What Triggers Dog Aggression?

What triggers dog aggression? This is a question that any dog owner will ask themselves at some point as every dog will have moments where it will show it is unhappy by barking, growling, or even nipping at another dog or person. By understanding what triggers it you will be able to avoid various situations or at least understand if they are doing something that comes naturally to them and will mean you do not have to discipline them quite as much.

1. Invasion of their territory.
A dog, by nature, is territorial even if there are several in the house and they will naturally make a noise and show others that they have crossed a certain line and to come no closer. If you only have one dog, then they will see protecting your home and their area to be an extremely important job so in this instance they will feel that there is no problem in showing they are angry when all they are doing is protecting what belongs to them.

2. People that bring back bad memories.
It is common for dogs to become aggressive towards certain groups of people if they have memories of having been badly treated by someone that belongs to that group in the past. This generally means that if a child has caused it pain, then it may bark or growl when around children of the same height and the same goes with any other group in society and it can even go as far as a certain perfume reminding them of something bad. This, once again, is the dog marking out a boundary that they are comfortable with whilst warning them not to come any closer.

3. Frustration.
Frustration in a dog will lead to stress and this, in turn, can lead to an increase in barking or growling as this frustration continues to build. This may be something as simple as them seeing someone and unable to get to them when they really want to or frustration in someone taking away something that belongs to them and this will eventually boil up to a point where they vent their anger towards someone or something else instead.

4. Illness and handling them the wrong way.
Just as we can be cranky when we are ill the same can be said for dogs so if they are feeling under the weather, then they may be more irritable than they otherwise would have been. The same can actually be said for when they are tired so if they have just woken up, then let them come to before handling them. It is also best to point out that handling them the wrong way or inadvertently hurting them will lead to them trying to nip you or growl, but this is their attempt to tell you to stop what you are doing right now.

Those are just some of the triggers that may make your dog bark or growl and generally show that they are not very happy at all with something that is going on around them. Do make sure that it does not become a problem by nipping things in the bud as quickly as possible because whilst it may be natural it can quickly turn into an issue if not dealt with correctly.