By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT
Dog aggression is always a hot topic, yet few people talk about their dog's aggressive behaviours in the open, especially if their dog is from the molosser group. This week's taboo topic is about aggression and violent behaviour. I'll define both words in order to clarify the subject, and hopefully, change your perspective about aggression and aggressive behaviours.
Aggressive : 1. ready and willing to fight, using forceful methods to succeed or to do something [to control]. 2. range of behaviours that can result in physical harm to oneself or others. 3. Behaviours that arise from innate drives and/or a response to frustration. Aggression, or being aggressive, is the physical expression of frustration and anger. It serves to control or avoid being controlled. Dogs, and almost every living organism, display aggressive behaviours in one form or another.
Violent: 1. using or involving the use of physical force to cause harm or damage to someone or something : showing violence. 2. intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, or another [...] which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury or death. 3. great force, either physical or emotional, usually exerted to damage or otherwise abuse something or someone. Violence is an extreme form of aggression which normally serves to inflict harm; conversely, aggression doesn't systematically escalate into violence.
Dog Dichotomy
Aggression is the intent to do harm, whereas violence is the act of being aggressive. Every human has the potential for aggression, but few people are actually violent. The same can be said of dogs. Certain dogs are more aggressive than others because people breed them for this specific characteristic, but not all bred for aggression dogs will display aggressive behaviours. Education also plays a large role in aggressive and violent displays. Ill intended people can take any breed and train it to be dangerous. An innate aggressive temperament doesn't discriminate between breeds, as such, Golden Retrievers, Chihuahuas, Labradors, Jack Russells, Yorkshires, molossers, etc. can all display aggressive behaviours, especially if poor socialisation, genetics, and training occur.
As stated above, aggressive behaviours are physical displays which serve to control or avoid being controlled. Aggression makes other dogs and people go away. Furthermore, people have come to recognise the benefits of having animal companions capable of making other people or animals go away. Historically speaking, humans developed a symbiotic relationship with domestic canines for the purpose of improving our safety and lives in general.
Aggressive : 1. ready and willing to fight, using forceful methods to succeed or to do something [to control]. 2. range of behaviours that can result in physical harm to oneself or others. 3. Behaviours that arise from innate drives and/or a response to frustration. Aggression, or being aggressive, is the physical expression of frustration and anger. It serves to control or avoid being controlled. Dogs, and almost every living organism, display aggressive behaviours in one form or another.
Violent: 1. using or involving the use of physical force to cause harm or damage to someone or something : showing violence. 2. intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, or another [...] which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury or death. 3. great force, either physical or emotional, usually exerted to damage or otherwise abuse something or someone. Violence is an extreme form of aggression which normally serves to inflict harm; conversely, aggression doesn't systematically escalate into violence.
Dog Dichotomy
Aggression is the intent to do harm, whereas violence is the act of being aggressive. Every human has the potential for aggression, but few people are actually violent. The same can be said of dogs. Certain dogs are more aggressive than others because people breed them for this specific characteristic, but not all bred for aggression dogs will display aggressive behaviours. Education also plays a large role in aggressive and violent displays. Ill intended people can take any breed and train it to be dangerous. An innate aggressive temperament doesn't discriminate between breeds, as such, Golden Retrievers, Chihuahuas, Labradors, Jack Russells, Yorkshires, molossers, etc. can all display aggressive behaviours, especially if poor socialisation, genetics, and training occur.
As stated above, aggressive behaviours are physical displays which serve to control or avoid being controlled. Aggression makes other dogs and people go away. Furthermore, people have come to recognise the benefits of having animal companions capable of making other people or animals go away. Historically speaking, humans developed a symbiotic relationship with domestic canines for the purpose of improving our safety and lives in general.
Aggression is Good
Think of aggression as a public announcement message. When dogs are placed in unpleasant situations (from their point of view, not ours), they give off signals which warn of imminent violent reactions. I'm highly thankful we have such signals and so should you. Why? Because warning signals reduce dog bite probabilities to a statistically negligible factor. Dogs can, and do, tell us when things are not right, therefore, it's our responsibility to learn their language and prevent negative outcomes.
There's another reason why aggressive behaviours should be considered as good. When dogs display aggression, it's normally because something in our relationship has gone haywire. I personally believe aggressive behaviours are signs of interspecies relationship dysfunction. Consequently, we can use the problematic situation to reassess ourselves in our canine companion affiliations and change the outcome from a negative to a positive one.
Words of Wisdom
Aggression deepens bonds because it establishes respect within the relationship. Dogs need to know where they stand within their human-dog entity and do so by displaying ritualised aggression. I'm not suggesting you get down on all fours to practice play fights with your dogs, but if you could, they would love you even more.
Finally, aggression is not synonymous with violence. Dogs can display aggressive behaviours without being violent; however, as mentioned above, it's our responsibility to make sure we understand canine language in order to prevent bites and attacks from happening. I welcome aggressive behaviours as they let me know what to expect. If dogs display agonistic puckers, growls, or snarls, you should respect their wishes and give them space. We're not here to fight with dogs, we're here to share our lives, even when it's not under our terms.
References
- Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. (2007). Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc.
- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary copyright (2015) Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
- Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. (2009). Elsevier.
* Agonistic: any form of behaviour associated with aggression, including threat, attack, appeasement, or flight.
Think of aggression as a public announcement message. When dogs are placed in unpleasant situations (from their point of view, not ours), they give off signals which warn of imminent violent reactions. I'm highly thankful we have such signals and so should you. Why? Because warning signals reduce dog bite probabilities to a statistically negligible factor. Dogs can, and do, tell us when things are not right, therefore, it's our responsibility to learn their language and prevent negative outcomes.
There's another reason why aggressive behaviours should be considered as good. When dogs display aggression, it's normally because something in our relationship has gone haywire. I personally believe aggressive behaviours are signs of interspecies relationship dysfunction. Consequently, we can use the problematic situation to reassess ourselves in our canine companion affiliations and change the outcome from a negative to a positive one.
Words of Wisdom
Aggression deepens bonds because it establishes respect within the relationship. Dogs need to know where they stand within their human-dog entity and do so by displaying ritualised aggression. I'm not suggesting you get down on all fours to practice play fights with your dogs, but if you could, they would love you even more.
Finally, aggression is not synonymous with violence. Dogs can display aggressive behaviours without being violent; however, as mentioned above, it's our responsibility to make sure we understand canine language in order to prevent bites and attacks from happening. I welcome aggressive behaviours as they let me know what to expect. If dogs display agonistic puckers, growls, or snarls, you should respect their wishes and give them space. We're not here to fight with dogs, we're here to share our lives, even when it's not under our terms.
References
- Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. (2007). Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc.
- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary copyright (2015) Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
- Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. (2009). Elsevier.
* Agonistic: any form of behaviour associated with aggression, including threat, attack, appeasement, or flight.