Types of Canine Aggression
Aggressive dogs may exhibit only threats such as growling, posturing or snapping, but aggression can lead to a serious bite to a human. It is important to seek advice from your veterinarian at the first signs of aggression so that appropriate actions can be taken.
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There are many causes of aggression in dogs:
- Agonistic: Personality conflict between two dogs without another cause
- Barrier Frustration: A barrier (for example, the dog is tied up) causes frustration. The dog can't escape, so it attacks when someone enters his or her territory.
- Competitive: Housemate dogs who fight, usually over social status or human attention
- Displaced:The aggressive intent was redirected from one target to another.
- Dominant: The dog mistakenly thinks he runs the house and reacts to a conflict situation with a person by turning aggressive;
- Drug-induced: While on certain medications, a dog's perceptions may be affected and cause aggression;
- Encephalopathic: Aggression caused by a medical condition in the brain (for example, epilepsy)
- Fear-induced: A dog that growls or snaps when afraid thinks he is fighting for his life. Because of a combination of genetic tendencies, early experience, lack of socialization and sometimes abuse, a dog with this type of aggression that cannot escape when cornered will attack. During the growling, snapping or attack, the dog shows fear postures such as crouching with its tail between its legs;
- Food guarding: The dog has the mistaken idea that people take food instead of give it. This causes them to feel threatened any time someone comes near his or her food
- Improper socialization: The dog may have been isolated as a puppy and socially stunted, causing aggression towards situations they are unfamiliar with
- Intra-sex: Female dogs who fight only female dogs, or male dogs who fight only male dogs.
- Irritable: This type of aggression is due to a medical problem that lowers a dog's aggression threshold.
