The influence of the owner on the development of aggressive behaviour in dogs

Abstract

Aggressive behaviour in dogs has become a major topic of scientific research in Northern Europe, particularly in England and France, and also in the USA. It ranks amongst the top problems presented to animal behaviour therapists.
Research into the influence of owner’s interactions with their dog on the development of the dog’s behaviour in general and problem behaviour, including aggression in particular, has yielded contradictory results. While some authors could not establish significant links between the way dog owners treated their dog and development of behaviour problems, others did. Furthermore, in animal behaviour therapy, the owners’ behaviour has proved to be a major and very influential factor in influencing and changing the animal’s behaviour, including aggressive behaviour.
In principle, aggressive behaviour in dogs can be considered normal, species-specific behaviour, essential for survival. Like all behaviours, it is the product of different factors. Learning and genotype both play an important role, as do physical and physiological factors like the dog’s health, its hormonal and reproductive status, and the individual situation and context in which the aggressive behaviour occurs.
The degree of adaptability of a species depends to a high degree on the learning capacities of the individual. The variety of situations in which dogs live and the diverse tasks they accomplish for humans show that they, like humans, have a large capacity for learning throughout their lives. Thus, in dogs, aggressive behaviour is, to a large extent, influenced by learning. Because the principles of learning are relatively unknown to the general public and rarely applied deliberately and systematically in everyday dog training, normal human behaviour is bound to reinforce aggressive behaviour in dogs. This will be demonstrated in case studies.

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