Dr. Jeff Nichol - Cold Nose, LLC

Dogs who bite

Violence, fear, and physical injury are without question, the most difficult challenges you and your dog will ever face. This is very hard; all of us are emotional creatures. We bring dogs into our lives because they share so many feelings with us. But when it goes wrong, it goes horribly wrong.

Aggression is the most important problem we manage in the practice of behavior medicine. Many people still love their aggressive dogs; others want to immediately eliminate that “vicious” animal from their lives. Huge mistakes are made. In their attempts to make things better one person may inadvertently pander to a controlling canine personality. Another dog owner facing the same problem may return the hostility. None of these emotion-charged responses improves anybody’s lives. Biting is the most serious of all behaviors. You cannot win this battle alone. If you ask us for help, you will have our full attention.

The purpose of this article is to provide information and help you prevent a worsening of your dog’s problem. I will explain why different types of aggression occur and the Dos and Don’ts of avoiding injury in the immediate term. I will also review methods of management for the various types of aggression. This is a hugely complex area of behavior medicine with at least thirteen different diagnoses. Every individual case is different. Simply reading the following will not solve your dog's aggression problems. But armed with a basic understanding of the reasons for biting, you can start the process of leading your dog to healthier behavior.

Only one-on-one behavior management can make things truly better. Our goal is safety and reliability for you and your dog. Throughout the consultation process we will be clear about what works, what is safe, and what we can accomplish. We will shoot straight from the shoulder.

Why Aggression Occurs

What is a Dog?
Our civilized society is founded on rules of safe conduct. We have no tolerance for anyone trying to hurt us and we’ll do whatever it takes to protect ourselves and those we love. It is not acceptable for a dog to be a danger to people.

But canine aggression is not a black and white subject. The belief, held by many people, that every biting dog should be destroyed is a gross oversimplification. It is not true that any dog should tolerate anything from anybody anytime. Aggression toward an intruder or attacker is considered an act of canine heroism. A mother dog protecting her young against predators is natural. Biting is a context-specific behavior.

Our relationships with our dogs are actually pretty complicated. Dogs are considered man’s and woman’s best friends because we have so much in common with them. Dogs in their natural pack environment care for their young in an extended family-like a community. When sick or injured they call out to their comrades for aid-just like we do. They have hierarchy systems. They have deference for their leaders. They hunt in a group. They are loyal to their comrades and they are affectionate. No wonder we bond so heavily with dogs. They’re just like us. Sort of.

Studies of pet owners (people like you and me) have shown that we have healthier, more satisfying lives. We are more relaxed and stable. We live longer. In fact, we connect so deeply with our dogs that 75% of us regard them as children-like little people in dog suits. That’s powerful stuff. It also creates trouble because for all of the similarities, there are some very important differences between humans and dogs.

Human-Canine Relationships
Most dogs live with their people in relative harmony. We think we’re communicating with them only when we speak to them. In reality they are watching us almost continually and picking up signals we don’t know we’re sending.

Our dogs are picking up subtle signals from us during nearly every waking moment. We don’t realize it because most of it is unconscious body language. Dogs filter this information through their canine brains and respond. These pets are happy because they think their person is giving them behavioral cues almost all the time. Most owners are oblivious but if their dogs are well behaved anyway it really doesn’t matter.

Some dogs interpret human communication very differently. They read the signals but they get it wrong. If the human sends even stronger, misinterpreted signals the dog can react badly. This miscommunication sometimes leads to disaster. You are your dog’s leader and it is your responsibility to learn to speak his language.

This is challenging. Dogs expect the same things from us as they do from each other. Communication between them is partly verbal but almost entirely body language signals. A shift of the rump, a turn of the neck, a furrowed brow, or the way the tail hangs all have important meanings. If you lean over your dog, hug him, grab his snout, or make direct eye contact he will feel dominated. If your dog pushes ahead of you or sleeps on your bed she may believe that she outranks you. You and your dog may think you understand each other and you could both be wrong.

