Introduction to Dog Aggression

There are two reasons to discover what is causing your dog to behave aggressively. One reason is If you can predict when it might happen it’s easier to keep other around you safer. The knowledge that your dog reacts badly when people come into the house allows you to handle the situation differently, by putting your dog into another room for example.

But there is another good reasons to get to the bottom of why your dog behaves aggressively.

Without knowing the cause(s) of your dog’s aggression, you can’t do much to try to improve the behavior and in most cases it’s possible to improve aggressive behavior in dogs. Whatever is happening in the environment most certainly plays a role, but in many cases there can be additional underlying causes. It may be anxiety, frustration or fear, or it may be a health problem. Dog aggression can even be influenced by medication. Learn more about the causes of dog aggression.

Aggressive behavior in dogs occurs on a continuum. It can range from being completely normal and appropriate for the situation to abnormal and inappropriate. A problem can evolve slowly over time or it can seem to appear suddenly and without warning. It may occur with other behavior issues such as anxiety, or it may be influenced by health factors.

When your dog first shows aggression it can be upsetting. Typically people are either quite alarmed, or they downplay the seriousness of it, or they go into denial and just hope that whatever happened was a one-time occurance.

There are a number of interventions that can help your dog’s behavior. But first learn more about the signs that suggest your dog’s aggressive behavior may need treatment.