How common is aggression in dogs?

[Lavenderteal271]

Our dog is 14 months old. He's shown aggressive traits since he was 8 months. Mainly fear based but also now territorial. We've been working with a behaviourist but I think this is something we'll always have to manage.

I have very little experience of dogs and I'm just wondering how unlucky we've been here. It's pretty gutting that the family pet we'd waited for for so long has these issues.

We have a reactive dog. She wasn't like it as a pup but has got more so as she's got older. For us it's because she's older and going a bit blind, and is a bit stiff and sore, so if corner she will reactive to keep herself safe. She's wonderful and fabulous but I am always watchful, cautious. I have bought her a jacket which says "I need space" so that people can see from quite a distance away, as the having to constantly yell "she's not great with other dogs" and put her into a protective spot was making our dog walks so stressful.

I have been astonished, I mean completely astonished at how many parents let their small children run up to dogs/puppies without checking with the owners. Sorry your dog had a bad experience that has really shaped things for him :(. I hope the behaviourist can help. It really is not your fault!

I have a very reactive dog OP and have had a very happy 6 years and counting with him. Things that help our dude in addition to specific training are firm boundaries (so he knows we're in control of situations and will look after him), giving him space away from scary visitors, and not making a fuss when he reacts, just keep walking. A reactive dog can still be a happy part of a family, but it obviously depends on the reasons for and extent of the reactivity. Mine's a big grumpy teddy bear and I adore him.

We have a reactive dog. In the home he's an absolutely lovely biddable muppet, unless we have visitors, when he's either crated or put in the car. He cannot be trusted with visitors or other dogs, most of the time he is ok but he's unpredictable and will growl, snap and bite. We walk him in remote places at odd times, so as to minimised contact. He's always muzzled outside of the house.
We rehomed him 10 years ago, there were no signs of aggression in the kennels, they emerged a few weeks after he came to live with us. We decided we had an obligation to him but he's not the family friendly laid back dog we thought we were getting and wanted. He is slightly less aggressive as he gets older, possibly related to home going deaf, so he hears less and doesn't seem to be on alert as much
for everyone in a similar situation. It's so hard!

Thanks again for all the lovely, supportive replies. I feel so much better for reading them.

I would never ever allow him around other DC now. I feel very strongly about this because if he were to bite a child that would be game over. It would be so irresponsible of us to put him in a situation that we know he can't cope with and it's our responsibility to protect him from that.

We're very lucky that we're a quiet household. We can keep him separate from DS's friends. I do need to find some kind of doggy day care that will take him when we have our niece and nephew to visit though. They're 3 and 5 so I wouldn't expect them to stay out of certain rooms in the house, I'd be too nervous about it. They're also at that age where they do scream and run about.

Thats the other thing that is worrying me. Who will take him when we go on holiday or need day care? We don't have any family or friends who could manage their home to keep him safe. I'm thinking that a kennels would be the best environment, he wouldn't be disturbed when he's sleeping, he'd have his own space. Any thoughts?

Kennels can work. He will have his own space and can be handled as much or as little as he can tolerate. Do research as there is a lot of difference between kennels (obiously).

Also ask your behaviourist they should be in a dog environment and be able to advise and give recommendations in your local area.

I have been astonished, I mean completely astonished at how many parents let their small children run up to dogs/puppies without checking with the owners

Absolutely! Adults too! Unfortunately he's a lovely looking dog, he looks like a minature spaniel with a short, glossy coat and beautiful spots. I've perfected my 'don’t stroke him, he's nervous' response.

The thing is that he can be very friendly when we're out and about, he does (or did) like going up to people for a fuss but I've put a stop to it. Once you've seen the reactive side it's very difficult to relax and I'm genuinely so worried that he could suddenly bite someone. I'd rather people just stay away.

Is he a mix from a backyard breeder? An unstable temperament is a pain in the arse. There a reason pay for a dog bred from trusted lines. That said OP don't give up. He's still young. If you meet folk out who are dog folk who want to fuss him I'd explain he's nervous and give them high value treats to feed him. Most dog folk will be happy to oblige.

Yes I totally get that

We used to have large dogs (Great Dane crosses) and tbh people approached them a lot less. Probably because they looked a bit more scary

We've got a working cocker puppy now and everyone comes up to him because they think he's cute.

I do think it's a size and looks thing so I can see why it's an issue for you

I'm now having to teach puppy to sit before he greets new people as it's actually ridiculous. We were in a cafe yesterday and puppy was asleep on the floor and a small child approached us from behind (I didn't see her coming) and pounced on the puppy while he was asleep. He yelped and rolled on his back as if to swipe at her but luckily didn't nip. The mother was on her phone and just sat and watched fgs! People really are stupid around animals.