It Can be Hard for a Dog to Live with Humans
Before getting more specific I’d like you to understand the bizarre pressures we put on our dogs. While it’s true that they have evolved over their thousands of years with us, they are still largely instinct driven. I believe that most pet dogs could survive if released into the wild. Not only is your dog likely to know how to stalk and kill prey, she also knows how to ingratiate her way into a pack first. She could fit into the dominance structure, learn a job, and pull her weight with the group. She could run with the pack and go several days without a meal if food were scarce. The Call of the Wild isn’t really fiction.

Now take those canine social skills and force them into the confines of an apartment or house with a small yard. How does she communicate by urinating? How can she establish a relationship with another dog with the totally artificial barrier of a leash or wire fence? Where does her territory begin and end? A huge number of the abnormal behaviors we treat are anxiety based. There’s no mystery in that.

None of the above is meant to excuse canine aggression. Dogs have no business hurting people or each other. We humans have a responsibility. We invented this contrived existence of ours and we have chosen to bring our dogs along. We are obliged to make it right.

Our dogs love us and become part of us. That commitment makes us healthier. But if you take your behaviorally maladjusted dog to the shelter or have her put down you are sending part of yourself to that place right along with her. Many of us already have lives that are littered with the debris of broken relationships. We must stop this for our own sanity. We need connectedness. Nearly every aggressive dog can be managed. Now let’s get started.

Start with Physical Health
The first priority is a thorough physical exam and a lab profile. Liver and kidney disorders as well as thyroid disease, diabetes, and joint pain are a few common problems that can influence brain function. There are many others. Ask your regular veterinarian to fax us the exam record along with the lab results. If your dog checks out physically normal we can focus on behavior. It would also be quite helpful if you shoot about 5 minutes of video of your dog interacting. Please be low key-don’t set him up to bite. Even subtle interactions between you and your dog will tell us a lot.

The 13 Separate Kinds of Aggression

There are about thirteen recognized diagnoses for aggressive behaviors in dogs. While there are specific definitions for each of these categories there is a lot of overlap. In addition, many aggressive dogs have other behavior problems at the same time.

As you read the following descriptions you will recognize things about your dog that will help you put a name on the problem. My hope is that this will improve your powers of observation. The more you can report to us, the better our chances of helping your individual dog.

Dominance Aggression
Dogs are social creatures who believe that they have a legitimate place in the dominance hierarchy of their pack. Those with dominance aggression feel that they have the right to push other dogs around (sometimes this includes humans). While these dogs can be dangerous, they are often some of the more treatable biters.

The first signs of dominance aggression are usually seen at around 18-36 months of age. Ninety percent of them are male, although a female dog with this problem may show signs at a younger age. If you punish any dominant aggressive dog he will worsen.

If you try to control a dominant aggressive dog you are putting yourself at risk of getting bitten. Your dog observes you almost continually. Without realizing it you are sending him body language signals that he will interpret in a canine context. Very few humans speak “dog” and they send messages that can easily be taken the wrong way by a dominant dog who doesn’t speak “human”. This language barrier has caused a lot of bites.

Treatment involves desensitization and counterconditioning, meaning that we teach you to teach your dog to respond without hostility and later to respond to you or others in a positive way. It can take a long time. Some of these dogs do much better if we use medications also.

We have other tools. Head halters can remind a dominant dog of his appropriate role relative to his person. A technique called banishment helps some dogs by temporarily depriving them of the social connection that they crave. You’ll need help to carry all this off safely and effectively.

The place for you to begin is with safety. “Dominance gestures” that can trigger dominance aggression are: leaning over the dog, clamping the muzzle closed, staring, rolling the dog on his/her back, rushing at the dog, and speaking aggressively. Improvements with dominant aggressive dogs come with healthy leadership, not by intimidation.

Fear Aggression
This problem is “interactive”. Fearfully aggressive dogs lose control of themselves when they feel threatened, but they are OK if no one makes the mistake of setting off their terror. They don’t go looking for trouble.

