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.

I'm another one who has used body blocking effectively with aggressive or reactive dogs. The dog would have to be properly vicious to go for a body bite.

If you are needing to block a dog , trust me it is aroused. We will agree to differ on this approach .

If the dog is not aroused you can give a positive interrupter or a lets go and happily and cheerfully move the dog without touching it or any pressure of physical blocking

Is the resource gaurding breed trait? Have you tried speaking to the breeder about it too?

I know that Cockers and potentially their crosses can be prone to resource guarding

We were very lucky to be under the guidance of a very successful dog psychologist whilst fostering various dogs through rescue services. Body blocking is highly effective, when used at the appropriate time with the appropriate dog. No training is an easy one size fits all.

I know we don’t need a debate about PTS or not, because I can assume most of us are not cold hearted psychopaths, but worth mentioning that @Legooo saying

“even if you hire all the behaviourists you want you will never get a calm and happy dog“ is clearly absolute bollocks.

I can sympathise with you.. Recent dog was aggressive since a pup. Hated strangers in the house and hated people touching him its really hard to work around, i was stuck in the house for years no one would help when I requested it no centre would take him because he was aggressive their is literally no help. I lived on egg shells and fear he'd accidentally get out. He was from a back yard breeder I didn't have any clue dogs could be aggressive and it doesn't help when people say 'it's the owners fault its how they are brought up' I believe its genetic. I used to tell people he didn't like strangers and they'd still try to stroke him!!! I feel for you I really do it limits you I know you're OK at the moment but its depressing and leaves you anxiety ridden after years and years of been on your own to cope. I don't know what you are going to do but if it's genetic it's a bigger problem than trying to train it out the dog.

even if you hire all the behaviourists you want you will never get a calm and happy dog“ is clearly absolute bollocks.

Perhaps I should rephrase. You will never have a naturally calm and happy dog, not without constant management’s, completely changing and in most cases limiting your life and forever being on egg shells. One slip up and you can lose months of work at best, a child’s face at worst.

I know we don’t need a debate about PTS or not, because I can assume most of us are not cold hearted psychopaths

Yes, because the only people who would ever consider pts is a ‘psychopath’. The reasons people keep these dogs and minimise their aggression are purely selfish ones

They aren’t thinking about an anxious and fearful animal, that is forced to live a seriously limited and managed life. They aren’t thinking about their dc who probably want a dog they can actually play with/take for a walk/bit fear.

They are thinking only of themselves. How bad they would feel. What people would think of them for failing or ‘giving up’. How sad it would make them.

I largely agree @Legooo

@Legooo

even if you hire all the behaviourists you want you will never get a calm and happy dog“ is clearly absolute bollocks.

Perhaps I should rephrase. You will never have a naturally calm and happy dog, not without constant management’s, completely changing and in most cases limiting your life and forever being on egg shells. One slip up and you can lose months of work at best, a child’s face at worst.

I know we don’t need a debate about PTS or not, because I can assume most of us are not cold hearted psychopaths

Yes, because the only people who would ever consider pts is a ‘psychopath’. The reasons people keep these dogs and minimise their aggression are purely selfish ones

They aren’t thinking about an anxious and fearful animal, that is forced to live a seriously limited and managed life. They aren’t thinking about their dc who probably want a dog they can actually play with/take for a walk/bit fear.

They are thinking only of themselves. How bad they would feel. What people would think of them for failing or ‘giving up’. How sad it would make them.

Agreed. My reasoning? because I've been through it and only when you have can you possibly know how it feels.

I think Dog house has done quite well on this thread to get to page 4 before the PTS threads kick in

I was just thinking the same thing Polly! When I first posted for support after our dog (then a 7 month old pup) reacted following the incident with the child screaming in his face I was told PTS within the first few replies.

Everyone's been very kind and respectful which hasn't always been mine experience of this board.

I have a reactive dog - he doesn't like kids (aside from our own son) -he has lunged but never bitten anyone. Also growls at workmen - dislikes visitors. He's fine with other dogs and with people in parks if they're not kids. He doesn't seek kids out - but hates their attention or their perceived attention.
We have been seeing a behaviourist & he has been doing well at the training (he's learning to acknowledge the presence of kids, then look away...for a treat). Not what I expected either, but this is the dog i've been entrusted with. Need to make it work for everyone's sake.

Can the breeder offer any help or advice if the characteristics occur in litter mates or parents?

Sending hand holds anyway. You sound so much like you are giving everything to sort this out. Look after yourself too

@Babdoc

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.

Yes the facts are correct and far too many dog attacks. However dogs are a long long way removed from wolves. Domestic dogs are probably 2000 years of breeding away from wolves.