Aggression: What is it and What is it Not?

A dog owner’s worst nightmare is their dog labeled as aggressive. It’s not a trait most owners seek out in a pet and it’s certainly not something they enjoy witnessing. Once most owners see signs of aggression, they are torn on what steps to take next. Should they seek out the help of a trainer or worse, surrender the dog to a shelter or rescue? What if the new family isn’t nice to them? What if they get worse? What will happen to them?

I want to give you all a look into what aggression is and what it’s not so that you can make an informed decision on what steps to take next. The term “aggression” doesn’t have one definition. There are many parts that go into this act. When I say act, I mean a combination of emotional and consequential learning. No matter what is causing the aggression, it is performed out of stress. There is an emotion that is acted upon out of desperation. That emotion could be fear, anger, pain, etc.

Our job is to figure out what trigger is causing the emotion and either eliminate it or change our dog’s view. What decision we make comes down to the circumstance and how many triggers there are. Cortisol, which is the stress hormone can stay in a dog’s body for days. Therefore, figuring out the exact trigger(s) that set your dog off may be difficult to recognize.

I always encourage owners to look at the aggressive episode in three separate parts. What happened just prior to the reaction, during the reaction, and how your dog responded after. This, among other important details, will help you develop a plan of action. It’s my job to help you on the road to recovery so if you are experiencing any aggression with your dog, please reach out to me!

Dogs do what works for them to either gain access or protect their resources. Considering this, it’s no wonder some dogs resort to escalated aggression, especially if they feel threatened in any way. It’s survival of the fittest in their mind. If their prior signs of discomfort are unnoticed or ignored, any dog can feel the need to bite. If they do, threat A, B, and/or C will probably increase distance or at best go away. Then, it’s just a repetitive cycle that potentially gets worse the more times it happens.

So, if I was to give aggression my own definition, I would say it’s a reaction that is caused by a combination of an emotional response to a stressful event, driven by the strength of a reinforced history.

Aggression is not driven by “Dominance” or what society thinks dominance is. It is a known fact that if you are higher in rank, and the rest of your world knows it, escalated aggression is unnecessary. It simply comes down to resources and who has access to them first. That access is understood by a series of “yielding and submissive responses”, which is a fancy way of saying a “general understanding of rank”. Those resources can change too, depending on what one values in their specific environment.

All this to say, if you have a dog that is showing signs of aggression which can include but is not limited to barking, growling, snarling, showing teeth, etc. understand that your dog is not trying to overpower you, he is scared and/or angry, and doesn't know what else to do.

If you could use some guidance on helping your dog, please visit my website: https://pawsitivefoundations.com/behavior-issues