Dogs can grow aggressive towards something or someone they see as a threat. Read on for ways to manage your dog’s fear aggression and help them feel better.
If your dog has ever shown signs of aggression towards another person or pet, you know how stressful it can be for everyone involved. The last thing anyone wants is for their dog to be seen as mean or unsafe to be around, and it can be hard to figure out what exactly is triggering them.
While concerning, it’s common for canines to exhibit occasional acts of aggression, whether it be from resource guarding, illness, or prey drive. But perhaps one of the most common causes of aggression in dogs is fear or anxiety. Read on to learn why fear and stress may cause a dog to act aggressive, and how to manage the behavior.
Fear aggression is part of an animal’s survival instinct, and domestic dogs are no exception. When a dog faces a threat, they do one of four things: fight, flight, fidget, or freeze. Fear aggression is the option that dogs will often resort to when they’re trapped and cannot flee; they will lash out to try to make space so that they can get away.
As with other types of aggression (Trusted Source), fear aggression is a dog’s response to a perceived threat. From our perspective, the threat may not be real at all, but to the dog, it’s a matter of life or death.
In some cases, fear aggression can stem from a negative association with something. For example, your dog could be terrified of squirrels. It’s unlikely that a squirrel will cause any harm to your dog, but at some point, a thunderstorm could’ve started or a car could’ve backfired while your dog was checking out a squirrel. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to create a lasting fear.
Fear aggression can manifest in many ways and is often influenced by what actions the dog took to successfully make a perceived threat go away. Generally speaking, dogs will offer specific behaviors to signal discomfort with a situation. The dog will often start with subtler signals, and if those warnings are not respected, they’ll ‘yell louder’ or demonstrate a more extreme response.
When trying to decode your dog’s body language, it’s important to break down the puzzle pieces but also look at the whole picture. For example, you can’t assume that panting means your dog is fearful — it’s very common for dogs to pant when they’re stressed. To differentiate between the two, you’d need to look at what the rest of your dog’s body is doing (like pacing) and what’s happening in their environment (such as temperature or a high-traffic location). Looking at these pieces together gives you a more accurate reading of what your dog is saying.
If your dog is fearful, you may see the following body language signals:
⚠️ Don’t punish your dog for growling at you, as it may teach them to skip the verbal warning and go straight for a bite to get their message across. It’s important that we respect the warning signs our dogs give us so that they don’t feel the need to escalate to a more dangerous behavior.
One or multiple factors can cause fear aggression. Traumas are a common cause of fear aggression. For example, imagine you and your pup are walking down the street. Out of nowhere, an off-leash dog comes and attacks your dog. It wouldn’t be abnormal for your dog to become fearful of other dogs or even going on walks following that incident. Ingrained fears can also come from a dog’s experiences during their developmental stages as a puppy (up to 14 weeks) or their second fear period (between 6 – 14 months old). Additionally, lack of quality maternal care and exercise during developmental stages have been linked to more fearful qualities, including noise sensitivity(Trusted Source).
Learning history is another factor to consider. A dog that was hit when they had accidents in the house may now fear people reaching over their head, even if it’s to pet them gently. And, as we mentioned above, if you ignore or punish a growl, your dog may feel the need to escalate their warning signs to biting the next time around. This is a common way fearful dogs are pushed into becoming fear aggressive.
Unfortunately, small dogs are pushed to this quite often, as many people ignore the warning signs that they’re uncomfortable because of their size. After all, a growl from a Chihuahua is much less intimidating than a growl from a cane corso. Genetics also can play a role in fear development, with certain breeds more prone to noise sensitivities and generalized anxiety.The most common triggers for fear aggression include:
While some triggers are more common than others, it’s important to remember that fear aggression is something a dog develops towards a perceived threat. Even if the trigger seems ridiculous to us, such as a balloon or plastic bag in the wind, for your dog, it’s a matter of life or death.
If you’re trying to determine if your dog has fear aggression, you must first distinguish whether they are experiencing fear aggression or simply fear. Many dogs can be afraid without escalating to aggression, so long as their warning signs are respected. If your dog resorts to lunging, nipping, and trying to bite, this is a good clue that they fall into the fear aggression category.
