3 Types Of Aggression

We often hear the phrase, “The Dog is Aggressive”. This phrase often conjures in our mind maliciousness, nastiness or vindictiveness but this is not what aggression means in the dog’s mind. Aggression has many forms so let’s look into those forms.

First we have “Dominance Aggression”

As we all know, dogs are pack animals. They simply don’t expect equality. The dog’s natural genetic predisposition is to find his place in the pecking order, the dominance hierarchy. This form of aggression is usually shown by male dogs between two and two and half years of age. Now their testosterone surge occurs between six months and a year yet the apparently sudden, unprovoked aggressive attacks of dominance usually against members of the immediate family frequently don’t occur for another one to two years. As we humans make up most dogs packs as far as the dogs are concerned, it is usually directed at us. This type of aggression can be provoked by simply disturbing your dog, such as awakening him or moving him or ordering him to move from his resting place. It can be provoked by approaching his food, is “favorite person” or his resting area even if he’s not in it. Dominance aggression can be stimulated by petting, by having collars and leads put on or off, by being stared at or disciplined, by grooming, nail cutting, toweling or even by meeting in a narrow passageway. Just standing over a dog can be interpreted as a threat to this position and can invoke a response.

The second Aggression is “Possessive Aggression”

This form can be perpetuated through the juvenile period and into the adult stage of the dog’s life. Sibling rivalry occurs when two dogs are so similar that they find it difficult to determine which is dominate. Almost routinely the problem is exacerbated through our intervention. This learning problem occurs most frequently in dogs that resemble each other in size, sex and age is usually triggered by competition for food, toy, a sleeping place or our attention. Jealousy over attention from the owner, possessiveness over a toy or a bone, rivalry over who sleeps in the favorite spot, these are all manifestations of problems in dominance behavior where a hierarchy has not been properly established.

The third form of aggression is “Fear Aggression”

Dominance aggression is primarily genetic and difficult to alter without proper training. It is offensive in the behavioral sense of the word. Fear aggression is defensive and is primarily a learned behavior. Because it is learned, it is more treatable.
We already know that a puppy which is not properly socialized to his environment, if he does not experience sights, smells and noises during his formative socialization period, can develop a fear of the unknown. Fear is a natural self-preservation response of all animals to new or unusual situations and is the most common response of all captive animals towards humans. One out of every four cases of aggression is fear aggression or its equivalent pain induced aggression.

Fear aggression is the most common cause of dog bites of children. Boys over five years old are bit twice as often as little girls and five to fourteen-year-olds are bit the most. (In seasonal climates, bites occur most frequently in the spring and summer.) These dogs bite children for many reasons. If they have not been properly socialized to children, they can think of them as a new and unfamiliar species. Fear aggression can be caused by a previous painful experience with a child when, for example, the dog’s hair was pulled. Some dogs can even develop a fear of children because they have previously been disciplined or scolded in the presence of the child and associate the child with that experience.

There are more forms of aggressions but these are the most common. If you have a dog with these tendencies you need to work with an experienced professional to help you with these issues.