The Truth About Aggression

ag·gres·sion [ grésh'n ] noun

1.  attack:  hostile action, especially a physical attack

2.  hostile attitude or behavior:  threatening behaviour or actions

If we believed the media or long-standing myths, we'd believe that aggression in dogs is somehow magically different than aggression in every other species, including humans.  The truth is, it isn't.  All living creatures are capable of some form of aggression.  (Please read through the companion article:  "Temperament and Aggression are Inherited?")

Think about it on an intellectual level for just one moment.

? Psychology defines aggression as 'learned behaviour'.  Meaning, a child isn't born with the knowledge or desire to use violence as a means for controlling his/her environment.  They must learn that through example and/or experience.

? Although there may be personality traits which make an individual more likely to overreact in certain situations, thus potentially starting on a path which may lead to aggressive behaviours one day, biology plays no role in the behaviours themselves.

• For example, people with impulse control issues, whether physiological, psychological or genetic, are as apt to take up extreme sports (a positive activity), as criminality or violence (negative activities).  Psychologists agree the determining factor is primarily how those individuals were raised, and which behaviours were reinforced.

? Dog breeds are identical in comparison to human races.  We may choose to make generalities about races, but they rarely hold true at an individual level.  Furthermore, negative generalizations about human races is called "racism".  Making similar assumptions about any dog, based solely on its breed, the canine version of racism.  It can not be said that every (insert dog breed name here) is vicious, anymore than it can be said that every member of a human race is vicious.

? There is no such thing as an "aggression gene", leaving no direct link between genetics and aggressive behaviour.  (Which makes a lot of sense when one fully understands that aggression is, in fact, learned behaviour.)  Aggression can not be inherited any more than speaking French, riding a bike, or knowing which fork to use with which dinner course can be inherited.

? The term "temperament" is essentially the same as the word "personality".  The qualities that are linked to the term "temperament" are things like dominance (outgoing), submissiveness (shyness), and all the shades of gray between those two types. 

? "Temperament" does not relate to any learned behaviours such as hitting, swearing, yelling, bullying, or obedience, agility, flyball, etc., nor does it relate to behavioural traits which show some inheritability (such as retrieving or herding).  While it may be true that individuals with certain temperaments may be more likely to participate in certain kinds of behaviours if encouraged, even a quick tempered or very timid child can be taught that only non-violent solutions to conflict are acceptable, and both dominant and submissive dogs can be well-socialized and obedience trained. 

? It is possible that some personality types may be quicker to respond in certain situations.  In humans, we might refer to one example as a 'quick temper'.  In dogs, we might refer to this as being 'sharp'.  In both dogs and humans, this does not necessarily mean the individual is confident.  Some quick tempered people are quite timid, as is the case with some sharp dogs.  The difference being, a confident individual may immediately step in to attempt to merely control a situation, whereas a less confident individual may lash out in an attempt to neutralize the perceived threat.

There may be elements of an individual's temperament that can be genetically linked, but that is not a cause for the development of aggressive behaviour.  It merely means that some individuals may be more likely to react more quickly or more vehemently than others in the same situation.  HOW the individual responds has everything to do with personal experience.  For example, an outgoing child might be more likely to rush to the aid of an accident victim, whereas a more timid child may not.  That same outgoing child may then steal the victim's wallet (if raised in a home where criminal behaviour is the norm).  The timid child may draw on his CPR training, giving him the confidence to push him into action, ultimately rescuing the victim.  Temperament may affect the manner in which we react, but it doesn't determine the actions themselves.

? Even if certain personality types show some kind of genetic relationship, one should always remember this link is not direct.  From the same two parents, offspring of all different personalities occur.  Sure, that quick tempered man has a quick tempered son.  But I bet he also has several other children who are not so quick to anger.  Personality is not so easily defined in genetic terms, and is never an excuse for anti-social behaviour. 

Of three Labrador Retrievers, two may live up to their breed generalization and fling themselves into water at top speed.  However, one of the two swimmers may be well-socialized, and the other may be under-socialized and aggressive.  The third Lab may hate the water entirely, whether or not its owners have properly socialized it.  It is simply not possible to predict an individual's behaviour based solely on breed/race.

