By Fran Jewell
One of the reasons for dog aggression, either with humans, dog to dog or even both, is that we humans do not know dog behavior and what it means. The second part of that is your behavior and feelings that the dog feels from you. And the third part is the dog feeling lack of leadership from you. I am going to discuss just dog behavior in this article.
We humans simply are a different species and what we think dog behavior means is very far from the truth. We must step out of our human preconceptions about what dogs are saying and respect dogs for being dogs to truly understand them. That is incredibly hard for us to do, especially when our dogs are such cuddly and cute beings all by themselves. Occasionally, if we own a power breed, such as a Rottweiler, Cane Corso, Malinois, a livestock guardian such as a Great Pyrenees or Akbash, even German shepherds, we tend to pay a little closer attention to those behaviors because of the “powerfulness” of that breed. When we own cuddly goldens, doodles, or even hunting dogs with longer soft coats, many times we can overlook what those behaviors really are.
I was on a walk recently and ran into a lady with a lovely older dog that expounded that she always watches the tail. She is not the only one. We like to think that if a dog’s tail is wagging, it means they are friendly. However, as there are so many ways a dog wags its tail, we need to observe and understand what each wag means. A high wagging tail can mean the dog is insecure and wants the other dog or person to be respectful. It can also mean the dog is very dominant. Watching the rest of the body is critical. If the rest of the body is tense or stiff, it can mean this dog is not going to tolerate anything he doesn’t like. In this case, it can mean the dog may move into fight mode, even from lack of confidence or dominance. If the other dog or you approach looking directly at that dog, the dog may move into the “I’ve been challenged” mode. When you are walking with your own dog, try not to allow face to face encounters, with your dog looking directly into the other dog’s eyes. Just move along, don’t visit. Dogs DO NOT NEED TO VISIT!!! The longer the interaction, the more chance an altercation may exist. The shorter the interaction, the better it is. Letting the dog know you are in control of the length of the interaction gives your dog a sense of safety.
A tail that is relaxed and wagging is a much better sign that the dog wants to interact in a friendly manner. Of course, it is very hard to tell with a dog that has no tail or a dog with a short tail. The same rules apply, however. If you cannot see the signals from the tail, watch the tenseness of the dog. Especially, watch the placement of the dog’s head. A higher head can mean dominance, and sometimes, even a lowered head can mean aggression. A relaxed head, in a neutral position, will be a more kindly dog. Frankly, the owner with a dog running at you full speed yelling, “He’s friendly!” is not something you should listen to. Always look to the dog for his signals and body language.
Hackles are another thing most people don’t understand. Hackles over the shoulders generally mean excitement. Hackles over the tail generally mean fear and if the hackles go all the way down the back, this dog is probably a very strong dog and will want his way or is aggressive. I had a client once (shared with her permission) that had a lovely doodle. As he got older, she took him to be groomed and for fun she had the groomer leave a strip down his back like a Mohawk. To her amazement, she started telling me that every dog in the neighborhood started barking at him and aggressing through their fences. It never occurred to anyone that the Mohawk looked like aggression to all the other dogs, ultimately setting this dog up for an attack from another dog that might be off leash!
After some 40-plus years of dog training, I still learn something every day about dog behavior. Some dog is not going to fit the “image” of what a particular behavior means. That’s about all I do with my own dogs and all the thousands of client dogs I have worked with. I try to log away in my brain all those behaviors. The point here is to say, please observe. Don’t ever think that one behavior always means the same thing. It’s sort of like our own languages. Just think of all the languages across the world! Dogs and many dog breeds have different languages they use with each other and with us. Any dog will always teach us something we didn’t know if we pay attention!
Fran Jewell is a dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor and vice president. She owns Positive Puppy Dog Training LLC and can be reached at (208) 721-7221.
