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November 26th, 2008 by Jason Roddick

A lot of people have already seen the symptoms of aggression amongst dogs like, bared teeth, growling and biting, yet most of the time people do not comprehend the reasons for aggressive behavior in dogs. Knowing the underlying reasons for this violent behavior is the first step to learning to apply them to your beloved pet. A well-bred dog is often a more cheerful dog, so understanding the origination of this violent behavior in dogs is essential to you as well as your dog.

Dominance Aggression

The need to establish supremacy is one of the reasons for a dog’s aggression. Dogs are pack animals with a strict hierarchy and it is their nature to seek dominance in a certain pack. Dogs normally assume that people are part of their pack so they take the alpha dog post.

Territorial Aggression

A dog’s territorial nature is also to be blamed for its aggression aside from dominance. Dogs are territorial so anything that they feel they own, they will protect. When dogs feel that someone is claiming anything that they own, or threatening any of their property or family, they will exhibit violent behavior. This kind of behavior although typical of dogs is still not acceptable to and compatible with human lifestyle.

Fright Aggression

Aggression due to fear is another defensive reaction from dogs who feel that they are in danger of being harmed. A frightened dog will fight and strike back because he wants to protect himself from the incoming threat or danger. Fear should not be neglected as this may be one of the probable causes of dog aggression that is usually mistaken for direct aggressiveness. It is usually characterized by growling, with the dog’s ears pulled back and its tail between its legs.

Predatory Nature

Most animals are predatory in nature including dogs. While other dogs are afraid, most dogs love to hunt, chase and prey on smaller dogs, animals and even kids.

Redirected Aggression

A behavior that most of us may not always understand is redirected aggression. This happens when a dog lashes out on other dogs or its owner instead of lashing out on the trespasser or attacker. A dog may redirect his aggression onto someone else because he is prevented from attacking the actual object or the cause of fear.

Medical Reasons for Aggression

Although aggression is usually something behavioral, there might be medical reasons behind it. Normally dogs can be trained to not be aggressive if it is something behavioral, but if it is because of a medical condition then it needs to be treated properly and professionally. Pregnant or nursing female dogs tend to be violent because of maternal protectiveness, and this violent behavior can be addressed by training them as early as when they are still puppies.

In most cases, the severity of aggressive behavior can be reduced but not completely eliminated. The first step to prevent dog aggression is to be aware of and to understand the reasons for these types of behavior so that it can be controlled and prevented in the future. There are training methods to treat and restrain different types of aggression. Knowing what triggers aggressive behavior can determine what training method is most effective.