Fear aggression can be difficult to recognize in your own dog. To many people it seems like vicious behavior. It can seem quite predictable because dogs like this growl or bite almost as a “default” behavior. Something (often a seemingly inconsequential event) triggers their fear and they automatically do what they have done hundreds of times in the past-they protect themselves. No one is happy.

A common sign is urination and/or defecation during the fearful episode. It’s easy to confuse this form of aggression with some of the others because it is sometimes seen with other causes of aggression.

Children, especially toddlers, are particularly at risk. A loving child will want to pet and hug dogs, sometimes chasing them. No one would see the logic in a big dog being afraid of a tiny child-and this is where we meet disaster. No dog with a history of biting should ever be mixed with children.

Treatment for fear aggressive dogs starts with teaching them to relax. This is somewhat time consuming but actually fun. We teach the owners to stop inadvertently reinforcing the dog’s fear and anxiety. In other words, you should never comfort the scared dog because this encourages more fear.

There are other techniques that can help, depending on the individual. Many frightened dogs can learn to replace their fear responses with a different activity like following a command from their person. Bear in mind that this is one behavior that necessitates supervision and long term commitment. We see improvement in many fear aggressive dogs, but it’s a life long challenge.

Preventing bites requires careful observation. This type of dog can move from apparent tranquility to aggression in a few seconds. Invite your dog to come to you and always leave her an escape route. Speak quietly and don’t glare.

Food Related Aggression
Dogs and humans are different about food. At least in cultures where people are well fed, they don’t mind eating with others. But all dogs seem to believe that there will be a famine-in about 20 minutes. Only the aggressive, competitive eater will survive. Hence there are lots of overweight dogs.

All of that is actually normal canine behavior. But dogs who growl, especially those who bite when a human approaches their food, can be dangerous. Some food aggressive dogs snarl while eating even when a person is some distance away. Others will try to growl and eat at the same time. If a dog like this perceives a threat to his food he will bite. The same can occur with rawhides, bones, or treats.

Food aggression can be easily confused with possessive aggression. The difference is that dogs who growl and bite over perceived threats to their food are neurochemically different. They aren’t aggressive about anything else.

This problem is usually deeply rooted. The simplest management is to always feed a food-aggressive dog in an isolated setting. Never give him a treats or chew toys because you may risk a hostile event. Children should not be allowed to carry food if they are around a dog with this problem.

There are behavior modification methods for this and there are drugs that can help. Let us know how you’d like your dog managed if you believe he or she has food-related aggression.

Interdog Aggression
These are dogs who don’t play nice with their friends which, based on our human social model, many dogs don’t anyway. Remember that dogs are a different species. Much of what goes on between them looks rather rude to us but is actually quite healthy for them. We should let them interact in their own way, but they must not be allowed to hurt one another.

The dominance hierarchy is often a factor with interdog aggression. The aggressor may treat another dog harshly when there is no legitimate reason for it. Altercations may result from competition for perceived scarce resources like food, toys, or sleeping areas or male dogs competing for a female in heat.

Dogs with this problem may attack another dog when the victim has done nothing to threaten the aggressor. Usually interdog aggression occurs between males or between females. The problems start around 18-24 months of age, when dogs reach social maturity. If you’re observant you will notice that the violence is preceded by staring, bumping, or mounting. The aggressor may block the other dog's access to the owner or the food bowl. Older, weaker dogs often get the short end of the stick.

Some of these dogs are receptive to treatment. Start by making sure that everybody is spayed or neutered. By eliminating the influence of sex hormones we can help you determine which dog should be highest ranking. It will be essential for you to reinforce a very big gap in this newly defined hierarchy so the dogs can become clear on who has the most stripes on his sleeve.

True security comes from everyone knowing his or her role in the show. We can teach you how to employ a head halter to help even the king of the hill understand that he/she still works for the true master of the universe (that’s you).

