Debunking Myths: What Really Causes Dog Aggression
Playing tug won’t make your dog aggressive
Feeding raw meat won’t make your dog aggressive
Correcting a dog on the lead won’t make your dog aggressive
Refusing to use ‘alpha’ theories when training won’t make your dog aggressive
Having dogs on the TV won’t make your dog aggressive (yes, one of our virtual clients has been told that 🤣)
E collar training your dog won’t make them aggressive
Not letting your dog play with everyone at the park won’t make them aggressive
The list goes on!
So what does make a dog aggressive?
Largely: genetics. Aggression is a genetic trait – it’s something we can certainly accidentally bring out of our dogs with poor handling & multiple learning experiences, but whether your dog is capable of showing aggression depends largely on their genetic disposition.
Most reactive dogs aren’t aggressive – the barking & lunging is usually a nervous defensive front.
A dog makes their decisions based on genetics and then based on how we respond to their decisions, remember that 🙂
