How to Recognize Aggressive Dogs

August 21st, 2009 at 6:34pm

During my routine early walk in the morning with my dog, we came across a dog running loose. Normally, that in itself is no reason for alarm. But,because I already was pretty experienced in recognizing aggressive behavior in dogs, I could easily tell something about this dog’s approach was wrong. As he got closer I could tell at a glance that he meant trouble. I could see this dog wasn’t showing any friendly body language as he made a bee-line straight toward us. Although he wasn’t yet barking and growling, even before this dog got close to us, it was easy to tell by his aggressive body language that his intentions were not friendly ones. I was able to change my path and thus avoid having a problem with the aggressive dog because I could read the other dog’s aggressive body language.

The body language of an aggressive dog is very different from more mellow body languages they employ, and it is a very good idea for you to be able to spot aggression in dogs so you can avoid a potential dog fight from occurring. When two dogs meet each other, they sort out between each other who is the dominant one. If one of the two dogs remains submissive when they meet, there should be no reason that a dog fight will occur.

Here are some ways to learn how to recognize aggressive body language in dogs so you can hopefully avoid encounters that could lead to a dog fight. If you can detect the signs of an aggressive dog, you can take action to avoid a bad encounter from taking place. You can avoid the potential dog fight by just walking away from the vicinity of the aggressive dog, or by calming and taking control of your own dog if he is the aggressive one.

Everyone has seen aggressive dog body language many times already. If is common to see the more dominant of the two dogs putting his head above the other dogs, and maybe jumping up to place his paws and forearms over the second dog’s shoulder area. When you see one male mount another it is for displaying dominance, not for a good time. These dominance displays can cause some problems if one of the dogs does not feel like being submissive .

Once the dominance display turns into active growling and the snapping of teeth, it is only a short jump to an actual dog fight. You need to avoid ever letting an aggressive dog have a chance to get close enough to you to start a fight.

An aggressive dog is noticeable by the tense way he is moving and having his eyes directed on the focus of his aggression-your dog. His tail will be up but not wagging and his ears will be back. It is clear to see he is not in a friendly mood.

Of the various types of aggressive body language dogs use, one of the easiest to see is when a dog puts its hackles (the hair on his back) up. During my morning walk, I could tell the approaching dog was clearly aggressive, as his hackles were already up before he even reached us.

I am sure you have seen all of these displays of aggression many times, even if you didn’t always know what they meant. You can now spot aggressive behavior and you are also aware of the danger that this aggression can lead to, so be pro-active in keeping your dog from getting into a fight.

With my own aggressive dogs, until I finally got serious and trained them better, I could never take them out in public without a leash on them for fear of one of my dogs starting a fight. If you have an aggressive dog, it is your responsibility always have control of your pet when he is out in public.

The good news is that once you can easily recognize and pay attention to aggressive body language a dog is displaying, you will be able to avoid potential problems. If there is another dog in the area that is acting aggressively, because you recognize the aggressive dog’s body language in advance you can prevent your own dog from coming in to close contact with that uptight dog. You can alter the direction of your walk, and avoid letting your own dog get involved with the other dog’s bad energy. If the problem with aggression lies with your dog, then it is time to get busy and really train him well. If your dog is well trained and accepts that you are the boss, it is much easier to control your dog’s aggression.

If you want to learn to train your dog at home, I recommend strongly that you check out my review of the very best dog training program. Using these tips and positive reinforcement techniques, training my own dogs is much easier and effective than it used to be.

For more free helpful advice for dog obedience training and solving your dog’s behavior problems, please click here to visit www.BehaveDoggy.com.