Last, never try to break up a fight with your hands. A water hose, broom handle, or a sheet of cardboard or plywood works well. A 6 foot long leash, dragged around by each enemy combatant, is your best method of separating dogs who may be itching for a fight. Grab the “drag line” of either dog early in the suggestive phase of the argument and banish him to another room. Be careful. Even your own dog can bite you in an aggressive frenzy.

Maternal Aggression
This problem is actually an outgrowth of normal behavior. Every mother has a right to protect her babies but hormone fluctuations and stress can create real problems.

These ladies cross the line when they aggressively guard their puppies or toys from a long distance. If a dog or person tries to remove one, the maternally aggressive dog will snap. She might eat the toy. If stressed and threatened a mother dog may even eat her puppy. Due to abnormal hormone levels dogs in false pregnancy are more likely to display this kind of aggression than those with puppies.

Mother dogs are best left alone while in this state. If you need to clean the bedding or handle the puppies, it’s best to call the mamma and reward her for being calm. Take her on a leash walk so that someone else can handle the housekeeping.

Maternal aggression resolves when the puppies are weaned or when the false pregnancy ends on its own. Many maternally aggressive dogs repeat their behavior with the next litter or false pregnancy. The problem also tends to run in families. Considering the risks, these dogs should be spayed.

Pain Aggression
Dogs with pain have reason to be grumpy. Some types of pain are intermittent; others are felt continuously. Either way biting can occur without warning. The owners of these dogs may not know their pet is in discomfort. Often, the person who is bitten is a child who played too roughly or tripped over an arthritic older dog. Dogs in this situation may end up trying to avoid the child or, worse, become fearfully aggressive.

Other dogs can also provoke a bite. The resulting painful wounds can cause the injured dog to associate fear with the biter or even with dogs who look like the biter. Attempts to control this behavior will fail if the pain is not accurately diagnosed and treated.

The good news is that there are many treatment choices. If the cause of the pain cannot be corrected there are still some excellent ways to help. In addition to medications, acupuncture, physical therapy, glucosamine/chondroitin, and other supplements it is usually possible to improve the quality of life and the behavior of many of these dogs.

Regardless of circumstances, biting is never appropriate. Behavior modification is especially important when a painful dog is also showing fear and avoidance. The appropriate use of a head halter can help a dog take instructions from his or her person, instead of resorting to violence. Children can also learn to be gentle and considerate. This type of aggression is worth the investment of time and energy. Most dogs like this do well with behavior consultations.

Play Aggression
Dogs who start by having a good time, and then turn nasty, can be scary. This problem begins with rough play that escalates to growling and possible biting. It is essential to recognize the difference between normal play and aggression. Dogs who play in healthy ways often have a high pitched yap while the aggressive ones may snap and growl in a low-pitched drawn out way. Raised hair over the neck and shoulders can be another indicator. Be careful. The transition from fun to danger can happen fast. A dog like this may try to grab a person’s arms or clothing and even chase them and bite from behind.

There can be important reasons for play aggression. Puppies who were separated from their littermates too young may never have learned how to play appropriately. Some youngsters are subjected to overly rough play like face slapping that is really more like agitation. It can be frustrating to teach a dog like this to play appropriately because they have learned to associate the excitement of play with aggression.

Only play with toys-never your hands. Make sure that it is the person who is in control-not the dog. It is essential to abruptly stop the play session at the earliest sign of aggression. Keeping play low key and gentle is best. Rough and tumble recreation should be avoided for the life of the play aggressive dog.

Other techniques are important too. The concept of earned privileges works well for these dogs because they must demonstrate a relaxed demeanor to be allowed to play. Teaching a dog to bring a toy on command can be fun and rewarding all by itself. A head halter will remind the play-aggressive dog of his place in relation to his person.

If your dog has play aggression, you can put an end to all fun and games and avoid trouble. But if you want to share some of life’s joys we can give you a hand. It will take time but the rewards can be worth the effort.

