Aggression and Reactivity

Aggression is different from reactivity. Dogs that are reactive overreact to certain stimuli or situations and fear or frustration is often the underlying emotion. Your dog may exhibit aggressive barking, growling, lunging however the behavior is not the same as the personality trait of aggressive. Teaching a dog a new response to whatever stimuli is causing the overreaction is the goal for reactive dogs. We do this by teaching a dog to turn, move away, or look away from the stimuli BEFORE the problematic behavior begins. Reactivity that consistently persists can turn into aggression where your dog snaps or bites because they feel threatened and they have to escalate their response to remove the threat.

Dogs communicate discomfort with a situation or a stimuli by using visual cues and body language. Recognize the first few signs so that you can remove your dog or the stimuli from the situation before it escalates:

• Blinking

• Yawning

• Licking nose

• Turns head away

• Turns body away

• Sits

• Paws

• Walks away

• Creeps

• Ears back

• Stands crouched

• Tucks tail under

• Lies down

• Paw up

• Stiffens and stares

• Growls

• Snaps

• Bites

It is highly encouraged to work with a Certified Dog Trainer or Behavior Modification Consultant when working through either of these behaviors given the complexity of timing, emotional regulation and safety risk.