That thin red line.

On this occasion, I won’t be the author of this entry to the blog, because I asked to Ángel Mollá, few words. He is a canine educator, who though young, he has took  a lifetime dedicated to understanding our dogs. So I asked him to talk about what he want and, how could be otherwise? he has chosen a very interesting topic: aggression in dogs.

"Hello, could you help me? I have a problem with my dog, it turns out it is very dominant with food. If anybody passes near it while it eats, we can hear grunts. "If we quarrel it, simple bites us"

Unfortunately this is a very common story in many homes that I visit.

I am writing this article for those who want to understand what does go through the mind of your dog when this situation occurs.

Before we begin, I'd like that you can understand what aggressiveness is and why dogs show this behavior in certain situations.

Aggression is a response against attacks that should be offers front a provocation; however, the provocations are subjective since each situation affects every dog in a different way.

A dog that shows aggressive behaviors is indicating that this behavior has success as those used on other occasions to resolve the problem were not successful for it.

What behaviors did it use?

All dogs use a common language in a threatening situation, your first choice to solve the problem is to ignore it and do so by signs of calm.

The signs of calm are gestures that offers dog as turning the head, licking the snout, yawning, sniff the ground, sit, lie "belly up", stretch is or even give back, in order to understand that "they do not want problems".

Why does this dog no longer use them?

If making these behaviors it doesn't get to go away that which is causing so much anxiety, It will seek another option that it can be the escape, but if this doesn’t manage to flee, eventually it will attack.

On many occasions attacking succeeds and banishes the threat. This will make the dog feel reinforced by what you will have learned to use aggression to solve their problems and therefore will not use signs of calm since the attack gives best results.

Let's go back in time and go back to the moment in which our dog we growled first while he ate.

What was our reaction?

The vast majority said that he was surprised and spontaneously walked away from the bowl. This response to the attack was precisely enhancer that badly needed the dog. It is almost as if we had said "very well" and would have given him the best treat we had at home since at that time, and it finally felt peace.

The creation of a possessive behavior is fundamentally based on a mismanagement of resources (value objects) we offer our dog.

It all starts when our puppy is a garment of our on the ground and uses it to play. For us the garment has significant material value by which we try by all means remove it and at the same time to scold him so "understanding" that with the shoes you don't play. At that time our dog is submissive and accepts removed it from the object. Days later returns to have a sock between their jaws and back to act in the same way.

The association we are creating with our presence and objects is competitive, we stole them, and aversive, quarrel it.

Similarly happens when we use the same system for different situations such as: let it rise to the sofa, but when we want to feel we force it to get off, a piece of food falling to the ground while we're cooking, and you approach squealed it so you don't eat it, etc.

This way of resolving these situations causes more interest towards objects dog since it is giving them a value by which the family that lives with him racing.

Finally without being aware of it, we got our dog, in the presence of a resource, to see us as a threat and therefore seek to keep a distance to feel relieved.

What can I do to make this not happen?

If your dog does not display aggressive behaviors but flees whenever you have something in your mouth because you want to take it out, my advice is that you never seek a confrontation with it to get the object, Exchange it for something that it prefers  like a toy or a prize. In this way you will get that you feel comfortable with your presence and avoid appearing possessive behavior.

You have your valuables secure and having available toys that can distract biting.

More info: www.metodoguau.com