Aggression E-Book

Kim Campbell Thornton

• Herausgeber: CompanionHouse Books
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Serie: Simple Solutions Series
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Seitenzahl: 22

Beschreibung

Aggressive behavior is the most common problem canine behaviorists encounter. This book answers commonly asked questions about aggressive behavior with helpful tips and easy-to-follow solutions.

Leseprobe

Nick Clemente, Special Consultant

Karla Austin, Director of Operations and Product Development

Ruth Strother, Editor-at-Large

Michelle Martinez, Editor

Michael Vincent Capozzi, Designer

Copyright © 2003 by I-5 Press™

Illustrations copyright © 2003 by Buck Jones

The dogs in this book are referred to as he and she in alternating chapters.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press™, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

The Library of Congress has cataloged an earlier printing as follows:

Thornton, Kim Campbell.

Simple solutions : aggression / by Kim Campbell Thornton ;

illustrations by Buck Jones.

p. cm.

ISBN-10: 1-889540-83-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN-13: 978-1-889540-83-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)

eISBN-13: 978-1-620080-63-4

 1. Dogs--Behavior. 2. Dogs--Training. I. Title.

SF433.T54 2003

636.7'0887--dc21

2003004491

I-5 Press™

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC™

3 Burroughs

Irvine, California 92618

Printed and Bound in Singapore

10 09 08 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Contents

Aggression

What Does Aggression Look Like?

Bully Boy or Fearful Fido?

Other Types of Aggression

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Dealing with Aggression

Changing a Dog’s Behavior

Can Drugs Help?

Diet and Exercise

What Not to Do

What’s the Prognosis?

Aggression

Aggression is the most common problem canine behaviorists see. Why is it so common? The reason is simple: aggression is a normal behavior for dogs. One of the many ways dogs communicate is through actions, including threats and attacks, directed toward people or other animals. Problems with aggression occur when there’s miscommunication between people and dogs—not surprising, since we don’t speak the same language.

Can any dog be aggressive? Yes, from toy breeds to terriers, any dog has the potential for aggression. But like it or not, some breeds are more likely than others to have aggressive tendencies. Terriers, for instance, have all been bred for aggression toward small, furry prey animals such as moles, badgers, and rats. When the terrier’s natural prey is unavailable, this aggressive tendency can easily be turned toward cats or pocket pets such as hamsters and gerbils. Dogs who are bred to guard property or livestock have a genetic tendency toward aggression. It’s a normal part of being a guard dog. Because there’s genetic variability within each breed, some dogs within a breed can have a higher genetic tendency to be aggressive than others of the same breed. Because aggression is heritable, dogs who show inappropriate aggressive behavior should be spayed or neutered so they don’t pass on the tendency to their offspring.