why your dog may be showing aggressive tendencies

​As cute, cuddly, friendly and affectionate as they are, some dogs can be dangerous if not trained properly. Generally, a dog should be relaxed, good natured, inquisitive, and affectionate. Occasionally, however, a dog may show aggressive behaviour, either towards other dogs, creatures, people, or even their owners. This is not ok, and will need rectifying as soon as possible.
 
Dogs, even smaller dogs, can be quite dangerous when they bite and become aggressive, and in extreme cases, the results could be catastrophic. Like most things in life, the solution lies in identifying the warning signs early, and acting accordingly.
 
Here’s a look at a few possibly reasons why your dog may be showing aggressive behavior, and what you can do to make things right.
 
Injury or illness
 
Nobody knows your dog better than you, and if your dog is suddenly showing signs of aggressive behavior such as growling, showing their teeth, and even biting or snapping, it could be caused by illness or injury. In dogs, pain is a very common cause of aggression, so if your dog is being aggressive, especially when they’re trying to move and be physically active, it could be that he or she is suffering from an injury. Illness could be another culprit which is why you should take your four-legged friend to the vets if they’re behaving out of character.
 
Fear
 
Dogs, and indeed any other animal for that matter, will become aggressive if they are in fear, especially if trapped for example. If your dog is behaving aggressively towards you, other people, or other creatures, it could be that he or she is afraid. Dogs can become scared of all kinds of different things, but if he or she is being aggressive, try to identify what it is that is causing it.
 
If you notice that loud noises are causing the aggression, it could be that they’re afraid of loud noises, in which case you can look into additional training to help them to better cope with their fears.
 
Possessiveness
 
Possessiveness is another common cause of aggression in dogs, and this is something that really needs rectifying as quickly as possible. Some dogs will become possessive of their owners, their food, or other items. When this occurs, dogs may become aggressive towards other people or creatures that come close to the items or people causing the dog to become possessive, and the dog may even attack. A very common example of possessiveness in dogs is for them to become aggressive towards strangers coming into your home, as this is also the dog’s home and therefore his or her territory.
 
To display dominance
 
Finally, dominance is another common cause of aggression in dogs. Sometimes dogs will become aggressive in a bid to appear dominant, usually towards other dogs but sometimes towards other people too. Dominance is a behavior, rather than a personality trait which indicates that dogs that try to appear aggressive are doing so to prove a point and to prove that they run the show.
 
The good news is that if your dog is showing aggressive behavior, our team at Wonder Dogs OC is here to help!  Just give us a call and we will set you up with an initial consultation with one of our experienced trainers. We will diagnose the cause of the aggression and formulate a training to rectify it in no time.