Aggressive dog why

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Agressive Behavior. Stopping It. See Your Vet. Call a Professional. Create a Plan. Avoid Punishment. Handling Situations. Featured Video. Related Topics. Dog Training Tips. If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet. Article Sources. The Spruce Pets uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

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These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. Aggression is defined as a threat, challenge or attack that is directed towards one or more individuals. Signs of aggression may be visual changes in body posture, piloerection — hair raises up and auditory growling, barking and may involve the use of teeth and occasionally claws.

All behaviour is dependent on the influences of inheritance, learning and the environment. Aggression may be normal or abnormal depending on the context. It is important for dog owners to be aware that aggression can be caused by underlying fear and anxiety. The assertions that specific breeds of dog and all individuals within those breeds will be aggressive are unsubstantiated by scientific studies. RSPCA Australia considers that any dog of any size, breed or mixture of breeds may be dangerous and thus dogs should not be declared dangerous on the basis of breed.

Aggression can be successfully treated and managed. Dog fights - our advice. My dog is aggressive towards people If your dog is aggressive towards people, it can be more complicated to find the trigger for their aggression. Look for patterns in how your dog reacts: Are they only ever aggressive in a certain room? How do they react around their favourite toys or food?

Do they become aggressive when you try to brush them or trim their nails? Do they only act that way towards a specific person or group of people such as children? For more information, take a look at our free guide on keeping children safe around dogs:. Children and dogs. Should my dog wear a muzzle? Muzzle training your dog. What to do if you're bitten by a dog Knowing and calmly responding to the warning signs above can reduce the risk of a dog biting you.

Move away from the dog that has bitten you calmly and quietly. Try not to shout or react aggressively towards them, this might trigger them to bite again. Always contact your doctor or the NHS for advice straight away and tell them that you have been bitten by an animal.

If possible, try to clean the wound quickly. Taking photos of the wound can be helpful. How to prevent dog aggression There are a few things you can do to help avoid your dog becoming aggressive in different situations: Socialisation.

Socialising your dog when they are young is one of the best ways to prevent dog aggression later on. A well-socialised dog is less likely to feel scared and so is less likely to be aggressive towards other dogs. Train your dog with positive, reward-based training.

Rewarding them when they stay calm can help them learn that this is a good way to react in the future. If your dog has good recall, then you can help them avoid potentially dangerous situations by ensuring your dog comes back to you quickly when needed.

Staying on the lead. It's always best to keep your dog on a lead in unfamiliar places. This way you always know where they are and can help them avoid anything that might trigger an aggressive reaction, especially if their recall isn't the best.

Be aware of other dogs. Never let your dog go bounding up to an unfamiliar dog. As friendly as your dog ay be, you just don't know how they will react.

When you see unfamiliar dogs, it's best to keep your dog close to you or on a lead and check with their owner before allowing your dog to approach. This is especially important if the other dog is on a lead, or is wearing a muzzle or has a warning label. Learn their body language.

Know the warning signs of aggression and watch out for them. Never let your dog approach another dog if either of them are displaying any of the warning behaviours or signs of aggression above.

If you start to see your dog or another dog behaving aggressively even if it's not towards your dog get away from the situation as fast as possible. Even if your dog has never shown aggression in the past, if either or both dogs start feeling threatened, they may end up fighting. Learn more about socialisation and training in our free guides:.