Unfortunately for some dogs, something has happened to have traumatized them into becoming very fearful at times. The fear that they are feeling is so strong, that they may actually respond to their fear with aggressive behavior. The fear expresses itself after the dog has been traumatized by something in his past. On other occasions some dogs have what seems to be an irrational fear of things such as very loud noises-perhaps the loud sounds of a thunderstorm or gunshots sets them off.
A dog with a fear aggression problem show a very unique body language, that is easily recognizable. It is very likely that you have seen this type of aggression before-it is not a pretty picture. Obvious signs shown by a dog suffering from fear aggression include a slinking and cringing body posture, that is quite distinct from a merely submissive type of body language. Fear aggression is further shown by a dog tucking his tail between his legs and against his stomach, while at the same time baring his teeth and both whining and growling. It is easy to see the poor dog is feeling tormented.
If you see a dog in the state of fear aggression, don’t make the attempt to comfort the dog by petting it. Sometimes a dog going through fear aggression will lash out at anything that is near him-whether it is whatever he is actually so afraid of, or a person nearby. When a dog’s aggression is turned on something different than the original stimulus for the fear it is called redirected aggression-be sure you are not a victim of this by staying away from a dog with fear aggression problems.
In order to correct the fear aggression problem, it will mean first diagnosing the actual reason behind the fear itself. What was the original source of yor dog’s problem? If you have had the dog since it was a puppy you probably know what happened to traumatize your dog-whether another person or dog abused it or if it has always been terrified by lightning. If you got your dog from someone else it may have already suffered abuse from a person or a dog when it was a puppy. You can figure out the cause of his fear by paying attention to when it first begins-note whether it is triggered by another dog or person or a loud noise. If your dog becomes aggressive with fear when seeing a certain person or a more aggressive dog or hears a car backfire prior to becoming afraid you will know what is behind the fear issue. It is pretty easy to diagnose many cases of fear aggression (especially if it is due to something obvious like gunfire or fireworks exploding). But there are other times when the reasons that caused the fear aggression are not so obvious and may seem downright irrational.
If you find you cannot figure out the original cause of your dog’s fear aggression, there are professional veterinarian behaviorists who are expert at diagnosing what is troubling your dog. You will need to first figure out the problem or your efforts to get rid of it aren’t going to be successful.
After establishing the reason for your dog’s fear, you can correct the problem through a gradual program of desensitizing your dog to the cause of his fear. If you have a dog that is fearful of another dog, you should try to expose your dog to a friendly dog for a few minutes at a time, to eventually teach him he can relax in the company of other dogs. You should have him on his leash so he can’t run away or make a lunge at the other dog. It might even be a good idea to use a muzzle when you are first working with a dog to correct his fear aggression to prevent the possibility of getting bit yourself during a misdirected biting lunge.
Be sure you only use positive techniques while working with your dog. That is because any yelling or punishing, such as hitting him if he makes a lunge, will surely only aggravate his fear issues. You must be patient and understanding of your dog’s condition in order to properly correct it. Fear aggression is a deep rooted problem that has severely affected your dog’s psyche-it will take some time and effort on your behalf to correct this issue. Naturally the time and effort to help out your pet become well balanced and happy is time well spent.
I sure hope you have a better understanding of fear aggression so you can get to correcting this problem if your dog has it.
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