How Can We Rethink Aggression?

It’s no surprise that the vast majority of clients I work with are behavioral cases. That encompasses: reactivity, fear, dogs that are shut down, anxiety, aggression, and everything in between.

Working with such a wide variety of clientele has made me realize that aggression (and all the rest of the behavioral issues mentioned) isn’t as black and white as typically labeled by your average citizen.

Aggression, by definition, is: hostile or violent behavior or attitudes toward another; readiness to attack or confront; the action or an act of attacking without provocation; forceful and sometimes overly assertive pursuit of one's aims and interests.

An incredibly important point to remember with this, is that this is defined by humans. Humans who are able to express warnings through verbalization first; dogs, on the other hand, can not.

Any dog can bite. My German Shorthaired Pointer, Knox, under the perfect storm of circumstances, could bite. And I would expect him to. A well-balanced dog - calm, confident, resilient - should bite if needed out of an act of self-preservation. Why would we expect a living being to not defend themselves in the same way we would want a human?

So, then, why do bites occur seemingly out of the blue/for no reason/unprovoked/etc.?

Because we are not seeing the whole picture.

We are evaluating the situation through our own personal lens rather than from the dog’s experience.

Does prior abuse or trauma, lack of obedience or structure, genetics, or living circumstances make it excusable? No. In order to be successful in the human world dog’s now live in, they do have to follow our rules. But in order to help them be successful, we have to be successful liaisons and humans so very often fall short. Without guidance on how to make sense of this strange world around them, they will do what they need to for self-preservation. Enter: appropriate aggression.

95% of the time I see aggression, it’s appropriate (to some extent). It’s a very rare instance for a dog to simply enjoy attacking (fun fact: you may be surprised to know that the only time I have personally seen a dog attack for sport, it was a Golden Retriever).

I think, as owners, we need to become better equip to recognize and advocate for appropriate aggression. Allowing dogs to correct other dogs and humans who push their boundaries. Understanding what is fair without causing harm and then course correcting, as necessary.