 

? Although it is noble that breeders claim to "breed for temperament", there is still no empirical evidence that they're actually successful in doing so.  As mentioned earlier, from the same two parents, one or two of the offspring may have similar personalities to either of the parents, but others will have temperaments nothing like either parent; leaving a direct genetic link in doubt.

Wanna test this concept?  Talk to any experienced breeder who claims to "breed only for good temperaments" and ask if they'd still expect one of their "good tempered puppies" to be well-mannered if left chained in someone's backyard for the next year?  Anyone, with any experience training dogs, will have to admit that a dog of any temperament would probably develop severe behavioural problems as a result of such abuse.  If answered honestly, this test clearly shows that environment is paramount in determining a dog's behaviour, and not the dog's temperament itself.  Even a dog of "good temperament" can be encouraged to become aggressive.

? All dogs, of all temperament types, can be trained to become model canine citizens.  However, not every training method works with every temperament type.  Use the same methods on a very submissive dog that you might use on a very dominant dog, and you'll probably destroy what there is of the submissive dog's confidence.  Reverse the situation and that dominant dog will probably walk all over you.  Training methods should be geared to the individual dog, rather than attempting to force all dogs to respond to one method.

? The reason we see more individuals from certain breeds involved in serious aggression incidents (although simple aggression incidents - I.E. "biting" - involve every breed of dog, as a function of irresponsible dog ownership) is based entirely on sociological factors.  It is "the kinds of people" who hope their dogs will become vicious who ultimately choose certain breeds, just as it is "the kinds of people" who hope to compete in herding trials who choose other breeds.  The circle begins.  People who want intimidating dogs choose larger breeds with guarding or fighting backgrounds.  They encourage anti-social behaviours to the point the dogs become aggressive.  Aggressive dogs are more likely to be involved in serious aggression incidents, making it seem that certain breeds are inherently dangerous.  If one wishes to create a dangerous dog, one only needs to look at the dog-related fatality statistics to see that any breed of dog can be capable of serious aggression, if improperly trained. 

For example, we see more Border Collies winning Agility because a higher percentage of Agility participants choose Border Collies to compete.  Although many Border Collies have just the right combination of temperament and ability to succeed in Agility, this does not mean that every Border Collie is a born Agility champion, nor does it mean that ONLY Border Collies can succeed in Agility.  Far from it, actually!  We must always step back and look at all the factors involved in why certain breeds seem to excel in certain areas, and distinguish between causal factors such as owner influence (no dog signs up for Agility on its own), conformation (you can try to compete in high jump with your Chihuahua, but you probably won't be very successful), temperament (a dog that is eager to work will be much more likely to stick with rigourous training), and instinct (a natural herding ability will probably be necessary for successful training of a herding champion).  (Click here for the 'sports car analogy' of breed specific legislation)

"There is no scientific proof that genetics cause a breed of dog to be aggressive, vicious or dangerous." - testimony from Standing Committee on amendments to the Dog Owners Liability Act. 2005

"Variability in behaviour has a wider range within a breed than between breeds. Within the discipline of psychobiology and animal behaviour there is no data from empirically supported studies, published in refereed scientific literature, to support the idea that one breed of dog is `vicious.'  The adult behaviour of a domestic dog is determined overwhelmingly by its experiential history, environmental management and training."  - Dr. Mary Lee Nitschke, Ph.D.

Medical causes for Aggression

There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that some medical conditions can cause aberrant behaviour.  In most cases, these medical conditions are rare and diagnosable.  In humans, we see schizophrenia causing all manner of anti-social behaviours.  In dogs, a more common anecdotal cause of aggression are conditions like hypothyroidism.  If an otherwise well adjusted individual begins to behave erratically, a medical cause should first be ruled out.

