Following are a few things that can inspire aggression in your pup:
- Prey or Predatorial Instinct
Dogs are predators and descended from predators. When the dog does not understand an appropriate outlet for its instincts, they may choose an outlet that makes sense to them. Some things you can do to dissuade this behavior may include giving your dog lots of socialization, playing with your dog, setting up games like "find the treat" and "what´s in this bone?"
- Nutrition
This can manifest as predatorial aggression as a hungry dog. Alternatively, this aggression can also appear as excessive hyperactivity or lethargy. You need to speak to your vet about these concerns.
- Medical Problems or Pain
Again, your vet is your partner in caring for your pet. If your pet starts growling or snapping for no visible reason, you should look the pet over yourself once he calms down and schedule a check-up with your vet.
- Nutrition
Because the above are less common reasons for doggy aggression, your best recourse will be to consult your vet or trainer. As always, controlling your pet needs to be done without screaming or yelling, which can actually provoke an aggressive dog to greater heights.
Try to think through your pet´s motivation, and you will probably be on your way to modifying its actions. Aggression in dogs can be complex, but there is usually a good solution.
