Interdog and Human Aggression

As a behavioural concept interdog aggression is separate from aggression to humans. When looking at aggression is it prudent to consult your Vet, simply to rule out medical causes since there are over 50 medical reasons for aggression.

It is sometimes difficult for us mere humans to read the signals of dogs that are likely to or intend to attack us, we are not equipped to read the body language or subtle signs of our canine friends. Dogs for instance with drooping ears like the Weimaraner, or dogs with tails that curl over the back such as Akita’s and Chows do not give the same signals of say a Collie or an Alsatian the classic erect tail and ears pulled back cannot be seen in some breeds which is also the case with hairy breeds, we cannot see the raised hackles and other obvious signs .

The majority of attacks are to family members, neighbours or people the owner of the dog knows. Because of the problems of overcrowding more attacks are town or city based rather than rural or agricultural areas. A sad fact of life is that often children are the victims. The incidence of facial reconstructive surgery in young children is not as many would imagine caused by car or other accidents it is predominantly dog bites.

The choice of dog also has a marked effect on whether dog aggression or bites may occur; the guarding breeds tend to guard, the herders tend to herd and the retrieving dogs predominantly retrieve. Therefore if a dog had been bred to guard we cannot therefore be overly surprised it does just that.

It is very unusual for a dog to suddenly attack for no apparent reason ie out of the blue attacks are almost unknown. we have all met the person who’s dog attacks your dog or nips your ankles and the plaintive cry is “Oh he has never done that before” I even had a lady owner who’s dog attacked mine who said exactly that. Then the very next day the same dog did it again and she uttered the same mantra, I pointed out that she may wish to be tested for Alzheimer’s.

Owners go into denial over their dog’s behaviour. They excuse the aggressive Terrier or the nipping Collie or the growling miniature breeds because that they perceive this is acceptable behaviour for the breed. This mindset normally means the dogs is not checked when it was first observed allowing the trait to become stronger and eventually very difficult to eradicate.

I have found that the majority of aggressions to be fear based though we often categorise them as Predatory, Sexual, Territorial, Protective, and Nervous/Fear Aggression. Having said all that it is rare indeed for the dog to have just one of the problems mentioned above, and the worse combination is Dominant and Nervous/Fear aggression linked together. Dog aggression problems often have their roots in early games and contact with other dogs, especially dogs from the same household that regularly played games. Taking responsibility and controlling games should give the owner control over each dog and help both in the short and long term this type of unacceptable behaviour

Intact non-neutered males are more likely to exhibit dominance aggression than neutered males or spayed females. It is more likely that this is controlled by androgen since females who show aggression before puberty and who are spayed become more aggressive. Dominance aggression and Protective aggression are the number 1 and number 2 causes of treatment by behaviourists.

Interdog aggression. Is generally social in context and can occur between dogs within the same house, and is never hormone driven, although it generally starts at social maturity (18 to 24 months). The dog is challenged by a stare or a bump or body block, and then each dog behaves in reaction to what the other dog did.

Strange dogs meeting — even with two dogs fighting — generally they are responding to protective aggression (and the classic lead aggression in some cases). A characteristic of interdog aggression is that the aggressive intentions are not displayed to other animals. The dog may live amicably with cats, horses, and other animals or pets.

Protective aggression is stimulated by sudden movements. Frequently the dog inhibits the Behaviour in the absence of its owners (no owner to protect) or in strange places (dog shows are fine). Dominance aggression occurs overwhelmingly in males (90% of cases), first obvious at social maturity (18 to 24 months), worsens with punishment, and may run in family lines. This type of aggression is the type which is looked for at the 8 week puppy test. If identified at that age, early intervention is required to save the dog; but not all dogs with dominant aggression can be identified at 8 weeks.

Most of us have dogs who display signs of territorial aggression: our dogs bark at someone at the door, protect the car, bark as people pass on the pavement. All social animals exhibit some protective aggression . This behaviour is increased by fences; the dog is able to continuously “patrol” and protect, and the behaviour is made extremely bad if the dog is in an electric fence or chained. It can also be made worse if “door greeting” abnormalities are tolerated: the owner greets someone at the door with the dog held back whilst straining on the collar.

For Dominance aggression, in contrast to Protective aggression, there is more growling, snarling, biting, and staring. Barking is considered a sign of protective aggression — think about barking dogs as you pass a garden. Dominance aggression is considered a concept of control, unlike possession of an object (food aggression) or challenge (will the dog get off the sofa or growl?). Dominance aggression is more common with men owners who like the concept of “big, tough dogs” and so some breeds might be more likely to be diagnosed.

But the worst dominant aggressive dogs I have dealt with, have normally been Toy Poodles and Shih Tzus – their Behaviour is more likely to be seen as innocent and owner tolerant. There are some 15 things people do to exacerbate dominance aggression — as simple as staring at the dog or pushing on their rump, leaning over them, making a leash correction. There are some 20 or so signs that the dog intends to become dominant aggressive — as innocent as standing on your feet, leaning against you, “talking back,” standing in front of you in the doorway, jumping in your lap, these signs are often tolerated in smaller dogs.

Dogs with dominance aggression are categorised in behaviour as those who think they are Alpha’s– able to control people and get things their own way — a bad, bad prognosis usually. And then there are those dogs where all the signs were there. First, although other aggressive Behaviour is not a predictor for dominance aggression, dominance aggression is about control and the dog generally has other forms of aggression also.

Second, When the dog has escalated through several signs of dominance aggression, standing on people, sitting in laps, and it’s allowed by the owner. Then the dog thinks it’s in charge — like when the teenager starts to talk back to test boundaries. This class of dogs will alter its Behaviour to the individual. The dog may not behave aggressively with an experienced trainer (the trainer is in charge), or when it’s eating it may not bark at people passing by. The dog can interrupt and inhibit the aggressive Behaviour, but chooses its time when not to react.

This actually is the easiest dog to work with since the dog is capable of taking cues from context and behaving appropriately. However it would be extremely difficult to determine the exact genetics for this Behaviour, since development of the behaviour depends not only on the genes but also the owner situation. If the dog was genetically predisposed but owned by a good trainer and discouraged at an early age from barking at say the door, it may not exhibit the trait. On the other hand, a dog who may genetically be less predisposed but encouraged to exhibit the Behaviour becomes a major problem.