Aggression in cats and dogs can be caused by trauma or abuse. The aggression is often caused by fear of being harmed. Aggression in cats and dogs can begin with an accident that scares the pet. This accident could be objects falling on the pet when the pet was young. Littermates that engage in aggressive play can cause fear in other, more passive littermates.
If the animal was abused, the pet may become aggressive towards other people. The pet may show aggression towards everyone or only people of the same gender or other similar characteristics of the person who abused the pet.
Events that cause fear in the animal when it is very young can leave a lasting impression on the pets personality. Some pet aggression is due to things that happened to the pet when it was five to twelve weeks old.
If a pet is aggressive, sometimes the pet can be trained to correct their aggressive tendencies. A cat that is aggressive during play can often be taught that if they become aggressive during play, the play will stop. The cat owner should stop playing and paying any attention to the cat if the cat becomes aggressive.
Training a pet with positive rewards is most beneficial. Trying to punish an aggressive pet can lead to more aggression especially if the punishment is physical in nature. For example, hitting a dog for growling only reinforces the dogs fear and distrust of people.
Some aggression in dogs is due to the pack nature of dogs. A dog may assert itself above a family member as a pack leader in their mind. Sometimes, this can be corrected with proper training.
A professional animal behaviorist can help the family train the aggressive pet. The aggressive pet may not be able to be helped. The animal behavior expert may be able to determine if the pet can be trained.
Aggression from abuse is difficult to correct with training. It is an unfortunate truth that if the pet poses a threat to the safety of people, the pet will need to be euthanized.
