The dog has become aggressive: why and what to do?

By nature, dogs are quite calm and peaceful animals. Service and fighting dogs, hunting and watchdogs, of course, have aggression in their character, but it appears only in situations that require it. At other times, they are friendly and will not cause harm without any reason. But sometimes a pet seems to lose control.

Aggression, which at first glance has no reason, can hide emotional or physical trauma, irritation or loss of understanding.

Varieties of aggression

A dog can have only two varieties of aggression, which include congenital and acquired. The first is inherited, so it is difficult to suppress it. Usually, this happens with service dogs, and if the owner has a desire, then the behavior of the pet can be adjusted. To do this, you need to take a training course, the nature of the animal undergoes changes, and after a while the pet just becomes unrecognizable. But learning is a difficult and lengthy process.

Aggression of the acquired type can appear in a dog as a consequence of a certain reason. Along with people, dogs can feel fear, pain, emotional or physical. These, as well as a number of other reasons, can turn into manifestations of aggression, which can become sudden, uncontrolled, as if it came from nowhere.

Sometimes an animal can exhibit unprecedented aggression when it only enters puberty. In such situations, the dog’s mood can change dramatically, it either becomes unusually vicious, or vice versa - timid and shy, sometimes it is closed in itself, and sometimes extremely sociable. Various attempts at manifesting dominant behavior can be combined with jealous behavior, when a pet can harbor resentment or real malice at the fact that its owner draws his own attention to other household members (including children) and even other pets.

Sometimes you can even find food aggression. No matter how unusual it may sound, it is precisely protecting its own right to food and the food itself that the dog can even injure other people. Many owners cannot resolve this problem on their own.

"Symptoms" of food-type aggression:

1. The dog is nervous waiting for a bowl of food.
2. The dog can be angry when taking food - it does not allow you to approach it and touch the bowl.
3. The animal is angry towards those who just walk past.

Food aggression can affect absolutely every member of the family who lives with the animal in the same room.

Aggression factors

Congenital aggression completely and entirely depends only on heredity, so the only thing that can be done is to properly raise a pet. But there are other reasons that are random, temporary:

1. Fear. If your pet is frightened, then aggression in order to protect him will become a natural reaction to fear, which is quite normal and is not a deviation.
2. Disease. In some situations, animals may show anger to protect themselves from humans if they experience pain. Not every dog ​​will be able to show patience and expect help, many are afraid of this. And with a feeling of pain, the dog can bark loudly, growl, or even bite the hand that caused the pain.
3. A sense of competition. A dog can compete for the most convenient place or territory, if pets still live in the house.They are only engaged in the division of the area, and therefore demonstrate aggression.
4. Aggression of the mother. She is always against man. If the dog carried and gave birth to puppies, then sometimes they should not be approached, as this is excessively dangerous. There are breeds that even purposely hide puppies from humans for some time.
5. Lack of comfort. In such cases, sometimes the pet may lose control. Lack of banal standards for living, poor food, lack of one's own place, dampness or being in the cold turn into harm for dogs.

What could it turn into?

Aggressive behavior of the animal is unlikely to go unnoticed at home. An angry dog ​​can seriously scare even the person who truly and always loved the dog. Therefore, it is important to be aware not only of the reasons that led to such manifestations of aggression, but also of what it may eventually turn into.

The most important thing in such cases is how a person behaves, towards whom anger is directed. If the one who caused the aggression in the animal runs away and hides from her eyes, then at the next encounters the anger can only increase. A similar reaction of the animal can be explained by ordinary instincts that were laid in him by nature. Her inadequate behavior frightened someone, and, therefore, the dog will begin with intense zeal to try to protect himself and his home. The same will happen if, on the contrary, the dog is taken away from the subject of its aggressive behavior.

If the object of aggression does not disappear from the dog’s field of view, but begins to approach it, the dog will become more frightened and begin active actions aimed at protecting it: it will not only bark and bite its teeth, but may also attack.

It is also very important how the owner of the dog behaves. The dog always tries to take into account the opinion of its owner, and if he is indifferent to the fact that his pet is dissatisfied, then he may begin to experience even greater fear, fearing at the same time for the person. Again, when the owner of the dog tries to forcibly calm his pet, then this also becomes a temporary measure. This can frighten the dog even more, and the dog may lose control.

How to provide first aid to an animal

In cases with those pets that can only occasionally show manifestations of aggression, it is important to stay attentive and cautious first. It is important not to allow the situation to get out of control, but only to prevent it. If there is a chance that your pet will begin to get nervous, worry, then you can take him for a short walk, choose a different path or not allow the animal to see certain people. In other words, it is important to try to predict the possible development of events and look ahead.

An animal that can manifest aggression at any time should be kept under special control. To do this, you will need to use:

• Dog's lead.
• Team
• Muzzle.

Sometimes breeders use a cage in this case. But, if the animal does not know how to dwell in it or is not used to such conditions, then this can turn for it into an additional source of experience and stress. Therefore, this option can only be used for some dog breeds, which from puppyhood know what an aviary is.

Thus, we can come to the conclusion that the only way to help a pet with its aggression is to avoid situations where it can act in an undesirable way by it and the owner. The owner will need to use a leash, take the animal to the side, try to draw her attention to something neutral, pleasant for the dog. A similar method is used for walking. At home, you can try to isolate your pet from the object of aggression.

Ways to combat manifestations of aggression

If the animal has already been noticed or suddenly began to show aggression, then you will first need to contact a veterinarian or dog handler. This will help determine the factors contributing to this behavior and choose therapy.

1. Socialization. The owners do not just try to take their pets for a walk in public parks even when they are puppies, introduce them to other animals or people. This gives the puppy the opportunity to socialize, to see how multifaceted a large world can be. If the dog grew up in a cage, then other animals and other creatures can cause fear in him, turning into aggression.
2. Training. In situations where the dog has become aggressive, and to avoid past mistakes did not work, you can slowly train him to communicate with other creatures. This happens due to acquaintance with new things, smells, communication through a net or wall, getting used to the game process and other people's voices, etc. Sometimes the owner does not manage to solve this problem independently, and then an experienced and professional dog handler can come to the rescue.
3. Medical therapy may be required to relieve pain in the animal. Aggressive behavior that occurs amid a feeling of pain is a common cause. Not every dog ​​can endure pain just by looking at the owner with sad eyes, some try to provide themselves protection from the enemy, which they do not see.
4. The division of the area, which relates to the needs of animals, makes it possible to prevent various collisions and aggressive manifestations between pets.
5. Attention to your own pet, taking care of it, allows the owner to improve the quality of the dog’s stay, change his emotional state for the better, save him from fear and fear. A similar method can help if the animal is scared, devoid of communication, care, attention and love.

Video: how to re-educate an aggressive and uncontrollable dog