boss

Who's the Boss Here? Count on big trouble if it's not you

Dog aggression directed at his owner can make a dog uneasy and anxious and his owner frustrated and fearful. "Such aggression tends to happen more in the alpha want-to-be dogs rather than true dominant dogs. The behavior is often triggered by fear and conflict and living in an unstable hierarchy" Dr. Moon-Fanelli said. "The dog may feel the need to challenge owners in order to obtain or maintain social control."
Untreated, the behavior will only intensify, warned Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, Professor and Director of the Behavior Clinic at Tufts. "These are controlling dogs that try to control everyone and everything. In about 12 percent of the cases, behavior modification and medications do not work and the dog has to be put down."

Dominance aggression, a canine version of bullying people, usually develops between 12 to 24 months of age as the dog gains physical social maturity. Some breeds, especially working dogs, such as those bred to guard and herd, may be genetically predisposed to the behavior. Intact males are more likely to display dominance aggression than neutered males or females, Dr. Moon-Fanelli said.

Showering a dog with affection, unearned treats and freedom of the house may reinforce this behavior because he starts to view himself as higher in the hierarchy than his owners. "Dogs enter into a pack-like relationship with their owners," Dr. Moon-Fanelli said. "A dog with a strong desire to push to the top of the social group interprets kind owners as 'weak' and takes advantage of them to increase its status."
Owners often have a difficult time identifying early clinical signs of owner-directed aggression, she said. A dog may display some or all of the following behavior:

Resists having his feet handled, being lifted off the ground or being patted on the head.
Ignores verbal or physical discipline.
Guards his food bowl, toys, resting areas, preferred family members and territories.
Steals food or other items in front of his owner.
Maintains prolonged eye stares with the owner.
Growls or snaps if ever he chooses.
Jumps up and mounts people.
Uses his body to block and control his owner's movements.
Rarely displays submissive postures, such as a lying on his back.
A dog may have a glazed look in its eye before and during an owner-directed attack that seem to be unprovoked and fast. Usually, the dog does not growl as a warning before biting," Dr. Moon-Fanelli said.

The two ways to convert your canine bully into a buddy: Avoid confrontations that will only escalate the aggression and ensure he earns every valued resource by obeying your commands, Dr. Moon-Fanelli said. Aim for slow but steady progress. On average, owner-directed aggression may take two months or longer to curb, depending on the owner's and dog's willingness to comply.

The experts offer these treatments:

Avoid aggressive confrontations. Dominant dogs usually win these tiffs by growling or biting their owners. Don't try to match force with force. You'll end up reinforcing your dog's unwanted behavior. Instead, identify a list of circumstances that elicit aggression in him and devise ways to avoid those situations. Put your dog in a safe, small room like a bathroom with a bowl of water as a time out and keep him there 30 to 60 minutes. When you open the door, ignore him to establish your higher status.

Start a "Nothing in Life is Free" program. Bolster your leadership and cultivate your dog's dependence and respect for you by controlling all resources. You determine when you put the food bowl down and when you pick it up. You set the time for playing with toys and when game time ends. "By controlling the resources, you will have your dog eating out of your hand instead of biting your hand,"

Neuter your dog if you haven't already. About 25 percent of dogs displaying dominance aggression show up to 90 percent levels of improvement after being neutered.

Work your dog. Give him a healthy, invigorating outlet for his energy by providing a minimum of 20 minutes of aerobic exercise once or twice a day. Some high-energy breeds, such as Border Collies, may require more exercise time than low-energy breeds, such as Basset Hounds.

Instill daily, mini-obedience training. Use reward-based training and make your dog earn every food treat by complying with your "Sit," "Stay," "Leave it" and other basic commands. Rely on training tools. The use of a head halter and other non-painful restraints prevents a dog from biting and allows the owner to gain more control of him. It's important to make the time of putting on head halters a fun activity so that the dog doesn't view wearing it as punishment.

Ignore demands or pleas for attention. Owners should initiate and end all interactions with there dogs.

Stop roughhousing play. Avoid tug of war or hand wrestling with your dog. These activities can trigger a dog's aggressive behavior.

Serve healthy chow. Work with your veterinarian and select a dog food that is low in protein and free of artificial preservatives. Gradually switch diets over three days to avoid stomach upsets in your dog.

Don't leave dogs unsupervised with young children. Children may unwittingly breach the household hierarchy rules and cause the dog to react. A child may reach down to pick up the dog's favorite toy prompting the dog to lunge and possibly attack.

Keep your dog floor-bound. Dogs view sofas, beds and chairs as prized real estate. Maintain your higher status in the household by keeping your dog off the furniture. You can provide him with his own dog bed on the floor.

Consider medication. In extreme cases, the veterinarian may prescribe Prozac or another anti-anxiety medication to provide greater success with the behavior modification program. The goal is to use these drugs as a temporary bridge until the dog's behavior can be improved.

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