Sunday, 4 December 2011

Is Your Dog Aggressive


In appropriate aggression in dogs is the most serious behaviour problem that pet owners must deal with. Aggression while infrequently a result of a medical problem, is usually caused by human mismanagement. It is largely preventable if the owner understandscanine growth periods and the factors that influence the development of aggressive behaviour.
To understand why dogs become aggressive we have to know that aggression is imprinted in the genes that they inherited from wolves.To chase and kill was their survival plan when dogs were part of a pack. Tomaintain their position in the pack, defend their territory and to date their mate they had to be aggressive.Once adopted by humans, they were bred specifically to either increase or decrease aggression, as desired by their new new master.The dog thinks of his new familyas his packand tries to build his rank. That’s where the owners come in. withoutthem helping him out the dog simply acts as he would act in the wild in order to survive, leading to inappropriate aggression.
A dogmay exibhit more than one type of aggression. These may be defensiveor induced by fear, pain, or punishment; dominance; possessiveness; territorial; intrasexual (male to male) or (female to female); predatory; or paternal. If one thinks that his\her dog is aggressive check the following symptoms:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·      <!--[endif]-->Excessive barking
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·      <!--[endif]-->Over protective about food and possessions
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·      <!--[endif]-->Fearfulness in new situation or around strangers
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·      <!--[endif]-->Severe attacks on other animals, such as cats or livestock
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·      <!--[endif]-->Attempts to mount people legs
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·      <!--[endif]-->Snapping and snarling when petted, groomed, or lifted
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·      <!--[endif]-->Frequent attempts to chase moving objects such as bicycle, cars etc
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·      <!--[endif]-->Repeated escapes from home and long periods spent roaming free
None of these symptoms should be ignored. Each of the above can predict serious aggressive behaviour. To understand aggression in dogs, one can more easily recogonise the early warning signs and avoid a serious if not life- threatening situation. In no case should  an  aggressive pet be abandoned as the pet can be dangerous for an unsuspecting owner

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