Then you need to muzzle train him. Gives you some peace of mind, protects the unwary public and tips people off to give him a wide berth.

@lavenderteal271 Many dogs can show aggression you are not alone nor a bad owner. You are aware of it and can learn to control situations. One of my dogs hates dogs and strangers getting too close. He's been like this since I adopted him. I had him neutered regardless. He's getting better and much better than when I adopted him. See a qualified behaviourist an untrained behaviourist can do more bad than good. My dog is younger than yours. I know his triggers so I muzzle if there are lots of people about. Luckily I live rural and until lockdown didn't see many people. I dare say now a lockdown is imminent our village will be plagued again with walkers and joggers that dont distance so I will have to muzzle him when out. If you know your dogs triggers you can manage them. My dog is a lovely dog just doesn't like other dogs or strangers getting too close. He gets on great with my other dogs never been aggressive with them. I have a big dog too. Don't be afraid to tell people on walks to back of or keep distance or put their dogs on a leash. My dogs never off leash. Why should dogs have to like every dog or person.

In answer to your original question, OP, about how common aggression is in dogs - 250,000 people a year attend A and E with dog bites in the UK.
That’s a quarter of a million aggressive dogs, unless some are repeat offenders. I’ve been attacked three times myself, completely unprovoked. If you ask Royal Mail, they’ll tell you their delivery staff are regularly bitten. Dogs are territorial carnivores descended from wolves.
Training can not guarantee that a dog will never revert to its natural behaviour.

Poor you. This sounds very stressful for you: however, he's bitten your 12 year old? You have to give him a wide berth when he's sleeping? He has the overwhelming potential to attack a child?

You have a battle on your hands. Most people could not keep a dog that bites their child.
I'm sorry if that's not a gentle or supportive comment but he's biting your child... and for that reason, I'd rehome before he causes some real damage

My advice to be to ignore the previous comment about Rehoming. Too many rescues are full because people give up on their pets

I have a lot of sympathy OP. Being the owner of a reactive dog can be a very lonely place sometimes. I used to be so jealous when I saw people casually walking their dogs without issue. Our antisocial bugger died at 13, and we miss him like mad. I was going to suggest the FB group, but I saw someone has given you very helpful advice already. Nothing to add, just sympathy

I agree with Babdoc, dogs are natural predators, aggression is part of their DNA.
We expect a lot from our pet dogs... just read the endless comments about puppy biting!
I think you are doing great, dogs personalities are just as varied as us humans. Respect your dogs boundaries, know likes and dislikes. Work with the breed traits and give reassurance in "scary situations".

@Derbee yes ignore my sensible advice and let this dog keep biting her young child.
There's buoying someone up and then there is being ridiculous. On any other post, an op with an aggressive and biting dog would be given completely different advice

I would say reactive dogs are extremely common place, especially due to the rise of backstreet breeders and sadly, incompetent owners, although this is not the only reason for reactivity in dogs obviously the huge influx of new dog owners over the years has of course increased the potential for problems. (I may have a biased view though as used to work for animal shelter so always saw the damaged ones). A good behaviourist is first point of call. I would say from personal experience a dog that has already bitten is extremely difficult to rehome.

Couple of things OP - you are not alone! There are thousands of us out there. Just all separate because our reactive dogs won't let us get together
Have you joined the reactive dogs group on Facebook? They're really good for providing support and ideas and techniques. I'd definitely give it a go.

How to warn others - I'd recommend getting one of those leads/harnesses that say "no dogs" or "nervous dog" so people near you won't be surprised if he plays up. I've found in general my reaction is the worst part of the scenario. Dogs feed off you (as I'm sure your behaviourist has explained) so we get into a terrible cycle. I see another dog coming, I tense up. My girl then reacts to my tension as much as the other dog! But if I don't tense up, I risk not being able to control her reaction. Vicious circle. But I found muzzling her and having a warning lead gave me so much more confidence because if she starts lunging and freaking and barking, I know people around me can see I'm doing my best with her. She's not an out of control dog, she's a dog with issues, that I'm working with her to try and reduce. So for my sake those two measures have made a huge difference. I'm much less tense and anxios now when walking, and that has made a difference to her too. I've got from dreading every walk to actually enjoying them and going out for pleasure. We still have incidents and bad walks of course but I've definitely found it more pleasurable.

We'll never be able to have relaxing meals out in pubs with the dog lying at our feet as we had envisaged, or drop her off to my parents for free dog care. But we are learning our own little life is still enjoyable even if it isn't what we thought it would be.

Thanks again for all the replies.

