Dog Aggression
We often get questions from our prospective customers about dog aggression. The questions come from two opposing perspectives — do our dogs aggressive enough to effectively confront an intruder, and are K9 Tech Security dogs too aggressive to be part of my family’s life? Dog aggression is important for the selection and training of our personal protection dogs. This article explains dog aggression and how K9 Technology looks at aggression in our selection and training of our dogs.
Definition of dog aggression
Let’s start with definitions. Dog aggression isn’t clearly defined by most dog behavior scientists and trainers, except for Armin Winkler, a leading police and military dog trainer in the USA. This article uses Armin’s publications, lectures, and discussions on dog training. Please refer to Armin’s publications on this subject.
Dog aggression aims to cause harm or pain. While dogs may not think this through like humans, their intent is clear. Armin defines dog aggression as a state of emotional excitement that leads to violent actions.
Drives in dogs
To understand aggression, we need to define drives in dogs. Armin describes drives as internal impulses that prompt dogs to act. For something to be a drive, there must be a specific stimulus, action, and goal. Drives fall into two categories: those that gain something positive and those that prevent something negative. Examples of the first category include sex, prey, and pack drives, which cause excitement and satisfaction when achieved (e.g., catching prey). The second category includes the defense drive, aimed at self-preservation. During this drive, dogs feel tension during the action and relief once the goal is reached (e.g., removing a threat).
What is a “fighting spirit”?
Let’s define the “fighting spirit” in dogs. Some call it a “fighting drive,” but since there’s no natural drive to fight, it doesn’t fit the definition of a drive. The fighting spirit is a mix of instincts and behaviors that affect how dogs attack and bite. It’s influenced by prey drive, defense drive, and aggression. To achieve the best attack/bite quality, a dog needs more than just a strong prey drive. A dog that bites through prey may seem aggressive, but according to Armin, it’s unlikely to bite a human without equipment like a bite sleeve or suit.
Aggression can be divided into Frustration Aggression, Social Aggression, Dominance, and Rage. Frustration aggression occurs when a dog is deprived of drives from the first category, leading to aggressive behavior. Social aggression is directed towards other dogs or humans, as working dogs consider humans part of their pack. Its purpose is to maintain social order within the pack. Dominance behavior, part of Social Aggression, stems from a dog’s urge to prove status and superiority. Rage is uncontrolled anger and fury, making it hard to control.
Defense can be divided into active and passive reactions. Active defense involves a dog attacking the threat violently and confidently. Passive defense includes threatening displays like barking, growling, raising fur, and making itself larger. Confident dogs show these signs while standing their ground, while weaker dogs may retreat.
How to select and train the best protection dogs
To select and train the best protection dogs, we need dogs with strong fighting spirits. They must have strong prey drive, some defensive drive, and aggression. Dogs without aggression are unlikely to bite human flesh. We select dogs with strong prey drives, some defensive drive, and natural aggression. We choose confident dogs with active and confident passive defense reactions. During protection and bite training, we leverage prey drive to improve bite quality. We avoid dogs with weak prey drive, lack of confidence, or rage behavior.
Aggression can be triggered by defensive drive and frustration. We use frustration training in prey to activate and enhance aggression during protection and attack. We also use defense drives to enhance aggression. Defense training must be done carefully to avoid negative effects like avoidance and lack of confidence. The degree and methods of defense training depend on the individual dog’s character.
Training the best protection dogs is both science and art. It requires expertise in selecting dogs with the right mix of prey and defense drives and healthy aggressiveness. Each dog’s natural character and initial training must fit our customers’ personal and security needs. We leverage these traits in extensive training to develop effective protection K9s. Our dogs are aggressive only during controlled attacks.
For more information about K9 Tech Security protection dogs, please refer to Our Protection Dogs page.