Timid dogs “socialized” at the dog park are more likely to be bullied, and now we have possibly laid the foundation for fear aggression to develop. If the puppy’s mother or another dog is reactive towards other dogs and the puppy witnesses this behavior then the puppy in the early weeks of life can learn to be frightened of other dogs and how to be reactive because they had an early role model(s) for the behavior.Īnother way this behavior can develop is if the puppy has been attacked by an older dog. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) has stated “that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.” ( Socialization) Unfortunately there are still veterinarians today advising owners basically to quarantine their puppy until they completes their full set of vaccinations.Ī puppy can learn reactive behavior from its mother or other dogs in the home either at the breeders or at their new home. More veterinarians today are now recommending early socialization for puppies as long as appropriate precautions are taken. Socialization prior to 16-weeks presents a challenge since this is the period of time when the puppy is susceptible to disease. To better understand early socialization and puppy classes visit the socialization page. A proper socialization program is not as simple as giving a puppy the opportunity to play with other puppies or dogs. To understand how breeders or early puppy raisers can contribute to this behavior read “ How to buy a puppy”.Ī common way this behavior develops is a lack of proper dog socialization before 16-weeks of age during the critical primary socialization period. Behavior problems can often start at the breeders (or wherever the puppies are raised) from 5-8 weeks, or the groundwork for this behavior can get its start at “puppy class” before 16-weeks of age. There are numerous reasons this behavior develops. I consider “aggressive” as the intent to do harm and most fear based dogs have no such initial intent, but rather default to being reactive in order to accomplish what they need time and distance.Īggression - Intent to do harm outside the context of territorial or protection. Most fearful dogs that I have encountered I would classify as “reactive” and not “aggressive”. Acts of aggression (Intent to do harm) are for the purpose of gaining control of territory, resources, protection of others, protection of position, or protection of self. With aggression displays (Reactive) it is often for the purpose of increasing the distance between them and the target, but it can simply be due to excitement or frustration (over-arousal). A realistic and reasonable primary goal is to prevent dogs from feeling the need to react to other dogs and at a minimum ignore or tolerate appropriate respectful dogs. I think a more reasoned position would be how do we keep a dog from reacting to dogs who are acting appropriately and respectfully, and not rude. Often people say they would like their dog to be friendly toward dogs they meet and or they would like them to learn to play with other dogs without it getting out of control or turning into aggression. If a dog has a serious bite history, or escalating bite history increasing in damage consult with a professional for an assessment. Another important consideration is a dog’s bite history. Although dogs may come to enjoy or at least accept dogs, we must always keep in mind this is not likely to apply to every dog they meet. For some dogs the behavior can be greatly improved but they will always need to be supervised and managed in every situation. Most dogs can learn to be in the presence of other dogs without acting out. Context is important when working through these issues and it can require the help of a knowledgeable individual to determine the reasons for a dog’s reactions. There is a much greater chance of improving our dogs behavior when it is predictable. Dogs can act this way out of excitement, frustration, fear, pain, and sometimes out of aggression. They will whine, bark, lunge, etc… even when the dog is at a great distance. Many dogs are out of control when they see another dog. This can be a very challenging and time consuming behavior to work through to gain control and to get your dog exercising self-control at least in your presence. One common behavior that frustrates dog owners is reactivity and/or aggression toward other dogs.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |