How to Prevent Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

As a dog owner, it's heartbreaking to see dog attacks in the news. The dog is often the secondary victim in these situations. I don't judge the decision to have an aggressive animal put down. It's an unfortunate but necessary action when the dog has become a danger to others.

But these incidents need never happen. After an attack, we blame the owners for the dog's behavior. The owners are often bewildered having no idea how they could have encouraged the behavior.

As owners, our actions influence our dog's behavior. Like children, they are highly responsive to what they see us do. In this regard, we are inadvertently reinforcing adverse behavior. Sometimes these are simple mistakes that we easily overlook. We may not mind when our dog jumps up to greet us and we reinforce this behavior by petting him. But like children, dogs must also interact with the world around him. Training your dog to behave in a certain manner is beneficial in many ways.

People who see a wandering dog without an owner are less likely to report the dog for pickup when they see it is well behaved. This indicates the dog is not a stray and has an worried owner somewhere. They will be more likely to check for a collar for contact information. A dog that will not forage in garbage even when hungry is less likely to get shot or ran off. Again, the probability is likely others will contact you to recover your pet.

Stress can increase aggressive behavior in your dog. Stress is increased in many different situations that may cause your dog to become defensive or confused. Examples include stressful veterinary visits, being left unattended for long periods and exaggerated greetings and departures.

Neutral reinforcement and decreasing negative stimuli during veterinary visits can greatly reduce your dog's stress. If there is no reason to assume anything painful will be done during the visit it should not be presented to the dog it a big deal. The less your dog is stimulated by a trip to the vet the better. It should be a simple outing and nothing more. Also, stress or fear can make it difficult for the doctor to evaluate your dog. Fear-free policies are now being implemented in many vet clinics.

Leaving your dog unattended for long periods can lead to barrier frustration, territorial behavior and reactive aggressive behavior. Leaving the dog in the back yard without frequent attention and stimuli increases the likelihood they will develop these unwanted behaviors. Barking or growling at people and pets passing by and pacing the fence line are indications your dog is developing potentially aggressive behaviors.

Nervous habits such as biting our nails or fidgeting are self rewarding behaviors. Barking and chewing are also a self rewarding behavior in dogs and can lead to aggressive behavior. The more he is allowed to bark the more he will continue. Trainers disagree in regards to chewing behavior. Some say it's okay if only for a chew toy, while others claim this to be positive reinforcement for chewing on everything. But if the dog is kept active with regular interaction it will be less nervous and exhibit fewer nervous behaviors.

Avoid hand wrestling with your dog. This teaches the dog it is okay to mouth people's hands. Dogs have many ways to show affection other than their mouths. They use their mouths for nearly everything including aggressive behaviors. If never allowed to develop a habit of mouthing a person's hands they will be less likely to bite. Biting during playtime should also be discouraged especially among breeds known for aggressive behaviors. When stressed or threatened, a dog that is not accustomed to mouthing people will only bite as a last resort. Appropriate mouthing play can include wrestling with a toy, fetch toys or tugging play.

As briefly mentioned earlier, your dog requires proper training in social skills. He should greet and communicate well with other dogs and not struggle on his leash or lunge at others. From an early age, your dog should be made comfortable with other dogs and begin leash walking. Keep in mind, your small dog should never be off a leash when taken where larger dogs may be. Same applies for dogs of all sizes but small dogs require close attention should they encounter an aggressive dog. Again, avoid overly exciting your dog around other canines. Greetings should be casual and friendly.

Sources:

Fear Free Vets

Barrier Frustration in dogs

Separation anxiety in dogs

Previously Posted on FullofKnowlege.com

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Should We Have Laws Preventing Captivity of Killer Whales?

On vacation in Orlando Florida I had the opportunity to go to SeaWorld. Being an inland native, this vacation was the first time I've ever witnessed live creatures of the ocean. We settled down near the glass in the front row to watch the orca show. The exciting music began to play.

Sea World Trainer Dawn Brancheau Killed

The trainers ran out with their hands in the air like rock stars. At that moment two killer whales leapt high from the surface of the water. They were larger than anything I could have imagined. I was terrified. They could have easily cleared the height of the glass partition to crush spectators beneath them. The response of the spectators echoed my trepidation. The announcer assured the spectators there was no danger and the whales were having as much fun as the trainers.

The show was a choreographed display of breathtaking leaps, flips and tail splashing of the audience. The trainers stood on the backs of the killer whales and were tossed into the air. As the music played the killer whales danced on queue. Near the end of the show the whales came up to the glass and wagged their tongues at the cheering spectators.

The killer whales continued to play as spectators were invited to the poolside to question the trainers. One spectator asked why the dorsal fins of the killer whales were collapsed. The trainer responded the dorsal fans of male killer whales sometimes do this. The spectator spoke up again contradicting the trainer. He stated the collapse of the cartilaginous dorsal fins in killer whales was quite unnatural. He continued to say this occurred as a result of being held captive in small pools where they cannot adequately dive beneath the surface or swim in open water. There was an awkward moment and the trainer began to avoid the spectator's questions.

When I again returned to school I shared my Seaworld experienced with my biology class. I happened to mention the awkward moment when the spectator chastised the trainer. My biology teacher took a moment to explain that killer whales are highly intelligent. This combined with their natural predatory instincts could potentially lead to a dangerous situation. He compared killer whales in captivity to lions in the circus. The potential for attack is the same. The only difference is that a lion does not possess the ability to think and reason on the level of a killer whale. A killer whale is intelligent enough to plot an attack and stalk its intended prey for weeks or months. He continued to say that we cannot claim we respect their intelligence while condoning the captivity of killer whales.

