More About the Aggressive Dog

Aggression is part of a dog’s essential nature. However a tamed dog that is aggressive and biting is usually a fearful dog. Fearful dogs forget their training and resort to defensive and controlling behaviors that were part of its ancestor’s pack mentality.

Growling and nipping at each other is one way that canines keep the hierarchy in a pack in its proper pecking order. This means that if your dog is growling or nipping at you, he is trying to put you in your place or expressing fear that you will harm him or take something away from him.

In the case of an extremely difficult alpha dog, aggression and biting can also mean that the dog sees you as infringing on his territory. Sadly if your dog is displaying this type of aggression with you than he has also lost his confidence and trust in you. This can only be restored with retraining and calm, consistent authority. Aggression may consist of several components. Almost all of them are fear-based reasons to nip and bite.

1. Self Defense. The dog may be thinking that he is defending himself from other dogs, and if he thinks he is the alpha dog then those other “dogs” might also include you and members of your family. Sometimes the dog is justified in this response especially if your family pack includes a grabby toddler or teasing children.

2. He might be feeling possessive of his toys or his foods.3. He might be terrified. Dogs think that a “good offense is a good defense.”

3. He might be in pain. If a dog is suffering from arthritis or not feeling well he may display aggression in order to warn others to back off and “don’t touch me, you make it worse!”

Each case of aggression is different. How you deal with it depends a lot upon its cause and the type of aggression involved. There are subtle differences for instance between the four different types of aggression – fear, territorial, possessive and dominance aggression. The minute that your dog starts displaying any type of aggression (such as biting) treat as a liability. You should begin to take immediate action to correct his behavior or quarantine him before he can harm other people or other animals. Taking prompt, swift measures to control your dog, even if it means confining or restricting him is crucial. If you let the behavior continue, you could be in for a lawsuit. If you have a possessive dog, you may need to keep him confined in his crate when you have people over. If you are out in public and are at all unsure of your dog’s temperament then keep him on the leash and use a muzzle if you are going somewhere that you know might provoke him to snap or bite. This includes public places such as parks and the vet office I would recommend that you get your dog a thorough physical check up to make sure that he is not suffering from any physical problem that is causing the aggression.

Pet Blog
biting, dog, fear

What is the Canine Good Citizen Test?

The Canine Good Citizen Test is a certification program run by the American Kennel Club. These are a collection of exercises. Their purpose is to evaluate whether a dog is well behaved and has good manners in public. The test consists of ten challenges that a dog may pass or fail.

All ten must be passed in order for the dog to be certified as a Good Canine Citizen. Here is a summary of the challenges presented by the AKC’s Good Citizen Canine Test.

Test One: Accepting A Friendly Stranger The dog must allow a friendly stranger to approach and speak with its owner without showing fear aggression. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness.

Test Two: Sitting Politely for Petting The dog must sit quietly and allow a stranger to pet it. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness.

Test Three: Appearance & Grooming This practical test shows that the dog will accept being handled by a stranger, such as a veterinarian, groomer, or friend of the owner. A stranger inspects the dog, then combs and brushes it and lightly examines the ears and each front foot. T

est Four: Out For A Walk This test determines whether the dog walks politely on a leash. The owner must be in control and able to walk the dog without the dog pulling on the leash. There must be several turns and halts. The dog does not have to be line with the handler and does not have to sit when the handler stops. He must however act as the handler’s companion.

Test Five: Walking Through A Crowd This test demonstrates that the dog can walk politely around strange people in public places without pulling on the leash. The dog may show some interest in strangers, without being over exuberant, shy or resentful.

Test Six: Sit & Down On Command/Staying In Place This test demonstrates that the dog has training. The dog must be able to sit and lie down on command and be able to stay for a specified amount of time.

Test Seven: Coming When Called This test also requires some obedience training and demonstrates that the dog will come when called by the handler.

Test Eight: Reaction to Another Dog This test is designed to determine if the dog is well behaved around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance, stop, shake hands, and exchange pleasantries, and continue. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in each other.

Test Nine: Reaction to Distractions This test demonstrates that the dog can cope with common distracting sights and sounds, such as a person hammering a nail into wood or a jogger running in front of the dog. The dog should not panic, try to run away, show aggressiveness or bark.

Test 10: Supervised Separation This is another test that requires some obedience training. It is designed to see if the dog will accept being left briefly with a stranger. The dog must remain with the stranger for three minutes without pacing, panicking or trying to escape. Source: American Kennel Club Check your local chapter of the American Kennel Club to find out how you can get your own dog certified as a Good Canine Citizen.

Pet Blog
dog, fear