What is Aggression?

I had a demonstration recently with a Brazilian Mastiff that I was told is “aggressive.”  This dog is muzzled with a basket muzzle every time it leaves the home.  When kenneled it is labeled as a “do not handle” dog.

When I met the dog at the boarding facility we kept the muzzle off and I gently approached the dog.  I knew right away it was fearful.  The tail was tucked tightly under the body, the body of the dog was tense, ears moving in every direction to listen to all the noises and stuck tightly to the owner’s space.  When I approached, the dog smelled me but did not move away, lunge, bare it’s teeth, try to bite or snap it’s teeth at me nor did it try to run away and charge at the dogs in a near by play area.  This dog was mislabeled as aggressive.

The owner had gotten training before and it was the trainer who labeled this dog as a dangerously aggressive dog.  During my entire training period I saw no aggression, just fear.

Too many times a large dog who acts out of fear we see as aggression when there is none present. So what is truly aggressive behavior?  Look for these signs:

• Becoming very still and rigid
• Guttural bark that sounds threatening
• Lunging forward or charging at the person with no contact
• Mouthing, as though to move or control the person, without applying significant pressure
• “Muzzle punch” (the dog literally punches the person with her nose)
• Growl
• Showing teeth
• Snarl (a combination of growling and showing teeth) 
• Snap
• Quick nip that leaves no mark
• Quick bite that tears the skin
• Bite with enough pressure to cause a bruise
• Bite that causes puncture wounds
• Repeated bites in rapid succession
• Bite and shake

A dog rarely bites without a warning sign.  Take these warning signs seriously and get training before the dog gets out of hand.  There are many reasons a dog can be aggressive, but not all behaviors means a dog will be aggressive.  Be safe, but do not jump to conclusions that may cause your dog to act out even more.