A few years later Seaworld was in the national news. The trainer had been killed by a killer whale. The details of the incident had been spun many ways by many commentaries. It would be several years before trainers who witnessed the incident would come forward to tell the truth. The female trainer had been standing beside the pool when the killer whale leapt from the water and snatched her in by her ponytail.

I tried to imagine my day SeaWorld. The trainers had assured us there was no danger posed by the killer whales. I try to think of any other similar situation. Had a shark ever jumped into a boat to take a person and escaped back into the water again? Had a lion ever opened the door of a vehicle and removed the driver? I thought of the words of my biology teacher. "A killer whale has the intelligence to plot an attack for weeks or months."

Years later while serving in the military, I had the opportunity to view killer whales in the wild. They did not have a natural curiosity of the people in the boat and did not approach us as the trainers had said. Their dorsal fins were not collapsed and they were larger than the whales I witnessed at SeaWorld. It's difficult to describe the demeanor of the killer whales in captivity to those in the wild. They even seemed to move differently. It was as if the killer whales at SeaWorld had been trained to mimic happiness.

The wild killer whales were stalking schools of fish and seabirds skimmed the surface of the water. At that moment a huge killer whale leapt from the water and took a bird from the air. This was repeated several times as we watched. The tour guide stated this is very common. Killer whales are intelligent enough to train their young how to use a rush of waves to wash a seal from a floating sheet of ice. I was reminded of the sea world trainer who lost her life.

Source:

Orca Attack Seal with Waves

Previously Published on Yahoo! Voices

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A Pet Squirrel will Guard Your Home

I am an avid hunter and I advocate the practice for anyone who needs to supplement their food costs with venison or wild pork. With that said, I do not advocate hunting as a sport for the sake of trophy seeking. My first hunt with my father placed me face to face against a fully grown wild boar with 5 inch tusks. The beast charged me after I failed to get a clean shot. My lesson was to respect these creatures and only take from the land what I needed. There is no need to hunt small prey for sustenance unless you have no deer or wild boar available. I'm sure most trophy hunters traipsing the countryside would reconsider their prey of choice if a squirrel charged them and attacked!

While hunting for deer one late one afternoon we heard repeated shots in the distance. I grew frustrated at this. We would not see any deer grazing in our field with this idiot emptying his entire box of shells into the trees. My older brother was just as angry and his temper arguably twice as bad as mine. We set out in the direction of the trigger happy hunter in our woods. We drew closer and the shots grew louder. Surely this hunter had not missed his prey so many times. As we drew ever closer, we began to see the evidence of the hunter's motives.

Along our path lay blood and tiny pink squirrel bodies. The hunter was firing into the nests with a shotgun to dislodge the adult nesting squirrels. Those that did not fall to the ground, the hunter left to suffer and die in the trees. Their young scattered beneath the trees of their assaulted nests. We caught up to the two hunters and politely informed them they were no longer welcomed to hunt on our property. I think I may have broken a knuckle when I shook their hands in farewell.

As I picked one of the cold pink bodies from the leaves I noticed it was still alive. My brother shook his head. Our father had a strict rule about wild pets. I reminded my brother our father had many strict rules we ignored and placed the baby squirrel in my pocket. We returned home and I hid the infant squirrel in my closet with a heat lamp over its box.

With an eye dropper of warm milk several times a day my squirrel began to grow and develop a reddish orange coat of fur. It was a fox squirrel, the largest breed of squirrel in our part of the country. They grow to be about 2 foot long not including a 1 foot tail. A healthy fox squirrel can weigh as much as 3 lbs and are highly territorial. It wasn't long before my mother found my hidden stowaway while cleaning my room. She scolded us for having brought the animal into the house and reminded us of our father's rule. At the same time we noticed the squirrel was sleeping soundly in her lap. My brother's plan seemed to be working as expected. By the time our father had arrived home our mother had become completely attached to the young squirrel. The issue was settled long before our father even had a vote.

Foxy's pet peeve was tugging at his tail. This indignity would result in a reprisal of viciousness on a level only exhibited by pit bulls. He was tolerant of almost any other form of harassment. We quickly learned that Foxy had a daily routine and expected his designated area be unmolested. He was very good at keeping his wooden nest clean and would usually turn in early. A bowl of walnuts was kept on a separate counter in the kitchen and Foxy would usually sit quietly and eat when we ate. After dinner, Foxy would make his rounds sniffing at the windows and doorways before settling on our father's recliner armrest or mother’s headrest as we watched television.

Visitors were thoroughly vetted before entering the house. Foxy would meet them at the doorway growling and barking loudly. This was no display. If they attempted to enter before Foxy had laid the ground rules they could receive a vicious bite! It typically took about 5 minutes for Foxy to go through is posturing and circling while chattering loudly and hopping with his furry tail fully fuzzed. He would then give the visitor a final once over and walk away. 

The visitor was now welcomed to enter the house but remained under Foxy's watchful eye.

Foxy enjoyed his time of daily reflection outside sitting in our large old growth oak. The birds and other squirrels took their leave during these sessions. This respect was also shown by local dogs and cats in the neighborhood. Once Foxy got on the small of the back between the shoulder blades there was nothing the largest dog or cat could do to remove him. He would ride them around the yard with his razor sharp teeth sunk deep into the flesh.

Foxy remained a member of our household for 2 more years. He began to spend more of his time in the old oak. We would call to him but he would not come. We left a window open during the day and sometimes he would come in for a Walnut. We then saw that Foxy had found a companion in the old oak. She was a beautiful fox herself and surely had never seen such a fine specimen of male Sciurus niger. Foxy had lived well and ate well his entire life and was nearly twice the average size of those of his kin in the wild. Over time, Foxy and his new mate would sit at our window and eat walnuts. He raised his own family in that oak and his descendants live there to this very day.

Previously Posted on FullofKnowlege.com

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