Unwarranted vs. Survival

In terms of aggression, dogs are absolutely no different than humans, cats, horses, etc.  An innocent puppy is born as a blank slate, trusting all those it encounters.  Only once the puppy encounters situations it finds distressing will it feel the "fight or flight" instinct.  If the puppy witnesses others behaving fearfully or aggressively, it may adopt those behaviours.  If hostile behaviours are immediately redirected, they are never encouraged.  And, of course, any creature who is actually threatened has a right to defend itself.

If an individual was not actually being threatened, the aggressive behaviour can be termed "unwarranted".  If the individual was actually threatened, the aggressive behaviour was mere survival instinct and is, therefore, justified.

A dog who growls at humans simply because he doesn't know them is not properly socialized.  Girl Guides selling cookies, or the paper boy are not threats to a dog.  Any aggression towards these people would be completely unwarranted.  A burglar entering the home at night will probably be giving off all sorts of fearful or threatening signals to a dog.  Aggression towards such a person would be totally justified.

Then there's the confusion with predatory behaviour.  Wild canids typically are not behaving aggressively when they attack and kill prey. 

Think about it.  Picture large predators, like wolves or the big cats.  When they're hunting prey, do they look afraid, and give warning signals like growling, raised lips and hackles, etc?  If answered honestly, one must admit that most of these predators look like they're having fun, rather than behaving aggressively.  At best, they seem relatively expressionless.

Now picture the hostile relationship between, say, lions and hyenas.  Both predators compete for the same prey and the same territory.  As such, they're mortal enemies. 

When confronted, they display signs of aggression, including warning signals they're about to attack, as well as actual bites.  These displays are very unlike a lion chasing down a zebra, for example.  Lions generally look relatively confident and resolved when hunting prey.  They don't usually display what we think of as truly aggressive behaviour, when hunting.

Even wolves, the presumed ancestor of domestic dogs, look pretty content hunting prey, without any of the known aggressive displays, such as raised hackles, staring, raised lips, growling, lunging and attempted bites.  Yet that same wolf will quickly display those aggressive behaviours when faced with a serious threat.  You see, even hunting and killing for food is different than aggression, in both definition and deed.

Humans, by comparison, don't usually feel especially aggressive when they prepare their food.  Hunting a rabbit is different in just about every way than fighting off a bear attack. 

Killing for food tends to be confused for aggression when, most often, the two are completely different.

Learned vs. Instinct

The question we must ask ourselves is why a dog would think friendly humans and other dogs are something to be feared?  Experienced trainers know the answer is a lack of socialization.  Dogs who are well-socialized do not fear anyone or anything that is not actually threatening them (I.E. the Girl Guides or the paper boy).  In fact, it is through encounters with truly threatening individuals that we learn the difference.  Properly socialized individuals interact with others of all temperament types, in order to learn how to respond appropriately in a variety of situations.

When individuals are not properly socialized, they sometimes behave inappropriately.  The boy who's too shy to ask a girl for a date may blurt out something inappropriate his friends told him to say.  With more experience with girls, he'll learn what is and isn't appropriate.  Why?  Because the correct actions will result in success and the incorrect actions will have a negative result.  Restricting him from social interaction with girls entirely, pretty much ensures he will never learn how to respond appropriately.

Just as with humans, dogs who never receive any benefit from inappropriate behaviours don't continue them.  The child who throws a tantrum for 14 minutes before the mother gives in has just learned that the tantrum must last at least 14 minutes to be effective.  If mom never gives in to the tantrums, they cease.  The bully in school who steals lunch money wouldn't continue if ALL his victims either vehemently fought back or reported him.  The cost would outweigh any benefit.

Aggression is learned behaviour.

Any creature who never feels threatened (whether that threat be survival, territorial, or sociological) will never learn aggressive behaviours.  (Take the Dodo, for example.  Without fear of humans, they were an easy meal for early explorers.  They never learned to fear human predators.) 

Any social creature taught how to behave appropriately in society will only continue to behave inappropriately if encouraged in some way (whether that encouragement be a peer group -such as smoking or swearing in humans-, deliberate -such as parents who model criminal behaviour for their children-, or inadvertent -such as dog owners who believe that by petting their dogs when they're fearful, they're comforting them when, in reality. they're reinforcing the fearful behaviour).

