Dog on Dog Aggression

The domestic dog lives his mundane life laying about while waiting for his human to provide food and nurture. But, seething below the surface is a predator at heart. We must not forget that this beast is descendant of the great ancient wolf after all.

What's a Nice Dog Like You Doin' in a Fight Like This?

So deeply mapped into his being is his wolf ancestry and with it comes his predatory nature. This instinct reminds him each day that if he gets injured, he cannot hunt. If he cannot hunt he does not eat. If he does not eat, he will die. Stepping through his days this truth drives him forward while loudly reminding him that the fewer injuries he encounters during dog on dog aggression, the more likely he is to stay healthy and injury free, thus able to hunt. When left up to the dogs, very rarely does the most horrific-looking dog fight result in anything more than a few scrapes and scratches. We humans then ask ourselves, why do dogs cause fights at all?

"On Guard Fido!"

The truth of the matter remains as it has since we first began to domesticate dogs; dogs don't start fights, humans do. The moment one or the other dog shows the slightest bit of aggression, we raise our voices and begin to shout. This screeching, startles the dogs, making them display the incorrect posture which takes the encounter to the next level. This next level generally looks something like front feet sparring and teeth fencing (lips curled up and back, mouth open, muzzle to muzzle - teeth to teeth contact). When fencing begins, people often totally freak out, escalating their vocal tones, while grabbing at one or the other canine. Again, our involvement in the 'fencing' accelerates the aggression causing to rise again to the next and more serious level. Once we discover our actions are not working, we tend to resort to inflicting pain by hitting, yanking on the leash, and/or kicking at the dogs. This is the level where injuries may begin to appear for the dogs, however it is more likely that people get the worst of it.

People Get Hurt More Than Dogs In A Dog Fight

Most of the clients I have helped with the so-called dog to dog aggression scenario, have been hurt when they try to break up a fight. This is because when a dog fight is viewed through our fragile human eyes, it appears to be a fight-to-the-death for sure! I always ask my clients/friends what damage was done to their dog? The response is almost always that their dog was hardly injured, if at all. When I inquire about the injuries of the opposing dog, more often than not they report no injuries to that dog what so ever. Because we have a higher probability of grabbing our own dog (it is just human nature to control what is ours) he is likely to get hurt due to the fact that by grabbing him we put his body into a vulnerable posturing, and thus it is our actions that are truly getting our dog hurt during the fight.

Your Dog Doesn't Want to Throw-Down!

The best thing we can do should an aggressive dog to dog situation happen, is to turn our back and walk away(you must understand getting elderly Mrs. Merrill who sees her little Dachshund flipped upside down under your full grown Rottweiler "Rex" to walk away is going to be a supremely difficult task). Also realize that Mrs. Merrillis not going to believe that whacking your Rottie on the head with her garden rake is the only reason Rex is going to clamp his jaws around her Wiener dogs neck and shake it to bits. My experience absolutely tells me that very rarely do dogs get seriously injured, however more often then not, we the people do.

Humans Increase Aggression in Dog Behavior

The cycle of behavior humans bring when dealing with dog on dog aggression is understandable; but it will increase the probability of the aggressive behavior escalating. We condemn our dog to leash exercise only. This is very emotionally scarring to the dog, depleting the mental stimulation he needs.

On Leash Dog Fights

Every canine requires the freedom of off lead exercise time. We also become more 'on guard' during these leash walks, tightening the leash which decreases the dog's interactive vital distance—the speed and distance a dog needs to assess an approaching unknown dogs' mood and intentions. The tightening of the leash causes your dogs front end to lift into a dominant posture, making the approaching dog believe he is being threatened or at least challenged. To add insult to injury, if you are walking your dog over a location that the other dog thinks is his land or territory and your dog appears to be displaying a dominant attitude (raised front end due to leash tension), you can bet your last dollar that trouble is most certainly brewing!

If your K9 could speak English, he would most likely say,

"Dude, I need to drop my head, so relax the leash. I am totally trespassing on this approaching dogs diggs and I know it. I don't want to throw down, but you're kinda forcing me to."

If we could be more confident in our dogs' social know-how, our experiences with our four-legged partners would probably go far more smoothly. As people force canines into situations that make them reassess the wolf instinct, we can, all but be certain, that aggression is apt to come into play. By expanding our knowledge of our favorite domestic being, our dog companions, and learning how to comprehend his naturally proud, yet kind and non-confrontational instincts, we may just find this descendant of the great wolfs' genetic mapping, to be a guide to a more cohesive human existence as well.

It is good to note that in every species their are those who stray from the general populations' known and proper behavior. Any predator can be forced into an aggressive mind-set, and as such we need to always use logic and awareness when in the presence of all predators.

Certain dog breeds have been labeled as more likely to become 'dangerous' than others, which may miss-lead us towards a false sense of safety when around the determined 'safe' breeds.

Never underestimate or overestimate the personality of any dog, regardless of the breed. Just as you would thoroughly assess a human being that is not known to you on his/her own merits, so should you with all dogs. Safety with any predator must remain the rule.

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Keeping your dog well exercised and well fed will help keep him calm and amiable. Chewing is a natural way dogs release a certain measure of stress and anxiety. If you would prefer that your canine not chew on your furniture, remote controls, shoes or other forbidden items, consider bringing rawhide to the show. It is very important that dogs be supervised while chewing on rawhide, and when it gets soft and pliable it should be switched out with a new dry piece, while the soft piece dries again and returns to a hardened state. If your dog is chewing on a soft hunk of rawhide, he may swallow chunks which can (rarely) cause blockages or choking, for this reason I re-state, trade soft rawhide for the hard stuff when it goes too soft.

I prefer to give rawhide products over any other (when chicken jerky is not available). Inspectors set-feet in manufacturing buildings to monitor the quality and safety of every rawhide item offered on the market. This also translates to the best products being made in the United States, in most cases. Some of the items are made in South America or Canada, but be reassured the process has been subjected to much scrutiny by animal food and safety organizations . They are particular about the way the hides are treated as well as how they are shaped. Always placing safety and humanity first!