Aggression is instinctive to dogs.
Survival in the wild required the evolution of this characteristic over many centuries.
Some instinctive traits such as aggression have been minimized through selective breeding techniques.
Below are some reasons why your dog could be displaying aggressive behavior.
Why is my dog aggressive? Many factors can cause aggression in dogs but the most common is minimal socialization with other people and the issue of dominance.
Stranger aggression: Dogs are naturally cautious and suspicious.
Unfamiliar situations may cause your dog anxiety if it has not had much experience with strangers and new surroundings.
If you broaden your dogs knowledge and consistently provide positive experiences your dog will feel at ease when confronting a new situation.
How can I change my dogs aggressive behavior? Start with your dog when it's young and expose it to a wide range of experiences.
You will want to make sure your dog experiences new places, new people and new animals.
Experience will teach your dog how much fun other places, people and animals can be.
Make socializing your dog a fun time and you will soon see how easy it is to do.
You might want to begin with puppy pre-school.
Exposure to new people and other dogs will build your confidence about where you can take your dog.
Socialization is a necessary process for the rest of your dogs life.
Aggression around family members: It is common for dogs to react aggressively towards their own family members when they feel something of theirs is being threatened.
Resource guarding is the term used for this behavior.
If your dog gets snarly or growls at you when you are near where it is eating or playing with a toy, then you know you have a resource guarding problem.
This is caused by a misunderstanding about where your dog fits in to the pack.
Pack animals such as dogs need to know who is the leader.
Packs are structured according to power and position in relation to everyone else in the pack.
Since your dog does not have a dog family, it will rank itself against its human family and this ranking will tell it how to behave at all times.
If your dog is behaving aggressively then it perceives itself to be at the top of the pack.
If on the other hand, your dog perceived itself to be a lower ranking member of the family, it wouldn't dream of growling at you when you are near its food or toys.
The message to your dog must be clear, that you are the boss and your dog is a lower ranking member of the pack.
What can I do about my dogs aggressive behavior? Regular and consistent obedience training work will rebuild your authority over your dog.
Regular behavior modification sessions are key to positive and effective progress.
The more enjoyable you make these sessions, the more your dog will want to please you and remember to use lots of praise and treats.