
If a dog is well socialized and treated with respect, kindness and good care, they are less likely to bite than dogs that are mistreated.
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