If your dog is displaying aggressive behavior, finding out why the behavior started in the first place is an important step to resolving this negative behavior. Once a dog begins to display aggressive behavior, it is important to try to note what was happening when the behavior appeared. There are two main causes of aggressive behavior in dogs: the aggression is either caused by a behavioral issue or a medical issue.
Medical Causes of Aggression
Medical issues which cause aggressive behavior in dogs can include: pain, head trauma, swelling of the brain, epilepsy, and certain diseases. Pain caused by conditions such as arthritis, injury, or illness is a notorious cause for aggression; dogs which are in a lot of pain may even lash out at their owners even though they don’t mean it. Any type of trauma to the brain has the potential to cause sudden changes in behavior including aggression. Diseases, such as rabies and distemper, can also cause a dog to become aggressive because of changes to the brain.
Behavioral Causes of Aggression
Behavioral causes of aggression in dogs can have a number of root causes. Dogs may become aggressive because they were abused in the past and it is their defense mechanism for coping with the abuse. Dogs that were raised in an environment where there was rough play with other people, or dogs, may develop aggressive behavior. Often dogs which have a new litter of pups suddenly become aggressive because they feel that they need to protect their puppies. Dogs which were not socialized properly at a young age with other people and animals may also develop aggressive behavior as a result of social anxieties and fear.
There are some dogs that seem prone to aggressive behavior based on their breed. There is still some argument as to whether this is a medical issue or a behavioral issue. Certainly genetics can contribute to a tendency to develop aggressive behavior, but the way the dog is socialized and raised can also have a large effect on whether or not aggressive behavior develops.