Causes of Aggressive Dog Behavior

Aggressiveness in dogs is quite normal. It is actually their nature of being carnivores. But there are also possible ways to control it. It usually ends slowly as the dog grows older. But if it continues even if it has been your pet for long, there must be some problems on your pet. To know about this, we need to know what the causes of aggressive dog behavior are.

Below are the most common causes of aggressive dog behavior:

1. Defensiveness

Here is an example of this kind of aggression: When your pet dog does something bad, you will eventually get mad and scold him for it. After that, your dog will hide somewhere. The next time you try to get close to him, he will bite you.

This is because he feels threatened of you after scolding him. This is very normal because the dogs will not know what you meant by getting angry with them. All they would remember is how you hurt them. Anyone who is hurt will get mad and take revenge. To treat this kind of aggressiveness, you need to leave your dog alone for a while until his anger is gone. Anyway, he behaves badly that is why you scolded him. He needs to learn that it is not an appropriate action. Leaving him alone for a while will make him think about his behavior.

2. Territorial

This kind of aggression is one of the main reasons why we like to keep dogs at home. Territorial aggressiveness is when the dog guards the house. It will defend its territory against strangers. It can be the same with his food, his toys and even his owner. The dog is just being protective of what he has and cares about. But this can be dangerous when it starts biting and even your friends.

You can cure this by letting your dog socialize with other people. Try giving him a walk on mornings. That way, he will meet other people so that he will not chase strangers as they pass through your house or visit you. Tying the dog with his leash is also a good way to prevent him from attacking other people and animals.

3. Agonistic

This can be a cause of aggressive dog behavior when the dog is in pain. When the dog is hurt or feeling weak, it will become aggressive knowing that it is the only way he can protect himself from enemies. If you sense that your dog is sick or maybe feeling ill, you need to bring him to the vet.

4. Reproductive

Just like humans, dogs are also very protective of their young. If the female dog has just given birth to her puppies, she will be aggressive to whoever tries to get close with them. She may think that people will hurt her puppies. The only way to protect you from being hurt by the mother dog is to leave it alone for a while. Do not start cuddling her young until a few weeks after giving birth. Just give them food and water to drink but avoid playing with them.

Knowing these causes of aggressive dog behavior will help you determine them the next time so you can also protect yourself from being bitten