Learning to distinguish between real threats, perceived threats, and those things that are not threatening at all.

Any creature, who does not learn how to recognize the difference between real and perceptual threats, will sometimes behave inappropriately.  A dog who doesn't recognize the difference between a dog running up to play and a dog running up to attack may lash out at the friendly interloper or stand there, oblivious, while the menacing dog approaches.  Both responses are inappropriate.  Only increased socialization will help the dog learn to distinguish between the two.  Humans with phobias react similarly.  Fearing a well-socialized dog that is not actually threatening someone is as absurd as fearing blue sweaters, fallen leaves, or any other non-threatening item.  Phobic people need to learn the difference between real and imagined threats, and deal with their irrational fears head on.

To PROPERLY socialize a dog, the owner must ensure the dog encounters others of all temperament types.  Those who restrict their dogs from interactions with dogs or people, simply because they don't know them, are actively creating under-socialized dogs.  A poorly socialized dog is a tragedy waiting to happen.  There are all-too-many cases of dogs being attacked by other dogs because they either gave the wrong body language signals (lack of socialization) or didn't recognize the aggressive signals another dog was displaying (also lack of socialization).  It is also quite common to find dogs being frightened by perfectly friendly dogs (blatant lack of socialization).  And there are innumerable cases of people being terrified of friendly dogs who happened to get loose, but who are so poorly socialized or trained that their behaviour is frightening (such as running directly at someone and jumping on them, or standing and barking at strangers).  Many dogs in this situation have been killed by authorities.  Here's an example:

The owners of a large breed dog always wanted a dog for companionship, and for protection.  When the dog barked at a knock at the door, he was told he was a "good boy".  When his fur bristled at passing strangers on nightly walks, his owners felt "protected".  By all accounts a generally friendly dog, the owners thought nothing of leaving the dog in their fenced yard while they were away at work.

 

Eventually, the house next door was sold, and new neighbours moved in.  The new neighbours were unfamiliar with dogs, especially dogs of this size.  The dog's owners could tell they were frightened, but didn't think it was their responsibility to make their new neighbours more comfortable.  From the dog owners' perspective, their dog was friendly.  From the new neighbours' perspective, the dog barked and growled at them every time they were outside, so they were afraid.

 

Well, one day, the dog escaped....as sometimes happens with unsupervised dogs.  When the neighbours saw the loose dog coming towards them, they panicked and called police.  The police officer on the scene did not know this dog.  He didn't know if it would try to bite him if he approached.  When the dog suddenly ran towards him, he fired his weapon.  When that didn't stop the dog, the officer fired two more shots.  The dog ran off.  He was later found dead from three gun shot wounds.

 

What lessons can be learned from this story? 

 

1. Every dog should be well socialized.

2. A dog should have at least minimal obedience training and respond to basic commands such as come, sit, down, and stay.

3. A dog should ALWAYS be supervised.

4. A dog owner should ensure that all the neighbours are as comfortable as possible with his/her well-behaved, well socialized dog.

5. A dog should not be considered a weapon.

The best way to ensure your dog is never accused of unwarranted aggression is to not only supervise your dog at all times, but to make sure your DOG, not you, recognizes the difference between friendly individuals and those who are not.  What a sad life it must be for those dogs who, because they don't know how to read the signals, believe all strangers are scary.  In fact, most strangers are nothing to be feared and may even be new playmates!  All it would take is a little more socialization, and any dog could learn to take care of itself by avoiding those who are threatening, and advertising its desire to play to anyone who's interested.

I have one quick rule for aggression in dogs.  That is:  "If the owner doesn't feel threatened, the dog shouldn't feel threatened either."

Remember: Everyday, breeders of every imaginable breed of dog successfully compete in obedience with their intact breeding stock.  Age, size, gender, reproductive status, breed; none are an impediment to a well trained dog.  The responsibility for that always rests in the hands of the owner.

Aggression.  It's not what you think.

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