Aggression and dominance Model puppy party: Petucol clinic

introduction Jen Hebden – Veterinarian at Petucol clinic Fire and earthquake Comfort facilities Doggie distance and puppy pads Topic : aggression and dominance

The dominance myth Dogs compete for position in a social hierarchy structure that includes humans and dogs, so humans must engage in dominance exercises to show their dog who is boss so what should we be doing?

What is aggression? A form of behaviour where the aggressor attempts to gain greater social distance from the target Behaviour that communicates overt challenge threat or intent to do harm The drive to eliminate the competition What is dominance/submission

Ritualised communication = attempt to resolve conflict without aggression Individuals differ in how quickly they are triggered, how protracted the warnings they give, and how secure the ABI (acquired bite inhibition)is they display

Aggression is contextual Predatory vs offensive /defensive No warning vs ritualised signals Predatory drift: signs of possible tip over in play are; the body lowers and looses bounce, stiffens (50% size difference in dogs playing may predispose to predatory drift) good play has: pauses, tongue flicks etc to negotiate space, role reversal

Under-socialised dogs A very common cause of aggressive behaviour in later life = lack of socialisation in the critical puppy period for learning social communication signals Prevention= plenty of socialisation with well socialised dogs and other puppies (not just the bitch and litter mates) Safety = vaccination/worming, larger older dogs social behaviours. Choose wisely. Use negative punishment and time out for bully dogs, positive reinforcement and play will help modify this behaviour

Free play Is NOT uncontrolled play Assess temperaments and let timid pups off in pairs first Provide safe haven but ignore fear, praise curiosity exploration Let bouncy confident puppies off last. Manage interactions until play skills and confidence of all pups allows all off together