A Review of Dog Aggression, Causes, Training and Treatments

When dogs bite or are being aggressive , it is sometimes what their owners teach them. For example, some owners teach their dogs to hunt or to fight. When owners praise the dogs for doing one of those, its making the dog think t...

It’s not the dog breed that is aggressive but the owners of a dog that makes them aggressive. Many pit bulls that are aggressive are aggressive because of the way they are treated by their owners. Jane Hoffman, president

Pit Bulls are not born with an aggressive nature as they are born like any other breed, and like any other dog, a Pit Bull will be loving, smart, and loyal, unless it is trained otherwise. The aggressive nature of a dog comes from the dog’s training. If a dog is trained to be loving and loyal, it will have a good temperament, however; if a

Tierney, Robin. “Aggressive, Growling, Lunging At Dogs and People Outdoors.” Paw - Rescue. Paw - Rescue. 26 July 2014. Web. 12 May

I want to open the eyes of others to the fact that any dog can be aggressive.

A final drawback associated with animal assisted therapy is animal induced accidents or bites (Brodie, Biley, & Shewring, 2002). In terms of seriousness and frequency, bites from animals are considered the most problematic (Brodie, Biley, & Shewring, 2002). Unfortunately, prevention for this type of issue is limited. One recommendation often highlighted by researchers to curb instances of animal biting is obedience training (Brodie, Biley, & Shewring, 2002). If obedience training is too costly, assisted living facilities should avoid choosing aggressive breeds and develop protocol for residents and staff in regards to the handling of the animals (Brodie, Biley, & Shewring, 2002).

Dogs play a key role in therapy for abused children, however animal assisted therapy remains an adjunct treatment. Elisabeth Reichert (1998) states animal-assisted therapy must be used in conjunction with other therapies and cannot stand on its own. This study will focus on the relationships with dogs in treatment of physically and sexually abused...

Animals are interesting creatures. Animals, like humans, have unique personalities and abilities. Cody is one such dog that can make people relax. He is not a certified therapy animal, but you would not know it. Lillie, a Chihuahua was attacked by a pit bull while on a walk with her owner. Apparently, the pit bull was only warning her to stay out of his territory because she only received a puncture to her right ear. However, the mental damage was far worse. Lillie began to go into shock. Lillie’s owner ran home with her in her arms and contacted a friend. The friend rushed over, bringing his dog, Cody. Cody is a golden retriever and like most retrievers he is very social and can be hyper. This time was different. This time when he ran in the house he noticed Lillie lying on the couch and must have realized something was wrong. Cody walked up to her, sniffed her and sat down beside the couch. An amazing thing happened; Lillie began to relax after about ten minutes. The effect Cody had on relieving Lillie’s stress is not unlike the effects therapy animals have on humans. Animals have an uncanny capability to calm other animals, but they have the ability to reduce stress hormones and increase endorphin levels in humans (Marcus, 2013). Though there is a lack of long-term studies, animal assisted therapy continues to grow in popularity helping humans deal with many physical and psychological problems.

Research demonstrates that the therapeutic use of animals may be beneficial to a wide range of individuals. Research findings support the positive benefits of therapeutic animals working with the geriatric population within nursing homes, long-term care and hospital settings (Banks & Banks, 2002). Also within the hospital setting, therapeutic animals have been used within psychiatric and rehabilitation units to help promote goal attainment for individuals with mental health disorders or physical disabilities (Moretti, De Ronchi, Bernabei, Marchetti, Ferrari, Forlani, Negretti, Sacchetti & Atti, 2011). A study also delineates programs within detention facilities where incarcerated individuals are offered the opportunity to participate in the training of therapeutic animals. Training these animals for future animal therapy use has proven to have inherent therapeutic benefits for the inmates (Strimple, 2003). Animals have also been used for social, intellectual and visual impairments within various settings.

The Harmful Behaviors that I dealt with is the physical harm of the dogs scratching me when I pick them up move them to another location, understanding they are very hyper active and the emotions are running high at certain times, but sometimes it gets to point where you have to take certain actions to ensure the safety of the dogs and yourself at the same time.