Aggression

“Aggression” refers to various behaviors that occur for various reasons. All wild animals are aggressive when guarding their territories, defending their offspring, and protecting themselves. Species that live in groups, including people and dogs, also use aggression and the threat of aggression to keep the peace and to negotiate social interactions.

To say that a dog is “aggressive” can mean a whole host of things. Aggression encompasses a range of behaviors that usually begin with warnings and can culminate in an attack. Dogs may abort their efforts at any point during an aggressive encounter. A dog that shows aggression to people usually exhibits some part of the following sequence of increasingly intense behaviors:

• Becoming very still and rigid
• Guttural bark that sounds threatening
• Lunging forward or charging at the person with no contact
• Mouthing, as though to move or control the person without applying significant pressure
• “Muzzle punch” (the dog punches the person with her nose)
• Growl
• Showing teeth
• Snarl (a combination of growling and showing teeth)
• Snap
• Quick nip that leaves no mark
• Quick bite that tears the skin
• Bite with enough pressure to cause a bruise
• Bite that causes puncture wounds
• Repeated bites in rapid succession
• Bite and shake

C-PTSD I/II

C-PTSD I/II affects 10% of all dogs in the US and worldwide; for the US, that is nearly 15 million dogs that are affected by this mental health condition and not properly diagnosed, which oftentimes will result in euthanasia. We can reduce or eliminate that fatal ending with the proper evaluation and consulting. It's essential to find out if this condition is what your dog is suffering from to improve their quality of life.

C-PTSD, which stands for canine Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a condition that can mimic many other behavioral or psychological issues and is often not diagnosed correctly until the release of the research from our center. What are the most common reasons for C-PTSD?

• Car Accidents
• Hit by Car
• Attacked by other Dogs
• Shot
• Stabbed
• Physically abused
• Caged (Abandoned)
• Puppy mill breeding
• Failure to recognize underlying anxiety issues
• Not treating their fear response to the stimuli

Anxiety

Just like humans, dogs experience anxiety. While unpleasant, it is a normal and also healthy emotion. Dog anxiety can affect all breeds but may affect each dog differently. Although it is something that all dogs experience from time to time if disproportionate levels of anxiety are left unchecked, a dog can develop an anxiety disorder. If left untreated, dog anxiety can lead to behavioral and other issues.

Symptoms

So, how can you tell if your dog has anxiety? There are several significant symptoms to look out for:

• Aggression
• Urinating or defecating in the house
• Drooling
• Panting
• Destructive behavior
• Depression
• Excessive barking
• Pacing
• Restlessness
• Repetitive or compulsive behaviors

Some of these symptoms may be the result of occasional anxiety-causing events, but any of these can become recurrent and therefore, result in more serious issues. This being said, by far the most dangerous symptom of dog anxiety is aggression. This aggression can be targeted directly or indirectly, depending on the situation. Direct aggression occurs when a dog acts aggressively toward people or other animals. Indirect aggression can be equally dangerous, and often happens when a person comes between the dog and the source of the dog's aggression, such as another dog. Even if a dog is prevented from harming others, aggressive behaviors such as growling or barking can lead to undesirable situations for humans and dogs, alike.

Urinating and defecating in the house is a common symptom of separation anxiety. Anxious dogs often work themselves up to the point that they pee or poop in the house, even if they are housebroken. This is frustrating for owners and can cause damage to property, not to mention the unpleasantness of the cleanup.

Destructive behavior is also common with separation anxiety. The damage is usually located around entry and exit points, like doorways and windows, but dogs in a state of heightened anxiety are also at risk of harming themselves. Attempts to break out of dog crates, windows, and even doors can result in painful injuries and expensive veterinary treatments.

Fear Based Behavior

Dogs that are frightened may display fight (aggression), flight (attempts to avoid or flee the situations), freeze (remain motionless), and fidget or fret (small nervous movements) responses when afraid. When attempting to prevent a threat (or a perceived threat), a dog may cower, look away, tuck its tail, and perhaps tremble or pant. At other times, the signs may be more subtle. A dog may only lower its head and look away when uncomfortable with a social encounter, even tolerating petting initially, only to growl and/or snap later. It is important to watch for signs of avoidance or uneasiness, such as backing up, hiding behind your legs, or lip licking. When the signs above are combined with raised hairs on the back (hackles), growling, snarling, snapping, or biting, this may be fear and/or anxiety-related aggression (see handout "Fears, Phobias, and Anxiety in Dogs").

Abnormal Behavior

Compulsive disorders may be:

• Repetitive
• Stereotypic
• Locomotory
• Grooming
• Ingesting
• Hallucinogenic

Behaviors that occur out of context to the time and situation in which they occur and appear in an excessive frequency or duration. Abnormal sexual behavior in dogs includes humping or thrusting at anything and everything, even if the dog has been spayed and neutered. It’s generally harmless and even funny sometimes, but if it starts to seem excessive or your dog exhibits aggression when you try to stop him, there might be an underlying problem.

Dog Reactive

You want to take a relaxing walk with your dog, but at the sight of another dog or a person, they start barking hysterically, forcing you to drag them away. This is a reactive dog who overreacts to everyday situations other dogs would take in stride. Reactive dogs are not necessarily aggressive, but reactivity can turn into aggression, so your attention to therapy becomes extremely important.

Reactive dogs become overly aroused by familiar stimuli. They may lunge, bark, and growl, becoming so preoccupied with whatever triggers the emotion that they can be challenging to control and move out of the situation. A reactive dog is usually a fearful dog. Causes can be genetic.

Aggressive dogs show similar signs but are determined to cause harm and destruction. Any reactive dog can be pushed into aggression, so a reactive dog needs to be taken seriously.