No one wants to come face-to-face with a snarling, snapping, biting dog! What causes a dog to behave aggressively toward people, and how can we prevent it?
Contrary to common perception, aggression and bites seldom occur “out of the blue.” Usually, when dogs behave aggressively toward people, it is the result of a combination of factors. The most common causes of dog-to-human aggression are the dog’s fear, stress, anxiety, and pain.
What does dog-to-human aggression look like?
Dogs show aggression through a collection of body language signals (for example, your dog’s ears may be erect and facing forward or pinned back, eyes may be wide, body muscles may be stiff, and he may be showing teeth) and actions (such as snarling, growling, barking, or biting). These signals and actions are how dogs communicate conflict or frustration.
A scared or uncomfortable dog generally tries to communicate with a mild, subtle display. Even something like air snapping is deliberate– it purposely avoids contact while delivering a warning that the aggression could escalate if the dog continues to be provoked. The majority of dogs will not escalate to serious biting if their mild warning signals serve the purpose.
Kids should not be allowed to chase, tease, grab, or hug dogs, because that’s when dogs feel uncomfortable and bites are most likely.
What should you do first, if a dog is trying to bite you or your child?
If your dog is growling or showing teeth, give him space. Physical barriers, such as baby gates, playpens, or closed doors, are easy ways to create space between you and him. Once everyone is safe, take a deep breath. Then calmly assess the situation.
Are there any injuries? If so, contact your local emergency services. If you have guests over, ask them to disengage by avoiding eye contact with the dog, and sitting in a different area of the house.
Remember to always supervise when children and dogs are together. Dogs should have their own space or area where they can escape to and avoid energetic kids.
A qualified trainer can help you identify what triggers your dog, and tailor a plan to the individual dog and family situation. They will help you assess the incident and clarify what happened before, during, and after the aggressive behavior.
What if a strange dog behaves aggressively?
Safety is always of utmost importance.
If an unfamiliar dog is behaving aggressively, decide whether you can get behind a barrier quickly and safely. That is the first choice. Otherwise, stop all body movements and eye contact the dog might perceive as threatening. Stand still, arms at side, and turn to the side so you avoid provoking the dog further.
If the dog continues to exhibit aggressive behavior, get immediate help – have someone distract the dog, call the dog away, or bring a slip lead to put around the dog carefully.
Remember that a lot of children’s play, like shouting, screaming, running, and chasing, is scary to dogs, and dogs will react by giving warning signals like growling and air snapping. Anytime a dog does give these warnings, immediately move your child away from the dog.
These warning signals look scary, but they are a very important way that dogs communicate their discomfort without escalating to harmful behaviors. The more we respond to these early signs, and the more we teach our children to do the same, the safer they are.
Some dogs chase fast movement, so move yourselves to safety without them seeing you running, if possible. A physical barrier, such as a fence, car, tree, wall, or gate can provide a visual break that can help deescalate the conflict.
Assess the situation - what happened before, during, and after the aggressive behavior? Are there any injuries? If so, contact your local emergency services.
Remember! Aggressive behavior is communication.
It is easy for humans and dogs to miscommunicate because we are different species and talk very different languages. When dogs behave aggressively, they are communicating through body language.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year in the US there are approximately 4.5 million dog bites and nearly 20% of them require medical care. That’s a huge number, especially considering that, in most cases, bites to humans are preventable.
Over 75% of dog bites are from familiar dogs, so it’s important for us to become aware of dog body language and how to interpret that language.
If you notice an increase in your dog’s aggressive body language or behaviors, see the veterinarian for a full physical. Aggressive behavior can be a symptom of, and exacerbated by, poor health or pain somewhere in your dog’s body.
Five common reasons why dogs bite or behave aggressively toward people:
1) Pain and medical problems
Research shows that anywhere from 30% to 80% of behavioral problems, including aggression, are the symptom of an underlying medical problem. Often, once the pain or medical problem is cleared up, so is the aggression. The first step in addressing aggression is consulting a veterinarian for a thorough medical work up. Sometimes the culprit is as simple as a thyroid imbalance, hidden infection, or osteoarthritis.
2) Miscommunication
If we misinterpret or completely miss what dogs are trying to tell us with their body language and behavior, they may feel the only choice left is to “shout” at us by biting. Subtle warning signs and canine communications can be easy to miss if we don’t know what to look for.
Well-known warning behaviors are growling, lunging, and barking. Lesser-known signs of discomfort and appeasement behaviors can be subtle to the human eye, such as twitches in the muzzle or eye contact avoidance. A dog may communicate with any combination of these, and when humans are unaware of, or ignore, dogs’ communication, the dog will often try to communicate louder, or with more intensity and escalation.
3) Fear, trauma, and learning
Sometimes a dog snaps or bites simply because it got startled and became scared. Perhaps someone stepped on his tail while he was sleeping or resting, and he reacted to protect himself.
Your dog may have been scared by something that you did not even notice. Dogs can become highly sensitive due to past trauma or negative experiences, including certain noises or fast movements. They may connect one scary experience to other similar situations or to other people.
Early life is an important time for a dog’s learning and socialization, so if your dog did not have good early experiences with people, or never met new people at all, he may have developed a fear of strangers. This in turn can cause him to overreact and behave aggressively in common situations.
Traumatic experiences of any kind make a dog feel it must protect itself. Abuse, neglect, or insufficient socialization all contribute to the dog feeling unsafe around people and as a result, increase dog aggression and biting.
4) Aversive training methods
Physical punishment and aversive-based dog training methods, such as electronic “e-collars” that deliver a shock, contribute to aggression problems for a few reasons.
When punishments are used to suppress behaviors, such as to stop barking, they simply teach a dog that it is unsafe to express itself politely (in dog terms) and communicate its needs. Deprived of more diplomatic options, dogs learn they have to go “all in” to make their point. Then new incidents of aggression seem to come out of the blue, because the dog has learned to stop giving warnings.
Even if physical punishment doesn’t appear to be administered by a human, any frightening experience or injury makes the animal more fearful. Because harsh methods work by causing pain, they often traumatize the dog and make the animal more reactive and aggressive. Aversive equipment, such as electronic “shock” collars and prong collars, can be so damaging that veterinarians have documented serious flesh wounds and even brain damage from their use.
What’s more, harsh training techniques can destroy trust and interfere with the beneficial human-animal bond that can help prevent aggression.
5) Genetics, temperament, and health
Just as some dogs are born with a genetic predisposition to hip dysplasia or heart irregularities, some dogs are born with a predisposition for aggressive tendencies, and despite good-quality socialization and training, can still be dangerous. Examples of this include neurological diseases that can cause emotional instability, seizures that can cause confusion and disorientation, and Rage Syndrome.
More common than these conditions, however, are chronic and acute pain that leads to aggressive responses. Dogs cannot understand that painful sensations can result from past activities, like an arthritic dog’s really long romp in the yard. They instead connect what they are feeling - pain - to what’s happening right now, like being touched, being startled by a loud noise, or being jostled while resting, for example. Treating and preventing ongoing pain is an essential part of changing aggressive behaviors.
Need more help?
For the vast majority of dogs who show aggressive behavior - even dogs who drew the short end of the stick in terms of socialization, genetics, or traumatic history - help is available!
Every dog’s reason for showing aggression is very individualized, so best results are possible with an individualized plan. Contact a professional positive dog trainer who can get you started immediately. They can help you manage the dog’s environment and adjust handling practices to reduce bites and other injuries.
