Does your dog have an aggression problem? Are you embarassed about it? Have you lost your sleep over it? What are you doing to address the problem?

Dogs are hunters. Make no mistake about it. The original dog that separated itself as a species from the wolf, some several thousand years back, retained most of its characteristics. A prominent one was the hunting in packs gig. The trait still exists in all breeds known to man.

Really? My dog isn’t aggressive at all! You mean he has evolved that much?

I bet you would say that. What breed of dog do you own? If you are a seasoned dog owner, you probably already know that the present day breeds have all been tailored by humans to meet certain needs.

So there are the retrievers (Golden, Labrador, etc) that were bred to retrieve catches for hunters and fishermen. The hounds (sight hounds, scent hounds, bear hounds, etc) that were bred specifically to seek out preys. There are working breeds like the collies, the GSDs, the Huskies and the Malamutes that were bred to aid people in their daily chores. The list can go on and on, but the point I am trying to make is that this selective breeding, and the close co-habitation with humans have played a big role in pushing the dogs’ aggressiveness behind the curtains.

When you have a dog living in your home, with your family, he naturally comes to regard you as his pack. Your house is the pack’s territory, and the person who holds the authority over the dog, is the alpha-dog. Your dog will gradually pick up behavioral traits from observing and following the activities that his pack engages in. In a dog’s world, that is what a good dog does—blend in.

It is possible that the aggressive traits in your dog may never see the light of day at all, and you can take a part of the credit for that. A lot depends on how you treat your dog (treating well does not mean you pamper your pet), how he is disciplined and what traits he picks up from his pack.

So what makes a dog aggressive?

I will begin with an example. A couple of weeks back, Meg at CastoCreations posted a video of her dog, Trooper. Trooper was showing signs of aggression towards Meg’s other dogs over a bowl of food. In this case, the tussle was more about authority than about who would eat first.

From what I know about Meg, her dogs are very well cared for. So Trooper obviously wasn’t starving. My educated guess would be that Trooper was declaring his authority over the other dogs in the pack.

Yes, dogs have ranks too. The most dominant among them is the alpha dog. At Meg’s place, it is Meg (could be her hubby too, but I think it is Meg). There are other ranks that follow. Although Trooper is smart enough to not challenge the superior pack members for a rank, he finds it absolutely okay to challenge the other dogs for a mid-level position in the pack.

There are other things that may lead to aggressive tendencies among dogs as well. If you own a guard dog, he naturally will not allow strangers into what it considers the pack’s territory. You will almost always find that the dog is the first to encounter all visitors to your house. How he handles these encounters is totally dependent on his training.

Aggression can also come from boredom. A dog is an active animal. If you do not give him enough to chew upon , he will take his frustration out by destroying furniture, or by shouting at passers-by and other dogs. By the same token, if you leave your dog alone for long stretches of time, be prepared for behavioral issues that may include aggression.

Lastly, there is this thing called instinct. If your dog is a hunting breed, feels that he has the authority to undermine you, if he has other subordinate dogs to give him company, and if he has anything that acts like a prey in their presence, there is a 80% chance that they will chase, and hunt.

How can I keep my dog well behaved?

Here are a few things you can do. Most of them work for most dogs. I am sure many of you have your own techniques as well, and our readers would love to know them.

  • Keep your dog company. They are social animals and your company makes them feel fulfilled.
  • Engage your dog in constructive activities. This may include long walks, runs, agility training, etc.
  • Train your dog to behave under stressful circumstances. If you are not sure how to do that, appoint a professional and reputed (I cannot stress this point enough) trainer.
  • Socialize your dogs, with different kinds of dogs and people.
  • Make it clear that you are the boss. You don’t need to scare or beat the dog to do it. A firm tone, followed by a reprimand or two would do it for most dogs. Remember, what they want the most is your approval.
  • Discourage your dogs from chasing cycles, cats, and people who are running. Tug gently at his leash and say a firm “no” to make it clear that you do not approve. Do not shout, as the dog will think you are encouraging him. Also remember, there is no point is scolding a dog after an act has been carried out. The dog will not be able to remember that he has chewed your shoe if you scold him two hours after the shoes became pulp.
  • Train your dog to obey specific commands. A “stay”, a “sit”, or a “heel” can save lives on occasions.
  • Treat your dog like family. You will get the same love back.

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