Agressividade
Why your dog reacts to other dogs
The most common causes are: fear and insecurity — the dog learned that attacking first drives the threat away (“the best defence is attack”); frustration — sociable dogs that want to interact but are held back by the leash; lack of socialisation in the critical puppy window, leaving the dog without the “vocabulary” to deal with other dogs; a bad experience that created a negative association; lack of regulation and clear limits. There is also a phenomenon almost every owner is unaware of: trigger stacking. A dog that already left home stressed, heard a truck and passed a cyclist arrives at the meeting with another dog already “full” — and reacts to something it would ignore on a calm day. It is not stubbornness. It is a saturated nervous system.
Need help with your dog? André Alves works at home across Greater Lisbon and online worldwide.