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Dog Aggression: Causes, Signs, and Solutions

Is your dog or cat’s aggressive behavior causing stress and distress? Whether it is sudden growling, biting or aggressive anxiety in dogs, you are not alone in your confusion, fear and large emotional rollercoaster. Understanding what is causing aggression is the first step in surmounting it. With the right guidance, you can help your pet find emotional regulation, bringing peace once again. At Kindheart Veterinary Behaviour Services, we believe in treating the root cause, not just the pause. Our team is ready to guide with pride, helping you and your dog walk side by side toward a happier, more balanced life.

Understanding Aggression in Dogs

Aggressive characteristics of dogs are not random.  It is communication that shows distress and discomfort. Animals express their emotions through behavior and body language.

Aggression Signals in Dogs

  • Growling, freezing, barking or a tense posture are often the first signs that a dog is uncomfortable or feels threatened.

  • Retreating or fleeting, avoiding eye contact before aggression occurs, can be subtle but crucial.

  • Reacting to triggers like unfamiliar people, loud noises, or sudden touches, can signal fear, as dogs respond to stress they cannot control.

Common Types of Dog Aggression

Aggression in dogs can show up in various forms, and each type demands a tailored approach for effective management and resolution.

  1. Conflict Aggression – When a dog feels unsure in social situations, and they experience mixed emotions to their triggers that often competing. 

  2. Food Aggression – Resource guarding behavior, which can include snapping, growling, or biting when food is nearby, is an important issue to address and impress.

  3. Fear-based aggression caused by triggers like new environments, loud noises, or unfamiliar people is often linked to stress and anxiety. 

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What’s Causing the Aggression? Let’s Find Out!

The root cause is key to finding the right solution. Knowing why your dog is behaving aggressively allows us to choose the right approach, making the journey much smoother for controlling aggression in dogs.

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Common Causes
  1. Medical Conditions – A dog may act aggressively when they feel vulnerable and unsure, as health problems can result in itch, discomfort, nausea or pain. 

  2. Past Trauma –Understanding a dog’s history is essential in creating a trust-building program that helps them feel safe and healed again.  Dogs do develop symptoms that mimic PTSD in people.  

  3. Lack of early controlled gentle exposures – Dogs who haven’t been properly socialized or trained may become fearful or reactive. Without positive experiences early on, dogs may develop inappropriate behaviors out of confusion or illusion.

  4. Turbulent, busy, chaotic loud environments- we live very busy active lives that our pets often have trouble assimilating.  

  5. Punishing or harsh reprimands and training- aversive training can result in trauma, fear and tools like ecollars, pinch collars may have an immediate short term halt of unwanted behaviour, but result in added fear to caregivers, as well as conflict and anxiety with their caregivers.

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The Right Approach for Aggressive Dogs in Victoria

If you are in Victoria, you are in the right place! Our expert team is here to provide tailored solutions for aggression problems that make your life unstuck.

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Behavioral Training
  • Structured sessions designed to address specific triggers help to create a clear roadmap for improvement. We work with your dog’s natural temperament, and specific situation needs.

  • Focus on teaching your dog alternative, calm responses, making sure they have tools to handle stressful situations without feeling more fearful. 

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Positive Reinforcement Methods
  • Positive reinforcement methods are used to reward good behavior and avoid worsening anxiety.

  • This builds trust and creates a sense of accomplishment, leaving confusion to diminish.

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Controlled Socialization
  • Gradual, supervised exposure to new dogs and people in a safe environment reduces anxiety and builds confidence.  This can only be achieved once your dog gets calmer and ‘training’ an anxious dog often has the opposite intended effect of increasing anxiety, fear and ‘sensitization’ to triggers rather than ‘desensitizing’ them.

  • Building confidence through positive experiences allows your dog to develop better social relations.

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Tackling Sudden Aggression in Dogs

Sudden outbursts of aggression can be a sign of underlying issues. Aggressive behaviors that appear suddenly may indicate pain, anxiety, or a shift in your dog’s environment that they find stressful

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Medical Evaluation
  • Aggressive behavior in dogs can often be triggered by pain or environmental changes, which may cause them to act unexpectedly.

  • A vet behaviourist can identify these problems early and has the ability to use medication for aggressive behavior in dogs, preventing issue them from escalating and providing relief from anxiety.  Vet behaviourists are trained in multiple medications at different doses and are the equivalent to a ‘dog and cat psychiatrist’.  They also employ psychology principles of learning theory and counselling to successfully assess, diagnose and treat behaviour problems like aggression. 

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Important Points to Consider:
  • New stressors in your dog's life might be the trigger for sudden aggression. 

  • Identifying and addressing changes in routine or environment can provide calm and a reduction in the storm. 

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Managing Food Aggression in Dogs

Does your dog growl or snap when near food? It’s not uncommon, but it’s important to address it with care and patience, so it doesn’t turn into habitual behaviour. 

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