Is My Dog Protective or Aggressive? A dog’s protective behavior should never be an issue, but aggressive behavior is an issue. As a matter of fact, dogs are protective in nature, observing their surroundings & and territory and determining if what happens around them are threats.
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Most pet parents cannot distinguish well whether their dogs are protective, aggressive, or both! That’s what we will be talking about today.
What is the difference between aggression and Protection in a dog?
Aggression and protection are two distinct behaviors in dogs, although they can sometimes be mistaken for one another. Here are the key differences between aggression and protection:
1. Aggression:
Aggression in dogs refers to behavior that is intended to cause harm or threat to a person, another animal, or an object. It can be displayed in various forms, such as growling, snapping, biting, lunging, or showing dominant behavior. Aggression is often triggered by fear, territoriality, resource guarding, or social conflict.
Aggression can also be normal form of communication for dogs, but aggression toward people or animals is often considered undesirable.
Aggression can include behaviors like:
Staring, Growling, Barking, Snarling, Lunging, Snapping, Biting.
There is Reactivity too and Reactivity is characterized by increased arousal caused by common triggers. Reactive dogs may display behaviors like: Lunging, Barking, Growling.
The main difference between reactivity and aggression is that aggression requires intent to harm, while reactivity is a heightened state of emotion based on a trigger. Aggression is most commonly caused by fear. A dog's natural response to fear or a threatening situation is to flee. However, if a dog is cornered or has nowhere to run, they might growl, lunge, snap or bite in an attempt to get the threat to move away.
Reactive dogs are usually fearful dogs. They may become so preoccupied with whatever is triggering the emotion that they can be difficult to control and move out of the situation.
2. Protection:
Protection in dogs involves a natural instinct or trained behavior to guard or defend their family, territory, or possessions. A well-trained protection dog will exhibit controlled behavior, responding to specific commands or cues from their handler. Protection dogs are typically trained to only act upon a command or in response to a genuine threat, and they should be able to differentiate between friendly strangers and actual intruders.
Dogs are a social species. If they were left on their own, they would live together in small groups, or packs, of family and friends. If one member of a pack is in danger, the others typically rush in to help defend that individual.
A dog’s protective nature is not something that needs to be curbed as this is innate in them. To know if your dog is protective of you or of the things they consider their territory, they will:
Show intense focus on new things present in their environment
Exhibit a calm temperament with a sharp posture
Take a stand between you and the potential threats and perils
Bark or growl at possible threats
Return to their normal nature and disposition if no threat is assessed
These are the common signs that help you evaluate if your dog is being protective. A dog who is aggressive is a completely different.
Some dogs protective around children while others are aggressive. Some snarl whenever they are approached when eating. The others act protective whenever there are visitors in the house. To know why our dog acts protective or aggressive around certain things and situations, you should be able to figure out the things that cause them to act so.
As mentioned, your dog being protective is an innate trait. , dogs consider their owners to be part of their pack and thus inherently feel the need to protect them in case of any threats. They also naturally get protective of things they consider theirs such as their house or shelter and resources such as food, toys, and dog beds. But the protective mode is triggered only if they feel threatened or senses their owner’s fear.
The main distinction between aggression and protection lies in intent and control. Aggression is often reactive and uncontrolled, whereas protection is a controlled response that is directed by the owner or handler. It's important to note that not all dogs are suitable for protection work, as it requires specialized training and temperament evaluation to ensure responsible and safe behavior.
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