Felicity-rehoming our dog isn't at option at the moment but it's not something we've completely ruled out we just haven't reached that point yet. We feel that our dog is still very young, still in his adolescence and we want to continue to work on this.

Lurchermom yes I am a member of the groups, the info files are fantastic however, the posts that people put on about their experiences are making me more anxious so I've taken a step back from reading them.

@Lavenderteal271

Thanks again for all the lovely, supportive replies. I feel so much better for reading them.

I would never ever allow him around other DC now. I feel very strongly about this because if he were to bite a child that would be game over. It would be so irresponsible of us to put him in a situation that we know he can't cope with and it's our responsibility to protect him from that.

We're very lucky that we're a quiet household. We can keep him separate from DS's friends. I do need to find some kind of doggy day care that will take him when we have our niece and nephew to visit though. They're 3 and 5 so I wouldn't expect them to stay out of certain rooms in the house, I'd be too nervous about it. They're also at that age where they do scream and run about.

Thats the other thing that is worrying me. Who will take him when we go on holiday or need day care? We don't have any family or friends who could manage their home to keep him safe. I'm thinking that a kennels would be the best environment, he wouldn't be disturbed when he's sleeping, he'd have his own space. Any thoughts?

We have a fab kennels near here (Gloucestershire) that offers internal rooms, so they don't look out on the exercise area, and they can't see other dogs from inside. It's worth looking around because these days kennels are so much more than a lock up and leave with food shoved in once a day scenario they possibly used to be. Where are you based?

I was thinking about this situation last night in bed.

I may be talking bollocks here and feel free to totally disregard this but it does seem like many of his issues come from him being touched. Which make sense. If he is being hypervigilant and someone touches or moves things near to him he acts before he thinks. eg being woken from sleep when you DS moved his arm etc.

It may help to only ever change his position or direct him using another method than to need to be close to him to do this. eg , treats thrown on the floor to create distance from other people out on walk. treats on floor to move from your ds arm over time you may be able to add in a hand touch to phsically move him.

Obviously your behaviourist will have seen the situation in rl and this may be way off and not the way to go at all. I was just pondering!

Thanks Polly, due to lockdown the behaviourist hasn't been able to see him in person only on zoom and because these incidents are few and far between she's never seen him react.

I think you're right though and we'll definitely take that on board. We don't stroke him on top of his head, his ears go down if you do that. He does like an ear rub and a leg massage 😄

Thanks lurchermom, we're not near you but we'll definitely do some research into whats available locally. He's not really that dog reactive, we've had a couple of incidents, one was a huge dog we met on a canal tow path and the other was a black Patterdale who stood absolutely rigid on the path ahead of us. I dont think our dog knew what to make of him, we crossed over and all was OK. I've met countless dog who have barked or snapped at other dogs so I understand that dogs can react to other dogs, it's their way of communicating that they want to be left alone. As an intact adolescent dog we see a lot of it directed to him.

It's the stuff at home that's the hardest really.

I empathise with everything you've written OP. I am an owner of a reactive dog and it can be very stressful and dominate your life and thinking. Every plan has to be considered around managing them.

My dog unfortunately has bitten drawing blood in the past, but has not done this in over a year now (age 5) and is generally so much better behaved than when he was a young dog. I think your dog by the sounds of it has shown a degree of bite inhibition, which is much more positive. I think Ian Dunbar has a dog bite scale for this which you can read about.

What has helped my dog is to ensure he has adequate rest - his behaviour was always worse when he was tired. So we did crate training and had crate rest periods to help address this.

Establishing a calm authority over him was important too - he needed to know, as another poster mentioned, that we were in charge of keeping him safe. I think they can sense a void of authority and then think - well who is in charge here, it must be me?! But this authority is achieved not through any confrontational means, and it is hard to establish this when they are over threshold and reacting as they can just push back harder. Rather we really doubled down on general training, all the standard commands and some extra ones, and used them regularly to maintain that calm authority over him.

You can work on desensitizing to body handling which may help make him less reactive to touch at other times. Grooming, massage, lots of treats whilst doing this to create the positive associations...building up to areas he is less comfortable with but safely and never pushing it if he looks like he may react (you will know his body language).

You will have a lot of managing to do as you already know - managing where he is when he eats, where he is when you eat, where he is when you have children over. A safe space is really important here, and if you are crating bear in mind that he may become protective of that space, so it should be in a room no children can access. You certainly do not want a situation where fingers are put through crate bars. I have a soft crate which means that is not a possibility.

Kennels are best I think for when you have to go away. You will probably worry less about him and good kennels are hugely experienced in working with all manner of dogs. I give mine the heads up on him in conversation and take in a print sheet of reminders of what he may be reactive over.