The Causes of Aggressive Behavior in Dogs
Aggressive behavior in dogs is the most common problem that dog owners have to deal with their pets. This behavior is brought out due to dominance issues between the owner and the dog. It can also be caused by a traumatic violence experienced when the dog was still a puppy. But whatever it is that caused the dog’s aggression, it is the owner’s responsibility to address this behavior before possible harm may occur. Aggressive behavior among dogs isn’t only scary but is in fact dangerous.
Dog aggression can be triggered when a puppy is around 6 weeks old. This is a crucial age among dogs since this is the time when dogs should be socialized to other dogs and people in order to start training them against dog biting. The socialization period could last for 8 more weeks until the dog gets trained with his socialization skills.
During the socialization period, here are a few things that a dog owner has to do as a part of dog training. First, the puppy should never be taken away from its litter until they are 8 weeks old. You should extremely avoid punishments in the form of violence at this time since they may cause them to rebel against you. Keep in mind that yelling or verbal abuse at the dog is a form of violence too.
Gentle treatment should always be encouraged along with positive reinforcement especially at this period. Since a dog should already be properly trained when it is 14 weeks old then the dog must already know how to behave properly around other people and dogs by this time.
The Root of Aggressive Behavior in Dogs
Dog aggression is usually triggered by mutual aggression itself. Although heredity and genetics are also considered to be major factors which is why other breed of dogs tends to be more aggressive compared to others. Additionally, dogs that are neutered and spayed also easily tend to develop aggressive tendencies as well.
However, the biggest factor that creates aggressive behavior among dogs is their environment and surroundings. A dog that is living under poor conditions, harsh treatments and is not exposed around will most likely develop serious aggression as it matures.
Dog aggression can also develop as a part of its nature as pack animals. Since pack animals look up to the alpha dog as their leader then the dogs tend to be aggressive when that role is not yet filled by their owner as they would assume that they do not have a leader to look up to. This aggressive behavior is a sign to show their dominance among their pack.
