dog aggression

Dog Reactive vs Dog Aggressive

Dog Blog, Pack in the Park

Dogs who are dog aggressive can be dog reactive but it doesn’t mean all dog reactive dogs are aggressive. Aggression is really the intention behind the behavior, whereas reactivity is the behavior itself, and therefore there is all kinds of intent behind reactivity.

What is Dog Aggression?

Dog aggression is when what fuels a dogs behavior is the desire to act aggressively. They want to attack another dog because they enjoy the act of attacking. Dogs who are acting aggressively will often bark, growl, snarl, lunge, hold their tails high and actually wag their tails. Something in their brain has been wired to enjoy the aggressive act. The chemical release in their brain is so rewarding when they bite, shake, tear etc that it encourages them to keep doing it. They just enjoy it.

One often missed signal is a dog wagging it’s tail when it reacts aggressively. People often think “he was wagging his tail, he wasn’t being aggressive” but the reason he was wagging his tail was because he was enjoying being aggressive.

It’s been my experience that most dog’s aren’t truly aggressive but instead fall somewhere under “reactive”.

What is Dog Reactivity?

A reactive dog is one that doesn’t behave ideally when encountering other dogs, people, animals etc. A dog reactive dog will react in an undesirable way when it sees another dog. This behavior can widely vary from nervous behavior, i.e.; cowering, pulling away, rolling over, barking, and under pressure may result in a growl and eventually if pushed hard enough, a bite. There is a wide scale of dog reactivity and not all dogs will react the same.

Some reactive dogs just have no clue how to greet another dog. They get way too excited at the sight of another dog. They just want to get to them, they want to introduce themselves and become best friends. These are often the “my dog is friendly” types. The dog is friendly but way too exuberant. If on leash this can display in loud, obnoxious behavior, i.e.; jumping, barking, lunging, screeching/screaming, dragging the owner etc. When off leash these dogs bound up to everyone they meet, whether anyone else wants to meet them or not. They don’t take social cues from other dogs, they don’t seem to understand canine etiquette. They push their friendship on everyone.

Then there’s a whole myriad of dogs in between who may react in different ways when encountering another dog on a walk. Basically, any behavior other than walking calmly at their owners side is considered “reactive” behavior.

A Growl Doesn’t Always Mean Aggression

A dog’s growl is a form of communication. It doesn’t always equal aggression. In fact, really aggressive dogs don’t waste their time with a warning they just go straight to their aggressive behavior. A growl is just that; a warning. It is a way for dogs to communicate that they don’t like what someone else is doing. It’s their way of saying “I don’t like that, please stop”. A growl doesn’t indicate aggression. In fact, I think a growl is a very important tool.

If you punish your dog when they growl you are essentially teaching them that their voice doesn’t matter. You should never punish a growl. If a growl is punished enough, the dog will stop using it. They will go straight from feeling uncomfortable to biting. They will skip the warning because you’ve taught them their warning is bad. Any dog, if pushed enough, can react with a bite. Most of those dogs would rather give a warning growl firsts before resorting to a bite though.

Don’t punish a dog for growling. Instead, take it as the warning that is is, and respect your dogs wishes. Remove them (or the other dog, or whatever it may be that they growled at) and bring them back to a space (both physically and mentally) where they feel safe and secure again. Respect the growl because it’s the most respectful thing your dog can do when they’re feeling cornered, scared, or uneasy in any way.

How to Deal With Reactivity

The best way to overcome your dogs reactivity is to slowly expose them to more and more to the things that they react to. You want to do it at a distance that allows your dog to be comfortable. They may show curiosity but they shouldn’t be barking, lunging, pulling etc. If they are reacting that means you need to put more distance between them and the stimuli (the dog they’re reacting to). Move to a distance they are comfortable with and then praise and refocus them with basic obedience training.

Our Pack in the Park exposure training is a great way to work with dogs that are reactive.

Aggression Towards Children

Dog Blog, Dogs and Children, GUIDE 1: SAFETY & REGULATIONS

I’ve decided to make my three-part article about dogs and children available for free. This subject is near and dear to my heart as well as just being extremely important information. Most dog bites to children happen to the face and can be traumatizing, disfiguring or even fatal. If both dogs and children are taught from a young age how to safely and respectfully interact they can build a beautiful friendship together.

[ PART ONE ] [ PART TWO ] [PART THREE] [ PART FOUR ]

The goal of rehabilitating a dog who shows aggression towards children is to have a dog under control while around children. The goal shouldn’t be a dog who will be best friends with a child as this is a dangerous and unrealistic expectation. This is accomplished by exposing the dog to the child in a comfortable setting and at a distance where the dog is showing no signs of fear. The utmost importance is the child’s safety. Never attempt this type of training without consulting a dog trainer or animal behaviorist. Never attempt this type of training without the permission of the child’s caregivers. The dog must be on leash and if necessary muzzled at all times.

These methods work for rehabilitating a dog around any person or animal. For the sake of this section, I will be focusing on children.

Obedience command must be well-trained

You will have no luck getting your dog under control if you don’t first train them basic obedience commands. Every dog should, at the very least, know to sit, down, stay, heel and recall (come). Also known as ‘the five basic commands” (Guide 5: Dog Training: 5 Basic Commands). You will first need to train these commands without distractions and then gradually build distractions until you can comfortably handle your dog in public. Once your dog is well-trained then you can begin exposure therapy.

Exposure therapy/desensitization

The goal is to associate the child with something positive using classical conditioning techniques. For more information about Classical Conditioning, read Guide 2: Intro to Learning Theory. The dog’s experience that they associate with the child must be a positive, relaxed experience. More stress and pushing the dog past their comfort level will result in more trauma, fear and aggression.

To influence the dog to associate something positive with a child you’ll be using the dog’s favorite treats whenever the child is around. You may have to start from quiet a distance to begin. Always start where the dog feels comfortable. Treat and reward, work on basic commands and focus commands (Guide 5: Dog Training: Watch Me).

Keeping the child safe is the primary concern

Of course the safety of the child is the most important thing. Small children should be held by a guardian or sit in their lap. Older children should understand and have the self-control to not approach, touch or talk to the dog. The dog should be on leash at all times and if necessary, muzzled. How do you know if your dog should be muzzled? If they’ve bitten or tried to bite anyone before then they should be muzzled during desensitization. Before you muzzle your dog make sure you first condition them to wear it (Guide 3: Training Tools: Muzzle).

Once an incident occurs you can never assume the dog will be safe around any child

Referring back to the above point; the child’s safety is the primary concern. You simply can NOT trust your dog around any child ever again. You can train your dog to be calm, to behave himself and tolerate the presence of children but you will never be able to fully trust your dog to never bite a child if put in an uncomfortable situation. You will always need to rely on your leash, training, and barriers when necessary to keep the children in your life safe from a traumatizing experience and your dog safe from a dangerous dog record or worse; euthanasia. 

Don’t Punish a Growl

Something quite often misunderstood and mismanaged in any “dog aggression” type scenario is the growl. A growl is an important communication tool for a dog. It’s a way for them to communicate that they’re uncomfortable with something. If you punish the growl you will remove the growl which means no warning system in place and a bite will likely occur with zero warning from your dog. Never punish the growl. Instead; respect the growl for what it is; your dog’s communication. Interpret it to mean you need to give your dog more space and time for desensitization.