Possessive Aggression
A very specific diagnosis regarding nonfood objects, possessive-aggressive dogs will not relinquish an item without growling, snapping, or worse. Dogs who are also attention seeking may steal items and offer them to their person later for play. This behavior is much easier to manage if it’s recognized early. Many puppies show the first sign of possessive aggression when they are under one year of age.

For safety never challenge a dog like this by forcing compliance. Tensions can escalate to the point of dominance struggles. Only carefully administered counterconditioning can help.

Treatment for possessive aggression should be carried out cautiously to avoid a struggle. This type of dog will worsen if results are expected too soon. The first step is to teach deference, meaning that the owner is truly the boss. This alone takes time. Your dog must also learn to relax so he can learn some new and different skills. If anxiety becomes a factor, positive changes become even more difficult. Each of these steps is supported by written protocols. It’s pretty straightforward but it takes time and patience.

The final step is called counterconditioning. The dog is initially taught to relinquish objects that have no meaning to him. As he does as he is told, and rewarded for it, items of increasing importance are used. All the while we respect the dog’s dignity and avoid dangerous standoffs.

Management of possessive aggression can be a long road and it isn’t for everyone. If you want safety but not the challenge of behavior modification, please let us know. We’ll do our best to set up for success.

Predatory Aggression
This may be the most frightening form of aggression because these dogs instinctively target very young or old helpless creatures. Some are predatory toward joggers, bicyclists, and skateboarders. It is fairly easy to recognize this behavior. A predatory dog will hunker down quietly, staring and salivating, as she stalks her prey.

The classic predatory aggressive dog is attracted to small critters that have intermittent random movements. Young or ill animals, human infants, and geriatric people can behave this way. When wild dogs hunt for food they generally inflict one deadly bite, then shake their prey. If your dog acts like this, you may have a very serious problem.

Not all dogs who chase and bite are predatory. Those with territorial aggression may also pursue joggers and bicycles, but the element of stealth is missing with these dogs. An accurate diagnosis is important.

There are essential precautions that absolutely must be followed to keep the weak and defenseless safe. You have no business keeping a predatory dog in your home unless he can always be fully supervised in the presence of an infant. Since these dogs are not a risk to older children and adults, there are plenty of homes where they can be well-suited pets.

Because of the high emotion and risks associated with predatory aggression you should not rely on your own assessment. If you suspect your dog of having any type of aggression you should consult us before making any permanent decisions.

Protective Aggression
Most of us feel safer knowing our dog will look out for us in a crisis. But some dogs take it way too far. Protective aggressive dogs bark and snap at people or dogs at long distances when there is simply no threat at all. This is highly unsettling for other people; it can also be dangerous.

This behavior can be manifest in many ways. A person or dog approaching a car or the front door of a house is subjected to explosive snarling and attempts to bite. A mildly raised voice or hugging the dog's owner may elicit canine violence. Protective aggressive dogs make inappropriate decisions about when to protect. Instead of having the good judgement to stand between their person and a questionable individual, dogs with this behavior problem growl, snap, and lunge.

These dogs can be treated but they should never be considered 100% reliable no matter how much progress they make. It is the responsibility of the owner to leash or confine a protective-aggressive dog when there is any potential for an inappropriate confrontation.

Behavior modification starts with avoiding situations where the dog might make a bad judgement. If visitors are expected the dog should be put elsewhere in the home prior to their arrival. Improvements come gradually because the dog is first taught to look to his person for behavioral cues instead of reacting. We lay the foundation for this by teaching the dog deference for his leader (owner).

A head halter is a marvelous tool that is gradually implemented to remind a dog that the owner makes decisions for the both of them. As the dog learns to take direction from her person she is given minor tests by exposure to visitors she knows. As she develops more confidence and reliance on her owner she is carefully and methodically tested with people she does not recognize. Rewards for calm behavior will help.

Like most behavior modification for aggression, this process is slow. It may seem tedious causing some folks to try to rush ahead. Good coaching will help you move your dog along at a steady successful pace. Since an underlying anxiety is a core problem for some of these dogs, medications can be useful.

