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Dog Aggression – Is it predictable? How do humans’ contribute to dogaggression? Are we responsible? Part One
 These teeth are dogs defensive weapons…they use them to prevent aggressive human behavior!
Fighting between dogs is common and often normal dog behavior; however, we shouldbe concerned how successfully we socialize our dogs, as well as consider the contextualenvironment and quality of where and how social interactions take place. I previouslydiscussed, if using
dominance
as a construct was useful in
intraspecific
(
dog-dog
) and
interspecific
(
dog-human
) relationships see
Dominance – is it appropriate to explainsocial relationships between dogs and humans?
 The focus was
how dogs learn to communicate with each other 
, theimportance of contextual cues available to them in the environment, the physiologicaland mental states of each individual participant and their earlier social experience. These elements set the tone for each individual dog’s future communicative abilities,their confidence, and adaptability in changing environments and social situations.Applying this same associative learning principle to developing dog-human relationships,this paper discusses how owners contribute to their dog’s behavior and how predictablean individual dogs’ future behavior develops based on our decisions and behavior.
Introduction
“It is every behaviorist’s hope to see a dog that they would like to own or haveas a neighbor – a dog that can socialize with other dogs, cope with thestresses of modern living, behave in a way that is acceptable to the wider community – and an owner that is fully informed about responsible dogownership” (Judson 1995).
 The preceding quote underscores the importance for being an educated responsible dogowner. Dog owners’ benefit by having a satisfying dog-human relationship and bond,when they fail, in most instances, the dog pays the greatest price! This is no laughingmatter, “
behavior problems are one of the major reasons behind dog abandonment,disposal, and euthanasia
” (Arkow & Dow, 1984; Scarlett et al., 2002; Landsberg, 1991;Overall, 1997).
It begins first with breed selection
Breed choice made by owners in many instances determines success or failure
. Somebreeds need more skill and handling for an average dog owner, do not set yourself anddog up to fail because you have selected a dog above your training ability. Guardingdogs and large breeds in general can be more difficult to handle than small dogs,however, all dogs need training. The differences between large and small dogs is size,weight, genetics, breed function, and your ability to give enough training to managelarge dogs, otherwise large dogs present more risks and liability issues when unexpectedthings go wrong.
 
 The first thing owners should consider is their experience with dogs. Second is one’sfamiliarity with specific breeds and or size dogs. Third how much time do you have fortraining, what is your skill level and how much do you know about dog behavior. Thefourth consideration is picking a dog that fits your lifestyle not a choice based onmagazine pictures, TV shows, movies, last winning dog at Westminster, and immediatelyavailable at local pet shops that you should be steering clear of in the first place!
Mismatched owners and dogs!
According to research, “
mismatched 
”
owners cause serious problems for dogs
. Soserious they suggest owners’ inability to respond appropriately to dogs, the quality andtiming delivering cues and how well their dog understands what’s being communicatednot only affects training new behaviors but also maintaining trained behavior! The researchers (Yamamoto et al., 2009) speculated three factors decreased futureperformance, 1.)
delayed reward/punishment 
2.)
delayed presentation of commands
,
delivery quality, and poor attention
3.)
leaves the dog confused.
The authors suggest a“
negative psychological effect 
” of feeling awkward, already demonstrated in humans,and possible that dog’s experience this same “
negative psychological effect” 
leading tothe confused state. An animal can’t sufficiently learn and support trained behaviors in astate of confusion. This
emphasizes clear, consistent communication from both ends of the leash, this means respecting what your dog is communicating to you!
Professional dog trainers already know how important delivery of commands affectsperformance and training. We recognize dogs’ attention is important when deliveringcues, verbal and visual, and how timing of reinforcement and/or punishment effectssuccessful training. The purpose for this research was to look at how owner responses and delayed timingaffected their dogs overall performance. Their results suggest an overall importance of timing when training new behaviors as well as maintaining already trained behaviors ineveryday life. The
consequences of your choice and “mismatch” and ignoring these factors causes“stress, frustration, and anxiety in dogs” emphasizing the importance that owners need to understand how their action’s influence their dog’s behavior 
(Yamamoto et al., 2009).
