![]() ![]() I consider “aggressive” as the intent to do harm and most fear based dogs have no such initial intent, but rather default to being reactive in order to accomplish what they need time and distance.Īggression - Intent to do harm outside the context of territorial or protection. Most fearful dogs that I have encountered I would classify as “reactive” and not “aggressive”. Acts of aggression (Intent to do harm) are for the purpose of gaining control of territory, resources, protection of others, protection of position, or protection of self. With aggression displays (Reactive) it is often for the purpose of increasing the distance between them and the target, but it can simply be due to excitement or frustration (over-arousal). A realistic and reasonable primary goal is to prevent dogs from feeling the need to react to other dogs and at a minimum ignore or tolerate appropriate respectful dogs. I think a more reasoned position would be how do we keep a dog from reacting to dogs who are acting appropriately and respectfully, and not rude. Often people say they would like their dog to be friendly toward dogs they meet and or they would like them to learn to play with other dogs without it getting out of control or turning into aggression. If a dog has a serious bite history, or escalating bite history increasing in damage consult with a professional for an assessment. Another important consideration is a dog’s bite history. Although dogs may come to enjoy or at least accept dogs, we must always keep in mind this is not likely to apply to every dog they meet. For some dogs the behavior can be greatly improved but they will always need to be supervised and managed in every situation. Most dogs can learn to be in the presence of other dogs without acting out. Context is important when working through these issues and it can require the help of a knowledgeable individual to determine the reasons for a dog’s reactions. There is a much greater chance of improving our dogs behavior when it is predictable. Dogs can act this way out of excitement, frustration, fear, pain, and sometimes out of aggression. They will whine, bark, lunge, etc… even when the dog is at a great distance. Many dogs are out of control when they see another dog. This can be a very challenging and time consuming behavior to work through to gain control and to get your dog exercising self-control at least in your presence. Just because we do not understand the wonderful variety of sounds that dogs vocalize does not mean that dogs are not doing their best to communicate with us.One common behavior that frustrates dog owners is reactivity and/or aggression toward other dogs. A dog howling by itself is communicating, “I want my pack.” Such a howl is often contagious.ĭogs make sounds both intentionally and unintentionally, and they all have certain meanings. Howling in dogs seems to be a behavior similar to that in wolves. The quintessential communication of affiliation is the howl. When researchers played different types of recorded growls over a speaker in front of a desirable bone, dogs avoided the bone in the presence of warning growls but grabbed it in the presence of play-growls. Such growls are noisy and medium-pitched, with no low rumbling (like that heard in warning growls) and no signs of teeth.Ĭompared to people, dogs have a much clearer understanding of the difference between play-growls and threatening growls. Similarly, there are growls that are not used as warnings or threats but are used to communicate play. The difference is that a whine used to communicate distress rises in pitch toward the end of the sound, whereas a whine communicating excitement either drops in pitch toward the end of the sound or does not change in pitch. ![]() When the sigh is combined with half-closed eyes, it communicates pleasure with fully open eyes, it communicates disappointment: “I guess you are not going to play with me.”Īlthough considered signs of distress, whines can also be used to communicate happiness and excitement. Another sound of contentment is the sigh, usually accompanied by the dog lying down with its head on its forepaws. ![]() Puppies moan when they are in close contact to their littermates, their mother, or their humans. Low-pitched moans are very common in puppies and are signs of contentment. The most common sounds of pleasure are moans and sighs, although dogs also use whines and growls to communicate happiness. Dogs communicate pleasure, happiness, excitement, and affiliation through their vocalizations. ![]()
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