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It can be very scary when a dog acts differently toward one person or a group of people over others, especially when that dog acts aggressively.  Have you encountered something like this?

A three year old spayed German Shepherd acts aggressively toward a particular man. She acts perfectly fine with everyone else but she does not like or trust him.  His erratic actions hinder their relationship, as sometimes he is calm with her and others “he yells and swats.”  If he is laying on the bed, she will lay by him and ask for attention, but as soon as he gets up, she tenses.  She is a “one person dog,” though she tolerates petting from others.  She has never snapped at or bitten anyone, other than this man.  Her body language when she shows aggression include a wagging tail, low rear and upright ears.  The biggest problem is that the man described is also the owner’s husband.

First, let’s address the body language she displays.  Contrary to popular belief, a wagging tail is not always a friendly sign.  Her lowered rear end, probably a crouching position, is an indication of her fear.  The erect ears shows that she is “on alert.”  When you couple that with the barking, charging, and crouching, you have a dog that is trying to figure out a human, the husband.  What happens?  Is it a snarling, vicious bark?  I doubt that he needs to defend himself from an attacking dog, since they are both still in the house.  To me, this sounds like an attention bark, since it probably gets her attention.  Even though it may be corrective or negative, she gets attention.

Photo via Flickr (garryknight)

The real problem here is the human factor.  If you want this man to be safe, then HE better be ready to make some changes.  The husband is not PART of the problem, he IS the problem.  When she is lying next to him and they both are calm, the dog feels safe.  However, when he gets up, the dog responds by tensing up, as if she expects him to strike her.  She certainly shows signs of fear around him.  What I worry about here is how fast that fear can turn into aggression.  Unfortunately, in a situation like this, when she does bite, she will be likely be put to sleep, when there are things HE can do to rectify the situation.

Dogs do not like to be yelled at anymore than humans do.  They certainly do not like to be “swatted” either.  The unpredictability of her relationship with the husband ruins it.  Some dogs may take this for their whole life, while some dogs may snap one day inflicting a bite that may cost them their life.

Remember, adult dogs have 42 teeth in our mouths.  These teeth serve a purpose, biting down hard, holding the meat and pulling it away from the bone.  Why would a human think they can take that on?  The average German Shepherd bite unleashes a force of 238 pounds of pressure.  They make great police dogs, because not many people can withstand or overcome that bite to get away.  Only an idiot would try to intimidate that!

For this situation to continue incident-free, the husband needs to learn some canine communication skills.  First, it is never acceptable to strike a dog.  If you do, you deserve to be bitten!  As for the yelling, most dogs have a very keen sense of hearing.  Sometimes, my Mom will whisper commands to me.  I think she is just testing my hearing.  This dog is confused.  She wants to understand what she does that causes the yelling and swatting.  Since most of of do not use reason or logic, it is the person that must make the change.

He needs to know that the dog does not understand his actions and barks and charges out of frustration, as if she is asking him, “Why do you yell and swat at me?  It frightens me and I really just want to be loved.”  He MUST change his ways if you want him to be safe around her.  Once she knows to expect a calm demeanor from him, you can work on building a stronger relationship between the two of them.

It seems like you have a wonderful dog, you have given him a great home, but when you go out to the off leash dog park, things change, right?  Being off leash is truly a fantastic feeling.  Running around with the wind blowing through your hair as your ears flap in the wind is almost as much fun as riding in the car with our head hanging out of the window.  However, such a fantastic joy as it is, being off leash is ALWAYS a privilege.  This is something that needs to be earned. Continue Reading

There are times when you have conversations with “dog” people that know little or nothing about dogs or their behavior.  They are often looked to for suggestions and advice because they hold a position of influence.  Oftentimes, they will dispense advice throwing words around that they may have overheard in a conversation.  Some of those words or phrases can be dangerous in the hands of untrained, uneducated individuals.  Phrases like fear aggression are among those that are dangerous.  They think that because they were thinking fast enough to throw out that phrase, it will impress people, increasing their influence among those they encounter.  Some of these people do not have a clue as to what fear aggression actually is, let alone what can be done to modify or manage it. Continue Reading

Dominance Aggression:
Hackles will be raised, teeth barred, tail may be up or back, body & legs stiffen, lips are drawn back, growling, eyes fixed on target.

Fear Aggression:
Body and head lowered, ears are back close to the head, tail is down or may be tucked between the legs, growling, lips are drawn back, teeth barred, hackles raised, nose wrinkled.

Continue Reading

I received a question via e-mail last week about aggression.  Since there are eight different types of aggression, I have decided to break things down into an eight-part series on aggression.  Fear aggression is the second topic I will cover, and it is included below.

What is fear aggression?

Fear aggression is actually pretty self-explanatory.  It occurs when a dog is frightened by something and that will trigger a “fight” response.  Since his fear does not allow him the luxury of the “flight” response, he will respond the only way he can.  He bites.

This often happens as the result of a puppy’s improper socialization, especially not being properly socialized at the appropriate time.  From the age of three weeks to three months, your puppy should only be exposed to positive people and things.  Don’t ask me why, but some things to avoid this include men with beards, anyone with a hat, ladies with shrill voices, and even children, unless VERY CLOSELY SUPERVISED.  Taunting a dog or punishing him too severely can also lead to fear aggression.

Signs of fear aggression in your dog:

• Nearly always displaying submissive body language
• Ears that are laid back usually flat against the head
• Tail is tucked between the legs
• Reluctance to rolling over to expose their belly
• Avoidance of eye contact
• Tilt of their head toward the person seeking the dog’s attention, often licking their lips
• Do not like to be groomed, especially the feet

What can be done to help correct this?

• Train him using ONLY positive reinforcement. Remember, you are building or re-building trust!
• Do not reinforce any fear aggressive behavior positively.
• Never surprise or startle the dog.
• Do not punish bad behavior.  Correct the behavior.
• Do not allow people to pet the dog without permission, especially strangers.

Fear aggression can be very tricky.  Often, people will observe a fearful dog and try to give the dog some comfort.  However, the dog may not be aware of what the human is doing, and he will bite as a response.  Although any breed of dog can be fear aggressive, some breeds are born with fearful or anxious behavior tendencies and are more likely to be fear aggressive.

Dogs are the most social creatures on the face of the earth.   In fact, a dog is actually more social than a human being.  Allowing your dog to learn how to socialize at an early age will help prevent fear aggression.
Because most people are not well versed in canine body language, it is advisable that a professional be contacted to help with this situation in a dog that is exhibiting fear aggressive behavior.  The most important thing with fear aggression is to avoid the situation that causes the behavior (leashes, cages, grooming, etc.) when possible, until you can correct it with the aforementioned professional.