Dog Behavior Blog

The Dangers of Silent, Stealthy Aggression

Many behaviors associated with aggression are threat displays. The most common aggressive threats are growling or barking, a stiffening of the body, baring the front teeth in what’s called a “tooth display” and giving an offensive pucker which is when the corners of the lips (commissure) are pushed forward so that the mouth becomes O-shaped. Another behavior associated with a dog with an increased likelihood of behaving aggressively is when the dog’s eyes change from the usual warm liquid look to appearing icy cold and hard. However, many dogs do make threats with one or more of these signals without ever causing injuries.

Ironically, these threat displays can function to thwart serious aggression, which is why many of them occur without ever leading to injurious behavior. By showing their weaponry or signs of strength, dogs are communicating that it would be unwise to challenge them. Two or more dogs can assess each other, and often one or more decide that to proceed would be unwise. Dogs can use these signals to communicate the equivalent of “I have teeth and I am willing to use them” which is sometimes enough to convince another dog not to tangle with the first dog.

Dogs who give threat displays are sometimes willing to avoid aggression depending on the other individual’s response to their display. That is why dogs who never give any warning before behaving aggressively are the most frightening and potentially dangerous. Dogs who attack in full stealth mode with complete silence have no intention of avoiding aggression and are the ones most likely to deliver uninhibited, seriously injurious bites.

Similarly, the most scary and dangerous dog fights are the silent ones in which all the dogs’ energy is focused on the attack rather than the loud ones in which a lot of energy is going towards barking and growling. They are the ones that are most likely to lead to serious injuries or even death. Much less likely to cause serious damage are the ones that sound, to use a phrase that is descriptive if not pretty, “like dogs in a blender.” These are full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. It is ironic that the threat displays indicating that injurious aggression may follow can function to lessen the probability of physical confrontation and potential injury.

The vocalizations and visual displays that often accompany dog fights are a form of communication. As long as the dogs are attempting to communicate with one another, there is some possibility that they are seeking to end the conflict, and that there is a chance of arriving at a peaceful solution. If the dogs have no interest in working out the conflict or to de-escalate the aggression, then the dogs are most likely serious about injuring each other. That is why the most dangerous dogs who are aggressive are those who attack in a stealthy way. They are like hit men: “This is nothing personal; it’s just business.” Quiet fights and quiet attacks involve individuals who are most likely actually trying to cause injury, rather than trying to reach a resolution.

--Karen London

A Dog's View Of The World

I just finished reading a delightful book, Inside of a Dog, by Alexandra Horowitz (2009, Scribner, NY). In this book, Horowitz discusses what the world is like for dogs.

As a scientist with a Ph. D. in animal behavior, Horowitz brings in a considerable amount of information from experiments that have been done with dogs. However, she writes with an engaging, light-hearted style that kept me reading, turning over page after page to see what she would say next.

Many sections start with anecdotes of Horowitz interacting with her dog, Pumpernickel. Each of the anecdotes is short, but illustrates the point that Horowitz brings us in that section.
The anecdotes also show the profound feeling that Horowitz has for dogs. Unlike many animal behaviorists who view their study animals with a dispassionate eye as “subjects,”  Horowitz clearly likes dogs and honors dogs for who they are.

Although one would think that dogs have been studied to a great extent by now, the actual fact is that there are relatively few scientific studies of dog behavior, compared to studies of other animals such as rats. Horowitz has contributed to scientific dog knowledge with her studies of dog theory of mind. In case you are not familiar with the concept of theory of mind, it asks the question: does an animal (or a human for that matter) understand that other individuals have minds of their own?  In her work, Horowitz found that dogs have what she describes as rudimentary theory of mind, i.e., understanding that there is something going on behind the actions of other dogs and people.

This book provides a very readable entry into what science knows about dog behavior and dog senses.  However, rather than  presenting the information from a human’s point of view, Horowitz strives to present the information from a dog’s point of view: what is important to a dog, how a dog relates to humans and to other dogs, and how dogs are neither little humans in fur coats nor wolves one step removed from hunting elk on snow-swept plains.

I found this book to be both entertaining and informative, a rarity in most books. I enjoyed the sound of the words in my mind as I read, and I enjoyed the descriptions of experiments boiled down to their essence, free of circumlocutions and mind-numbing jargon. Most of all, I enjoyed the balanced presentation of what we do and do not yet know about dogs.