Territorial Aggression
If you’re like me you want your dog to bark when someone drops by unexpectedly. But territorially aggressive dogs don’t stop barking when told. They are out of control. Their job should be to listen and follow orders.

This behavior is similar to protective aggression. While the territory for many dogs is clearly defined by the boundaries of the car, the home, or the yard, for others it’s not so simple. Some dogs who aggressively and unnecessarily attack “trespassers” move their boundaries with them wherever they go.

Territorial behavior is normal for most social creatures. A problem exists when a dog becomes dangerous over nonexistent threats or in places that aren’t really his to protect in the first place. Some dogs show aggression toward just people, dogs, or other species, but any or all of the above can be at the receiving end of territorial aggression.

Like protective aggression this behavior is potentially dangerous. These dogs should be well confined or controlled until behavior modification has yielded reliable results. They will never be completely dependable but many of them can get much better.

We manage these dogs much the way we do those who are protective aggressive. Head halters, deference training, gradual desensitization, and counterconditioning can be rewarding. Medications have been valuable for many.

Redirected Aggression
Dogs are mighty intense when they are enraged and right in the middle of biting or attacking. Anyone, human or canine, who interrupts an actively aggressive dog can be unintentionally bitten. People or dogs who attempt to break up a fight or an attack are victims of redirected aggression.

This problem is more than just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. People who put their hands in the middle of a dogfight are almost guaranteed to get bitten. In the fury of the moment, with teeth flying, anything that gets in the way gets hurt.

Specifically, redirected aggression occurs when an interrupted, frustrated, actively hostile dog feels that he absolutely must carry out his assault. If you stop him from biting one individual, he will turn and choose you. You can make your mistake by interfering either physically or verbally. Not all dogs who are actively biting will redirect their aggression. But beware. Dogs on the attack can be dangerous to you.

Management of redirected aggression starts with preventing the original event. Dogs who attack cats, people, or other dogs need behavior modification that is appropriate to that specific type of aggression. But until the behavior has improved the dog should be isolated from opportunities for aggression. You are strongly advised not to try devices like water pistols, hoses, or foghorns to interrupt a dog with a history of redirecting her aggression. Even your own dog could harm you.

Idiopathic Aggression
This is very different from other forms of canine aggression and can be easily misdiagnosed. The simple definition of the term idiopathic is a problem caused by unknown factors. This behavior disorder is, however, quite specific. The aggression is sudden and completely unpredictable. It’s as though someone threw a switch. These dogs are violent with no warning and for no apparent reason. Some of them actually twitch and foam at the mouth. It has been called rage. The age of onset of the aggressive behavior is usually 1-3 years of age.

Before labeling any aggressive dog as idiopathic it is essential to carefully evaluate for every other possible cause. Many misdiagnosed dogs are actually dominant aggressive. Some have epilepsy. A few may be obsessive-compulsive. Almost all of these can be helped.

Dogs with true idiopathic aggression are heartbreakers. Since every neurologic test and other method of assessment comes up negative, idiopathic aggressive dogs are essentially untreatable. There are a few drugs that can be tried but dogs like this are difficult to keep in their homes because their outbursts cannot be foreseen.

Summary
It is essential to everyone’s safety that you never consider any dog with a biting history as cured. Even with the major improvements we have seen in so many cases, a previous biter can always bite again. No matter how much your dog loves you and wants to please you, he or she could repeat a serious mistake. Children, the sick, and elderly deserve our greatest protection.

I don’t mean to discourage you, only to keep you realistic. With our help you can become aware of the early warning signs. We can coach you on effective management. Treatment of aggressive dogs is some of the most rewarding work I have ever done.

Whatever path you choose, make safety your first priority. Even if bite prevention is your only goal we welcome the chance to help you and your dog.

Keep the faith and don't give up. Contact me through my web site if you need individual help.

References: Jacqueline C. Neilson, D.V.M., DACVB Overall, K. Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals, Mosby, St. Louis, 1997.