In this article, we look at the various kinds of aggressive behavior, which dogs of different ages, breeds and genders may well suffer from.  Also, what one should also remember is that a dog may actually show more than one type of aggression towards others at any time.

1.  Dominance – This kind of aggression will occur in a dog who thinks that they are in fact the alpha member (leader of the pack) and will use this as a way of asserting their dominance over the others in the pack (you and your family).  Most commonly, you will find that male dogs and certain dog breeds are likely to suffer from this kind of aggressive behavior more.  But in order for you to control the situation, you need to quickly and fairly establish that you and your family are the leaders in the group and they are at the bottom of the pack hierarchy.

2.  Fear – This type of aggression will manifest in your dog when they feel either insecure or frightened by something that they are unsure of.  For some dogs, their aggression may manifest when they hear a noise or when they are being approached by someone or something that they feel uncomfortable with.  Generally, they will either bark, growl, bare their teeth or snap at what is causing them discomfort.  But if left unchecked and the problem allowed to continue, it could result in the animal actually biting someone or attacking another animal.

3.  Territorial/Over Protective – When a dog suffers from this kind of aggressive behavior if left and the owner chooses to ignore the problem they will become a danger to all those around them and not just to those they see as strangers or predators.  This kind of problem will not be one that is a problem for the owner at home, but will also be one that will become a problem when the dog is away from it as well.  

4.  Possessive – This type of behavior can turn a loving pet into a real monster and will occur without any prior warning.  Normally this kind of behavior occurs in a dog whose owner has allowed them to have their own way and is over something that they consider to be theirs.  Such things that may trigger this kind of aggression in a dog is if when playing with them you choose to take away what they have or if you approach them as they eat their food.  The only way to prevent this behavior becoming any worse is to immediately react to the situation as soon as you notice it happening.

5.  Punishment – This kind of aggressive behavior occurs more often in those animals where punishment has been used excessively by their owners.  Although initially when being punished the dog may not respond aggressively towards their owner, if over time the punishments become more severe then the chances of the dog responding in such a way is greatly increased.

Above we have looked at just a few of the types of aggression, which a dog may suffer from.  Only once you are able to identify just what type of aggressive behaviour it is your dog suffers from, can you then find the right kind of dog aggression training for them.  A quick search of the internet and you are going to be able to quite easily find the right kind of training for both you and your dog.