All told, a great read.

--Con Slobodchikoff

Help…My Dog Won’t “Come!”

Note from Con Slobodchikoff: This is a post by guest author Nancy Frensley, CPDT, CAP2, who is Manager of Behavior and Training at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society in Berkeley, California. She will write periodic posts about the behavioral challenges and joys of shelter dogs.

The advice line rings many times during the day at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society. At least once a day I hear the dreaded lament, “I have a great dog and we love him. But, he does not “come” when he is called and today he really scared us.” Usually the dog has run into the street or taken off after another dog or a squirrel, disappeared for a couple of hours and generally frightened or outright humiliated the person who loves him the most. That mad chase across the beach might have been funny in the movie “Marley and Me”, but it is not a laughing matter when it happens in reality.  

Often, the root of the problem is that the dog’s person has not laid enough of a foundation on the dog’s obedience. The foundation of the dog’s learning is made up of many successful and rewarded repetitions of a behavior that cause the dog to integrate the behavior into his training. However, it is only human to want things to happen right away. So what does the person do?

A lot of words and gestures are usually thrown at dogs, rewarded sporadically, and produce some correct responses. When people do not get a response often a change in tone occurs and sometimes the dog is willing to try again. This hit-or-miss approach does not allow the dog’s training to become strong enough to hold up under distractions or stress.

Training one’s dog to have a solid, reliable “come” under distraction requires the person to start small, work in a way that ensures success for every single drill and reward generously for every successful performance. Rewards can include food, play with a toy, “tug” games and being released to experience freedom. One of the best rewards to give a dog is a period of free play at the end of the training session.

 The first priority in teaching a solid “come” is to obtain a successful response to build upon. There are several ways to start the process. One of my favorites is to teach a dog to play hide-and-seek…first indoors, then outdoors. Dogs are always delighted to find their people. Delicious food rewards can make it even more fun. Start inside by slipping around a corner or ducking behind a piece of furniture and calling him to “come” and then giving him a treat. Be sure to hide when the dog is not paying attention. As the dog catches on to the game, hide in progressively difficult locations (always loaded with good food). When the dog gets to the point where he finds his people every time or just will not leave them alone, move to a safe outdoor location and start the hide-and-seek process again. People find that the dog starts keeping an ear cocked in their direction because he figures they might just disappear at any time. This is a game for the entire family to play throughout the dog’s life. It never gets old!

Bring a long line and flat collar or harness to the park or on a walk. A long line is a leash about 20 to 30 feet in length. The leash can be homemade from a rope or purchased and should not be a retractable leash which has tension on it at all times. The long line gives the dog an opportunity to start hearing voice commands from a distance and gives the person more control over the result. The person should go to the chosen location loaded with food and toys. Spend a few minutes at the beginning of the outing and allow the dog to sniff around at the end of the line and be sure to call him about every 10 to 15 seconds. Most dogs can tolerate up to about 10 repetitions but some will quit responding to even less, so be careful to quit while the dog is still having a good time.

And what if the dog does not respond? The power is found within holding the long line. Walk quickly away from the dog without jerking the line. When the line gets tight the dog will come along. The moment that happens, begin to praise the dog in a happy voice and keep praising until the dog arrives. As soon as he arrives, reward him with nice treats or a fun game with a toy. To do another repetition, just give the dog the “OK” and let the leash out again. If he starts hanging around too closely, consider the session a success and let him run around and play.

There are a couple of important items to remember when teaching a dog to come. Vocalization should be big and clear, not quiet or vague. The voice should sound the same way every time. Always precede “come!” with the dog’s name. Moreover, do not use the dog’s name or the word “come” when the response cannot be controlled by the long line. In those cases, just go and get the dog instead of trying to call him unsuccessfully. When the dog is responding without having to bring him in, he is close to having a reliable recall. At that point, practice everywhere, but always with the control line.

Often, students at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society’s K-9 College ask me how long it takes to teach a dog to “come” and to feel as though the dog can be relied upon. It depends upon how frequently the person practices with the dog and whether or not the person allows for failures to happen during the training period. To “come” is one of those behaviors that will take life-long reinforcement. The world is a fascinating place to a dog and the person needs to test and train him in each new location until everyone involved is truly in tune with the word, “COME!”.