Owner knowledge and ability 
An owner’s relationship and ability to manage and train their dog is critical to dogssucceeding in adapting to differing human environments. According to a study (Kass1998), there are differences between people who relinquish pets to shelters and thosewho do not. There were occasions when loss of job, change in income, and/or changes infamily was given as a reason; however, the majority was young, poor, and lesseducated. Many had a poor understanding what it means to own pets, vaccinationschedules, neutering, basic training, and knowledge of animal behavior.
Dog-owner bond, it’s important to avoid creating conflicts
Because a dog’s behavior affects its relationship and attachment with its owners,its later behavior has profound effects on their perception of the dog. This is whybehavior problems and/or preventive measure need addressed during the socializationand juvenile period. This means training and socialization begins the day owners bringthe new puppy home and throughout the rest of their lives! Developmental phases varyaccording to breed, individual dog and generally, toy breeds mature faster.It’s recommended owners understand normal canine behavior, their developmentalperiods, what is expected behaviorally, how to effectively use reinforcement and/or
 
appropriate punishment, and recognize how to change problem behavior before it getsworse. Seek professional help early and not later if necessary, behavior problems have abetter chance for successful resolution when owners are proactive.According to Pageat (1999), what puppies learn during the socialization period will affecttheir behavior for the rest of their life. He suggests
behaviors necessary for successfuladaptation should include learning self-control, intra and interspecific communication(dog and human), rules and social hierarchies, detachment, confidence in exploring their environment and socialization skills with humans
.
Success means, you need the right help
Professional dog trainers
help you; we develop the skill and art through education andhands-on-learning. Like any skill, it takes time to learn, we don’t expect owners to havethis skill. However, owners benefit when they choose good trainers. We help youprevent behavior problems preserving quality of life for your dog.
Trainers with abackground in dog behavior would be one’s wisest choice
.Certified members of the
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
needto meet
5 Core Areas of Expertise
.
They require completion of 30 CEU’s
(continuingeducation units)
every two years. You should qualify dog trainers and dog behaviorists. Ask to see their resume, where they obtained their certifications and credentials
.
Your purpose is deciding between dog trainers educated in current scientifically sound training practices from those that do not. Your choice should be dog trainers and/or behavior consultants that use positive reinforcement, understand dogcommunication and use correction only if necessary using the least amount of force,sometimes called LIMA least intrusive minimally aversive.
According to research (Gazzano et al., 2008) it is
common belief that information provided by skilled professionals has a positive effect on the bond between dogs and humans, how dogs interact with others, and how well they adapt to living with us
. Theauthors suggest aside from medical problems,
owners contribute to behavior problemsin three ways 1.) lack of knowledge about a dogs biological and socio-psychologicalneeds, 2.) incorrect expectations either projected on dogs from owners at the species’ level and/or at the individual level, 3.) and improper interactive behavior with one’s pet!
For more information on research mentioned in the preceding paragraph see “
The prevention of undesirable behaviors in dogs: effectiveness of veterinary behaviorists’ advice given to puppy owners” Journal Veterinary Behavior (2008), Vol. 3, No. 3May/June
.If you have a serious behavior problem you may want to consult with a
board certified veterinary behaviorist (ACVB or AVSAB)
or
certified applied behaviorist (ABS)
. However,there are limited numbers of these professionals.
The purpose of IAABC provides accessto professionally trained dog behavior specialists. Many members not only train dogs,but also give preventative behavioral advice, puppy selection help, referrals to qualified breeders, qualified shelters/rescues, and specialized classes for specific problems e.g.“feisty fido.” 
Understanding punishment and its effect on training and futurebehavior 
“The aggressor always had a purpose behind his attack; he wanted somethingto be done, some object to be surrendered by the defender.”
~ MahatmaGandhi
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