Canine Aggression

1
Canine Aggression

• Molly Avery
• Amanda Hodgson

2
Dog Bites

• About 4.3 million people each year
• Cosmetic functional damage, psychological
  distress, fear of animals, and death
• Important! Majority are preventable

3
Aggression

• Threat of harmful behavior
• Growling, snapping, biting, lunging
• Normal species typical behavior
• Many factors
• genetics, early experience, maturation, sex,
  age, size, hormonal status, psychological state,
  external stimuli
• One problem!! Incompatible with human safety

4
Prevention
                             

• Careful pet selection
• Proper socialization
• Train
• Keep healthy
• Neuter
• Be alert

5
Types of Aggression

• Dominance-Related
• Predatory
• Possession
• Fear-induced
• Pain-Induced
• Territorial
• Protective
• Maternal
• Medical Disorder Associated

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Dominance Aggression

• Leading cause for treatment by behaviorist
• Aggression towards family members or household
  pets
• Often in guarding breeds
• Development depends on genes and owner
• Social maturity- 2yrs old
• Roots in social organization of wolves

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Social Hierarchy

• Pack
• Dynamic Hierarchy
• Complex communication system
• When stable aggression is minimized
• Dogs show dominance aggression when perceive
  instability in household hierarchy

 
8
Signs

• Dominant posture
• Erect body position, ears, and tail
• raised hackles
• Direct stare
• May react aggressively if
• Petted/hugged
• Stood over
• Disturbed while sleeping
• Punished
• Forced to do something

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Dealing with Dominance
 

• Avoid
• Petting on head
• Speaking loudly/angry tone
• Direct eye contact
• Take threats seriously
• Physical punishment is dangerous!!
• Head halter and basket muzzle
• Consider neutering

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Obedience Training
 

• Nothing in life is free
• Most respected should initiate obedience
• Sit, down, stay, and come
• Control attention given
• 6 - 8 wks to establish new hierarchy
• Always watch for returning signs

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Predatory Aggression

• Directed toward anything considered prey
• Level of prey drive
• Varies among breed groups and within breeds
• Sporting, herding, hound, terrier groups
• Natural survival-related behavior
• Searching, stalking, chasing, catching, biting,
  killing

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No Warning!

• Without mood change or threatening gestures
• Dangerous for target!
• Triggered by movement
• Unwavering focus on movement or vocalizations of
  children or pets

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Predatory Prognosis

• Hard wired and driven by natural forces
• Poor prognosis when
• Prey on people or pets
• Have high arousal level
• Have fixed focus
• Have difficulty distracting
• Avoid situations stimulating predation

 
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No Good Treatment
   

• Continuous outdoor supervision
• Leash walk, fence, outdoor runner, keep at back
  of house
• Reward-based obedience training
• Punishment based techniques
• Aversion and proper timing!

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Possession Aggression
   

• Food or object guarding
• Food, toys, chewables, stolen objects
• Growling or nipping when approached
• Trust issue
• Perception of being high on the pack order ladder

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Stop Right There!
   

• During puppyhood
• Presence while eating
• Approach bowl and drop additional food
• Older, possessive dog
• Feed kibble out of hand
• Empty bowl, drop in kibble
• Semi-filled bowl, drop in treats
• Full bowl, sit stay, release
• Call away, reward

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No! Its Mine!

• When young, touch mouth and brush teeth
• Only a few chew toys on floor
• Bring others down when you want to play
• Offer and retrieve with commands
• Give another better item in exchange
• Provider of all good things!!

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Fear-Induced Aggression

• Defensive
• Primarily a learned behavior
• More treatable
• The most common cause of bites to children

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Fear Aggression Posture

• Mixture of subservient and aggressive postures
• Ears back
• Head held low
• Tail tucked, short quick wags
• Showing teeth in nervous snarl
• Licking movements

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An Ounce of Prevention

• Prevention is key
• Lack of socialization and bad experiences during
  early period of development (3-16 weeks of age)
• Lasting impressions can occur at any time if
  incidence is traumatic
• Effects are usually lifelong.

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Counter-Conditioning

• Reverse response to previously conditioned
  stimulus
• Replace fear reaction with a sensation of
  pleasure, relaxation or reward

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Desensitization

• Slowly increase exposure to fearful stimulus
  while rewarding dog for quiet behavior
• Use treats or Jolly Routine
• May take weeks to months

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Pain-Induced Aggression

• Type of fear aggression
• Suspect if aggression has sudden onset and
  painful stimuli are present or perceived
• Defense reaction to eliminate perceived source of
  pain

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Territorial Aggression

• Natural to protect integrity of home territory
  against intruders
• Territory may include owners home, yard,
  surrounding neighborhood and car
• Owners often value guard dog behavior

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This Is My Turf

• May be motivated by perceived challenge to
  dominance or fear from perceived threat
• Prevention
• Do not allow dog to carry out neighborhood urine
  marking
• Provide enough space and separation in yard from
  external stimuli

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Get Control!

• Treatment
• Fear induced territorial aggression may be
  treated with desensitization and
  counter-conditioning
• Dominance related territorial aggression requires
  owners to assert their leadership and control

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Protective Aggression

• Protective behavior toward people or objects.
• Overdeveloped active defense reflexes and
  jealousy of owners attentions
• Owners may desire perceived protection from dog

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Behave Like an Angel

• Treatment
• Use learn-to-earn praise and petting program
• Counter-condition dog to react positively to
  situations using treats or Jolly Routine

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Maternal Aggression

• Type of protective aggression
• Progesterone induces maternal behavior including
  aggression
• Female protects pups or objects perceived to be
  surrogate pups
• Abates with decreased progesterone

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Medical Disorder Associated

• Sudden onset
• No environmental factors causing aggression
• Perform complete medical examination
• Test hormonal balance, neurophysiologic function,
  and allergies
• Disorders
• Rabies, hypothyroidism, psychomotor epilepsy,
  neoplasia

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Double-Edged Sword

• Owners ambivalence toward aggression
• Desire dog who quietly welcomes friends into
  home, but barks and aggressively prevents
  intruders from entering
• Desire dog to provide protection from aggressive
  people or animals, but also recognize the
  situations in which aggression is not desirable
• Expect too much of dogs mind
• Owner needs to guide behavior and make
  compromises between own needs dogs abilities

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References

• Campbell, W.E. Behavior Problems in Dogs. 1992.
  American Veterinary Publications, Inc. Goleta.
• Dodman, N.H. Dogs Behaving Badly. 1999. Bantam
  Books New York.
• Fogle, B. The Dogs Mind. 1990. Pelham Books
  London.
• Lindsay, S.R. Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior
  and Training. 2001. Iowa State University Press
  Ames.
• www.avma.org/press/dogbite/dogbitebroc.asp
• www.doglogic.com/possess.htm
• www.mypetsstuff.com/encyc.cfm?VIEWC-D
• www.northrandwickvet.com.au/ArticleDocuments/13DAG
  GDIAG.doc