Dogs are known as man’s best friend and are world famous for offering unconditional love to their masters. Dogs are loyal and are generally very gentle animals. May times dogs can become really aggressive and can cause serious damage. It is important that dog owners should understand the aggressive behaviour of dogs in order to keep it under control. Aggressive behaviour is inherited by dogs from their great ancestors and master predators the ‘Wolf’. Aggression can be seen in almost all dog breeds. The dogs generally express aggression through growling, snarling, exposing teeth, barking and also snapping. Dogs may sometimes terrorize or bite. The aggressive behaviour of dogs may cause serious trouble for its owners. The dog may seriously injure some family member and can turn into a menace from being a darling. Taming a dog that shows aggressive behaviour is a difficult task and requires proper knowledge about the behaviour and characteristics of the dog. The dog may show aggression for many different reasons.
Different types of dog aggression are:
Dominance aggression
A dog may show aggression because the animal lacks obedience to its master. This is better known as dominant aggression. The dog prefers to be the most dominant animal of the household. Due to this behaviour, the dog often disobeys the command given by its master. It will start getting aggressive whenever it is ordered to do something. It will even get aggressive if patted or cuddled. These are the symptoms for aggressive behaviour.
Territorial aggression
A very common aspect of dog aggression is territorial aggression. Dog will get violent if someone intrudes into its personal space or territory. In this case, the animal will be centrally guided by the instinct of protecting its territory and will attack both owners and other animals. This is more common for male dogs as they are more possessive about space and territories. This type of aggression is virtually nil in female dogs.
Aggression due to fear
A lot of times dogs try to look aggressive in order to hide their fear, nervousness or even their insecurity. It may arise due to a lot of factors like bringing a new dog into the house or not giving attention to the dog. In such circumstances, the dog will try to grab attention by showing aggressive behaviour.
Predatory aggression
It is a very dangerous type of aggression shown by dogs. The aggression shown by the dog is triggered due to some sort of movement that he thinks is a potential prey. This characteristic can mainly be seen in the street dogs that frequently chase moving vehicles. The dogs may in certain cases chase children, joggers and also common pedestrians.
Maternal aggression
It is seen in female dogs and especially dogs with new born pups. When the dog is feeding its pups it might instinctively show aggression if anyone approaches the pups in its whelping area. The dog might think that the intruder will attack its pups and it will charge in order to protect its pups. The dog owner should understand that aggression in dogs is inevitable and manage the dog in the right way.
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