Aggression In Some Breeds Is Genetic? Really?

If you do not understand what is causing a problem – you won’t fix it. No amount of training is going to fix it.

One of the big issues for dogs displaying aggression, people tend not to get to the bottom of why the dog is showing aggression. Aggression is merely a symptom, the outcome of a problem. Find the problem, work on it – and the aggression disappears. What are some of the possible root causes? When reading this list – ask yourself, how is all this supposed to be trainable?

Suppression of genetics – If you own a Shepherd, the dog is likely not going to be happy with 2 walks a day and locked in a crate for the rest with a toy. If your dog is showing aggression due to this – it’s you suppressing the dogs genes that are likely causing it.

Treat training – Are you feeding an abundance of dried liver?

Yes you heard that right. Hemochromatosis and hypervitaminosis A. Monty is 10 pounds and raw fed, his daily allowance for raw liver is 2 small pieces the size of a dime. How much are you feeding? Freeze dried liver tends to be the number one treat given to dogs. And why not? They love it right. Liver is packed in iron and vitamin A and too much of a good thing for too long can lead to disastrous results down the road. It can cause irritability, and worse with conditions like heart disease, diabetes etc. The buildup of iron can affect every part of the dog and it doesn’t flush. Many treats today contain liver and anything above and beyond your dogs diet is not necessary.

Food.

Another surprise? I’m sorry, but most commercial bagged and canned dog food isn’t fit to eat. Your dog is a carnivore – just because they will eat near anything, doesn’t mean it’s good for them or they get anything out of it. Most dog foods contain fillers like corn and wheat that your dog doesn’t need. I find many dogs – especially pitbulls – don’t get the quality of exercise they need. Dogs need both physical and mental exercise – they need to burn the carbs and sugars off.

Insecurity.

This is one of the big ones I see, dogs with no confidence. Many of these dogs put on a good show, they appear to be aggressive, but they are all bark – stand your ground, and they run. Does your dog know it’s a dog? Another big one. If you have a dog that’s never been around a dog to learn “dog” – then chances are good they have no idea how to be a dog or how to act like a dog. This is why I use my dog as a mentor to help other dogs. I’m a human, can’t teach a dog how to be a dog – but Monty can.

Fear.

What is fear but lack of trust? And why are trainers telling dog owners to “terminate fear” – when they should be building trust? What is confidence but full trust? Why are we trying to terminate fear – when we should be building trust? Ask your dog for its trust, prove yourself trustworthy, be the owner that your dog wants. When I got Monty, he didn’t know me from a hole in the ground and I didn’t expect him to trust me, I had to earn that. From the time I got him, we spent every bit of time together getting to know each other, feeling each other out, building that trust relationship. I didn’t train him.

Mental Stress

Or mental stimulation. This is another one that hurts pitbulls. Many dogs I meet are on mental overload so to speak, almost manic and they can’t shut down. On a scale of 1 to 10, if your dog is a constant 7 mentally then it doesn’t take much to get them to a 10 and that’s when bad things happen. Dogs, like people, need mental exercise, something to burn it off.

Early spay and neuter.

I’m surprised at how many owners don’t realize that desexing their dog actually removes the organs that produce sex hormones – testosterone and estrogen. Hormones are a fine dance – and removing one can affect the entire endocrine system and weaken the thyroid. Hypothyroidism is on the rise, and aggression can be a result of a hypothyroid condition.

Pain.

Pretty self explanatory. Have your dog vet checked if your dog is showing unexplained aggression, especially sudden onset if your dog has always been chill. Dogs are good at hiding pain. Get blood work done, have their teeth checked. If your dog was spayed or neutered early, pull a full thyroid panel. A few hundred dollars at a vet could save you thousands chasing trainers for help.

Aversive tools.

Trainers consider e-collars and prongs “punishment”. If you try to train an animal with fear – there will always be something in the world that it will fear more than you. And that makes them unpredictable. This is why dogs trained in this fashion won’t be trusted – how can they be?

Not Socialized.

Aggression and reactivity are moreso anti-social behaviours and people tend to create anti-social dogs based on really bad training advice. If you get a puppy, lock it in a crate, and keep it away from dogs due to fear or lack of vaccines for months on end – then expect the issues to go along with it. The dog will likely start barking at all the unknowns – but it doesn’t mean its aggressive.

Not meeting dogs needs.

Raising dogs is similar to raising children. They need rules and boundaries, they need structure, they need social time, they need dogs to learn how to be dogs and learn to be social with dogs, people and anything else they will experience through their lives. They need quality exercise and activities. They should have chores – or a job of sorts or a good analogy for what they were bred for. They need interaction with their owners – and they need to have a solid relationship with their owners. That comes from trust.

Not meeting the breeds needs.

This is a big one. For some 30,000 years, dogs were bred to be our tools – protectors, hunters, retrievers. Many dogs have no real purpose today, they may or may not have an active lifestyle, but they need a job. This can frustrate many dogs. Find a good analogy for what your dog was bred for, and you will have a happier dog.

Lyme Disease – and other medical conditions.

Infectious agents such as rabies, hormonal imbalances such as hypothyroidism, psychomotor epilepsy, hyperkinesis, neoplasia, and a variety of genetic and metabolic disorders can cause or predispose a dog to aggression.

Genetics.

Many people tell you that most aggression is caused by genetics. I put it way down at the bottom of the list for outcomes. Many people blame genetics but yet, I can’t find a DNA test to prove that a dog is genetically aggressive but so often it’s chosen because trainers tend to overlook the rest. We must start investigating further before blaming genetics.

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