Kimberly J. Workinger
Dominant aggressive dogs are aggressive because they feel that they have the upper hand or are dominant in the pack or, in the case of domesticated animals, in the household. This type of behavior has its origins in the ancestral wolf pack of the modern domesticated dog. In the pack there is generally one dominant dog to which the rest of the pack is submissive. “A wolf pack is a well-organized society of individuals that cooperate in hunting for food, defending their territory, and rearing the young” (Schwartz) The nature of this societal relationship lends itself to the evolutionary development of a wider variety of facial and body signals than is seen in solitary hunters like the fox. The dominant wolf or Alpha Dog is the leader of the pack and has a great deal of responsibility for the well-being of the members of the pack. As such, there is constant challenging of the social positions held by each member. The dominant wolf often pins the subordinate to the ground or places his or her head above the subordinate to express dominance. The subordinate displays body language that is very different. Lowered head and ears, tail tucked between the legs, not making direct eye contact and eating last are behaviors indicative of a subordinate wolf. The same dominant aggressive behaviors exhibited by a member of a wolf pack are displayed by domesticated dogs where there is more than one dog in the household. The dominant dog will control the submissive dog in the household. Dominant dogs carry the head and tail high. The ears are pricked forward and the stance is slightly pitched forward. The dog may wag the tail. A wagging tale is not always a friendly greeting. This is a myth. If the lips are curled up showing any of the teeth, this is an indication of a dominant aggressive dog in an offensive position. When observed and evaluated as a complete package, the dog is confident of its position and ability to assert its dominance.
A single dog in a household generally regards a human family as the equivalent of a pack. Dogs who are dominant aggressive strive to attain a leadership position in the pack by exhibiting a number of behaviors. Quite literally, the dog is aggressive toward the owner in order to assert dominance over the owner. Some of the behaviors indicative of dogs asserting dominance is mounting on humans, paws in the lap of owners, reluctance to assume physical positions of submission like sitting or laying down on command, a sensitivity to being touched on the head or back and direct, unwavering eye contact. The dominant aggressive dog is confident and as such, keeps its head and ears erect while exhibiting these behaviors. Dogs use eye contact as a means of assessing the social position of any animal they encounter including humans and other dogs. The one who breaks the eye contact first is the subordinate. Along this same line, direct eye contact from a handler or owner would be perceived by the dominant aggressive dog as a direct threat to his or her position and may be met by aggressive threatening behavior. Other human activities that could result in aggression from a dominant aggressive dog are reaching over the head, handling the head or muzzle, stepping over or disturbing from a sleep, and leaning on or pushing the head, neck or back. (Overall)
Using visuals created by the students, video clips, field trips to animal shelters and class discussions an understanding of the basic body language of dogs who are dominant aggressive will be discussed. The safety of individuals handling dogs or cats with dominant behaviors would be compromised if a firm understanding of typical aggressive behaviors where not understood. Very often the public comes in contact with animals that are dominant aggressive whether because the owner has taken their dog to the park and it encounters other dogs or because the owner is taking dog for a walk and the dog displays aggressive behaviors to someone else walking on the street. Not only are the students of this class potential employees at a veterinary hospital but they are very often dog owners themselves. An understanding of some of the behaviors of aggressive dogs will help the students to become more responsible pet owners.
Aggressive behavior in animals can be learned. “Once an animal learns that aggression is effective, it is more likely to become aggressive again under similar situations. Aggression is an instinctive response that can become a conditioned response to a given situation. A dog that is rewarded by praise or attention for aggressive barking may soon learn that barking is an effective way to get your attention”. (Schwartz) Recently there have been stories of dogs attacking humans in the news. Often there is supporting evidence that the animal that attacked a human was trained to do so. In the case of police dogs, this training is for public safety. Whether the animal was provoked, trapped, injured or ordered to do harm it is in the interest of the animal industry to be aware of the signs of aggressive animals.
The fight or flight response is any animals survival mode. The autonomic nervous system controls a number of body systems including the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. When the system is activated, the body increases respiratory and heart rates, increases mental alertness and decrease digestive activity so that the blood might be utilized in skeletal muscle tissue for quick movement and defense. The fight response occurs when the animal turns to take on the aggressor. The flight response occurs when the animal flees from and escapes the aggressor.
Where dominant aggression in dogs is similar to the fight portion of the flight or fight response of all animals, including humans, fear aggression is most closely related to the flight portion. A dog that is fear aggressive will become violent or aggressive literally to fight its way out of situation where it feels threatened or out of control. Dogs that were trained as attack dogs are generally fear aggressive dogs. The handler is the only individual the dog trusts. Each time the dog is greeted or approached by a stranger, a shock is administered to the animal. Through this stimulus response technique or classical conditioning, the dog learns that the presence of anyone except the handler is undesirable and becomes aggressive as a fear response. As the intensity of the fear or even the perception of fear increases so does the aggressive behavior. Without being trained to be fear aggressive there are other factors that could cause an animal to be fear aggressive including limited social interaction with humans and animals during the critical period of development.
The body language associated with fear aggression is similar in cats and dogs. Instead of pricking the ears as was the case in dominant aggression, the ears are laid back and the animal will crouch lower to the ground. Hair standing on end serves to make the animal look larger to the threatening animal. Dilated pupils are another cue from the frightened animal. As a worker in the animal care field, an ability to read these cues and understand them is critical to safety of both the animal and the employee. Fear aggression behaviors could be the result of injury or sickness. Animals who are cornered without an avenue for escape could also exhibit these behaviors attacking the person who is in the path of escape. This is called redirected aggression.
Many of the aggressive behaviors discussed become magnified when a dog or cat is brought into a situation where they may have had prior experience or learned that they should be fearful. The most common and necessary of these places is the veterinarian’s office. When all of the components of an office visit are considered from an animal’s point of view, it is a threatening environment that will invoke the fear or the dominance/defensive aggression. There are smells from other animals, both well and unwell, unfamiliar surroundings, and in some cases, an association of pain with all of these variables if past visits to the office have resulted in surgical procedures. Another factor that has not been discussed is the ability of the dog or cat to sense that the owner or those around him are fearful, anxious, confident or defensive. The ability of an animal to sense the attitude and demeanor of those around him comes from the animal’s ancestral past. The wolf pack origins of the dog used these senses to determine the intentions of each of the members of the pack. If the owner is a member of the dogs pack, then the dog is able to sense the feelings of the owner. Generally speaking, “aggression at the veterinarian’s office is caused by fear”. (Schwartz) When the owner is not there and the animal is being cared for at the hospital, a continued awareness of the instinctual need of animals to control their environment and the propensity to defend themselves is paramount to being safe on the job.
Learning about and understanding the common animal behavior is inarguably important to the successful handling and care of companion animals. Inattentiveness to the communication or total lack of understanding could be potentially dangerous to both the employee and the animal. If the animal is injured, fearful or happy, it will display a wide range of emotions in its body language. The students who participate in this unit will have a finer understanding of both the animals in there homes and the animals that they might encounter on the job and on the street. Armed with this knowledge, they will be informed and can influence the welfare of animals. The following series of activities teaches the student some body language associated with different “messages” sent by companion animals. Being able to observe the signs and effectively communicate this information to both fellow employees and to customers is critical. The individual who can accurately teach skills to another truly understands those skills.