Aggression and Dominance in Dogs

Aggression and Dominance in Dogs

Introduction

Aggression is a common problem faced by many dog owners. It is commonly misunderstood to be based in dominance. In actuality, there are various reasons that dogs can react aggressively. Most commonly these acts are based in fear or anxiety. This handout will attempt to help you differentiate whether your dog’s aggression is based in dominance or another stimulus, like fear or possession. However, it is not meant to replace visits and discussions with your veterinarian.

Common types of aggression

Fear aggression:
Many commonplace human behaviors are threatening gestures to dogs, but their reactions are often times very subtle and easily missed by most people. Anything that can cause your dog to feel distressed or uneasy can illicit an aggressive reaction. Such things include: sustained eye contact, pressure over the top of the head, lifting the dog, bending over the top of a dog, certain force-based training techniques, or trying to take something of high value away from the dog.

Territorial aggression:
Dogs can react aggressively when a person comes into an area that it regards as its home. There is often a basis of anxiety in dogs that have territorial aggression.

Possessive aggression:
When aggression is directed toward a person that the dog views approaching something of high value (food, toys, family members).

Redirected aggression:
When the dog is frustrated by the inability to reach an object or person that elicits its aggression and instead acts aggressively toward a person that is within reach.

Dominance aggression:
True dominance aggression is very rare. Most often aggressive acts are based out of another type of motivation. Usually what is assumed to be dominance aggression is actually based out of fear or anxiety.

What is your dog’s motivation for its aggression?
It is important to watch the body posture of your dog during a time of aggression to determine the underlying emotional state of the dog causing the aggression. Here are some examples of what to look for:

• Fearful or submissive postures
• Confident postures
• Avoiding eye contact
• Lowered head and tail
• Tense body posture
• Ears to the side, back or down
• Horizontal lip retraction
• Licking lips
• Yawning
• Crouched body posture
• Moving slowly or freezing
• Submissive urination
• Sustained eye contact
• Ears erect and forward
• Vertical lip retraction
• Forward-leaning body posture

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