We’ve all seen excessive aggression in dogs. It can strike fear into small children and even adults. Some breeds are more inclined to aggression than others but there are usually underlying reasons for excessive aggression in dogs and your training efforts will be more effective if you take these underlying reasons into account. A well-behaved dog that you can trust in most situations is something that most pet owners prefer.

Sometimes excessive aggression is because your dog wants to establish dominance. Dogs are pack animals and there is always a pecking order to the pack. The alpha dog is the leader and the other dogs follow. Appropriate training will make you the alpha dog or the leader. Do not allow your dog to think of himself as the alpha dog or you will constantlyencounter difficulties. Even so your dog may still want to establish his dominance over other dogs or animals and this may be the reason for his dominance aggression.

Territorial aggression is also a common form of aggressive behavior. Your dog will fiercely protect the things he perceives to be “his” including you, your home and your family. This can be a positive thing but it needs to be contained or it can cause difficulties with neighbors and visitors. A dog that is excessively aggressive because of territorial issues is challenging to own.

Often a dog will strike out from fear. Something frightens your dog and rather than back off he lashes out and attacks. The dog will start growling, pull his ears back and tuck his tail between his legs. Many times this type of aggression is mistook for direct aggression. Fear aggression is always caused by a situation that has frightened the dog. He is lashing out because he is frightened and does not know how to handle that fright.

A dog’s aggressive behavior can be misdirected. Something happens that causes the dog anxiety yet he is not able to take his aggression out on what really caused the aggression so he takes it out on something else. This may be a reason why your dog may be fighting with other dogs for no obvious reason. He is releasing his anxiety and aggression that was caused by something else.

Sometimes aggression can be caused by a biological or medical reason. For example, we all understand that a mother dog may become aggressive when she is protecting her litter. Less understood though is that sometimes aggression can be brought on by a medical reason. That is why it is crucial to take your dog to the vet for a thorough examination to rule out any medical issues.

Spaying your female dog and neutering your male dog will usually help alleviate excessive aggression. Your training efforts will also be easier and more effective. If you are not planning to breeding dogs, spaying and neutering is the responsible thing to do.

If you know the causes of why your dog is acting aggressively you can fit your training efforts to fit your dog and you will find success comes easier. There is usually a reason for excessive aggression in dogs.