GEORGE NEWS - An article in last week's George Herald about three dogs viciously attacking people in George, has raised many questions, not the least of which is why these dogs would act this way.
Dogs can be aggressive for a variety of reasons and education about the subject is necessary.
An article in last week's George Herald about three dogs viciously attacking people in George, has raised many questions, not the least of which is why these dogs would act this way.
Dogs can be aggressive for a variety of reasons and education about the subject is necessary. Local animal behaviour practitioner George van Huyssteen explains.
Please note: the below are only the most common reasons for dogs becoming reactive and there are numerous other causes of aggressive behaviour.
- Fear aggression
This is the main reason why most dogs bite and it is misinterpreted in most cases by owners. In the case of fear aggression, the dog will offer an offensive posture to increase the distance between himself and whatever he is scared of. This type of aggression might also be directed to objects like vacuum cleaners or even cars. As this type of aggression is fear-based, such a dog should never be forced to interact with whatever he is scared of and must be handled with care.
- Territorial aggression
This type of aggression is about humans or other animals entering the dog's territory. Although a dog's territory is generally in and around the house, it might extend to an area surrounding the owner's property. Aggression in such cases is normally limited to a specific area and not expressed at unfamiliar locations.
- Idiopathic aggression
This is a very unpredictable type of aggression because the trigger for the outburst will not be known. This is also a very dangerous type of aggression as there will normally be no prior warning signs from the dog. In many cases, idiopathic aggression has a neurological cause.
- Prey aggression
This is self-explanatory, and it simply refers to aggressive behaviours towards a possible prey. Prey aggression is actually considered pathological should it be towards humans, but it is extremely rare.
- Control-related aggression
This mostly stems from improper handling and management or even punitive training methods. This type of aggression is normally towards owners who constantly interact with their dogs. It is a preventable type of aggression, and novice owners or first-time dog owners might cause this unknowingly. Aggression will be increased by punishment. Normally, the prognosis for such dogs is good once a treatment plan is implemented.
- Resource guarding
Such dogs react aggressively towards anybody or anything coming near their food or toys. Contrary to belief, this is normal behaviour for dogs as food or toys are highly valued resources worth protecting. Unfortunately, this type of aggression is also known to escalate over time. It can also be seen as a type of fear-based aggression as the dog fears losing his valuable resources.
- Medical reasons
This is often overlooked. A dog in discomfort or pain might react with aggression, even towards its owner, when touched or handled. A sudden change in behaviour or even a sudden onset of reactivity might have a medical cause. In such cases a vet check would be advised before a behaviour modification is implemented.
Why dogs become aggressive in the first place
- Poor breeding
Genetics play a big part in dog aggression. Should you allow two aggressive dogs to breed, the chances are that aggressive behaviours will show in their offspring.
- Lack of socialisation during their critical period
Problem behaviours like resource guarding, control-related aggression, or even fear-aggression might be prevented by early socialisation.
- Experiences
As dogs learn by making associations between stimuli, bad experiences could easily teach them that a specific person or type of person is unsafe, causing the dog to show aggression towards them. This might be very specific: if a dog has been hurt by a man, for example, he might show aggression towards men or even certain types of men, such as men with beards. This is also called one-trial learning.
- A combination of all of the above
Punishment might increase a dog's aggression exponentially, so a reactive or aggressive dog should be handled with understanding. Unfortunately not all aggressive dogs can be cured. No professional animal behaviourist would ever guarantee that they will be able to successfully "cure" or "fix" a dog with a history of biting.
There are just too many variables to allow for that sort of guarantee. It will depend on the type of aggression and the severity of the aggression. There are also no quick fixes for aggressive behaviours as it is emotionally based.
To allow a dog to make a new positive association towards whatever he is fearful of, or to show a dog that we as humans are no threat to their valuable resource, takes time and understanding. Punishing them for reacting like dogs would have the opposite effect, and the dog might become even more reactive.
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