Because behaviors associated with fear aggression can have a higher risk of injury, we recommend consulting a certified behavior professional for support. They can work with you to develop an individualized training plan for your pup that fits your situation and lifestyle. Extreme cases may warrant seeing a veterinary behaviorist who can work with you on behavior modification and management, determine any underlying medical conditions, and prescribe medications if necessary.
Speaking with your veterinarian is also a great place to start. Remember, any fearful behavior is a sign that your dog is struggling. Addressing the situation is important to help get your pet’s mental well-being back on track.
Regardless of your dog’s trigger, and whether it’s fear aggression or just a frightened pup, behavior modification is an important step in improving your dog’s mental well-being. Two main techniques you’ll want to delve into are counterconditioning and desensitization. The goal is to change your dog’s feelings toward the trigger by associating it with something positive.
Behavior modification works by slowly and consistently exposing your dog to the trigger in a controlled manner while keeping them under their threshold. The training techniques also work to change your dog’s emotional and behavioral response to the trigger(s) they’re targeting.
Make sure to only use rewards-based positive reinforcement training when working to counteract fear. By yanking a prong or choke chain when your dog is barking at something they’re afraid of, you only increase their fear of the trigger, even if your dog stops barking in the short term.
This is very accurate. Any form of "punishment" has been shown to cause irreparable harm in some dogs!
Dr. Erica Irish
Avoid the known triggers when you’re not ready to train so that you don’t allow your dog to practice or escalate their behavior. For example, if Fido runs up and bites a house guest’s ankles when they walk by, it may be best to crate Fido in a separate room during your get-together. Not only will this protect your guests, it will remove Fido from the stressful situation and alleviate their fear.
Another example would be if your dog is fear aggressive towards other dogs and you’re taking them to the vet. You might call ahead and let the receptionist know so they can lead you in through a side entrance or let you know when the lobby is clear. This lets you avoid stressing your pup out right when you get there!
Additionally, removal from a stressful situation is always better than trying to ‘power through’ and hope for the best. Setting your dog up to succeed means that sometimes you need to protect your dog from their own choices.
If you’re concerned that your dog’s choices may hurt them or someone else, feel free to wrap them in metaphorical bubble wrap. By that, we mean using tools that create a buffer around them, such as a muzzle, leash, crate, baby gate, etc. Just because you need to use these tools doesn’t mean your dog is bad. Instead, think of it as keeping them safe, in addition to everyone else.
If triggers are unavoidable, make sure you’re prepared for them so that you can set your pup up to succeed. Plan to use your management tools, such as having your dog on a harness and leash, and having their favorite snacks handy. Here’s one example:Your dog is afraid of strangers, but you need to introduce them to a potential dog sitter. Here’s the best way to do that:
The situation may not go perfectly, and your dog may still experience fear. But by controlling as many factors as possible, you’re protecting your dog and your guest while also not setting your pup’s progress back.
As with learning anything new, practice is essential to rewire pathways in the brain and create lasting change. To avoid setbacks, make sure to remain consistent with your training in terms of what you’re asking of your pup and scheduling purposes. If you got a few weeks without a training session, you’re not a bad pet parent and certainly not the only one. When picking the training back up, expect your dog to backslide a little from the lack of practice. Don’t worry. They’ll be back up to speed in no time!
Fear aggression in dogs is one of the most common behavioral challenges pet parents experience. It can be frustrating and sometimes scary to work through fear aggression, so contact a certified professional if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Their help will give you peace of mind and ensure you, your pup, and everyone else stays safe.
While your dog’s triggers may not seem like much, the danger they perceive is very real, and they are struggling. Helping your dog feel better about the things that scare them requires patience and time, but in the long run, both you and your dog will be grateful you put the work in.
Treating fear aggression in dogs includes avoiding environments that may trigger your pup as well as desensitization and counterconditioning to help the trigger(s) seem less scary to your pup.
Unfortunately, dogs who have begun to show fearful, aggressive, or other atypical behaviors do not outgrow them.
Fearful dogs tend to make themselves look smaller and back away to create distance between themselves and the trigger. Aggressive dogs will make themselves look bigger and more toward the trigger.
Fear aggression is the most common form of aggression in dogs and is one of the more common behavioral challenges pet parents experience.
The best way to start socializing your dog with fear aggression is by slowly exposing them to the trigger from a distance, while giving them something they like (treats, play, pets).
