Aggression is the main concern by the wider public of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and fear that our own dog may be aggressive is one of the most commonly asked questions on this forum. Due to the perception of a Staffie’s aggression, to their physical strength and to the fact that Staffies do tend to play rough, this is an area that all Staffie owners must be aware of and take seriously.
There are 3 main groups of behaviour that can be seen as aggression: play, fear aggression (reactive) and actual aggression (proactive). Being able to tell which your dog is displaying is essential in knowing how to adjust or moderate their behaviour.
Many people find it difficult to decipher the body language, sounds and mannerisms of a playful dog, a fearful dog and a genuinely aggressive dog. Dogs don’t use just one piece of body language to let others know their intent – they use a multitude of different signals together to convey a message, some of which can easily be missed or msinterpreted by humans, leading to confusion.
Even if your dog does appear to display some aggressive behaviour, it does not necessarily mean that your dog is actually aggressive. Many dogs when frightened, provoked or distressed can display aggressive body language and vocalisations. This is particularly true when dogs are on the lead, especially if the lead is tight, when they feel their options are limited. This is their way of protecting themselves and their owner, of saying ‘please keep your distance’.
The important thing is to make sure that you can distinguish aggression from play, and active aggression from reactive defense. Once you learn to recognise positive and negative body language in your dog, you should be able to get to the source of any behaviour that appears to be aggressive and from there to a training plan to reduce that behaviour.
The following should help you to judge the difference between a relaxed, happy dog, a fear aggressive dog, and an aggressive dog. Please be aware that these behaviours are interchangeable. For instance, a growl accompanied by raised hackles and stiff legs can mean the dog is showing signs of aggression. However, a growl accompanied by a wagging tail and relaxed ears can be indicative of a more playful attitude.
Relaxed - a relaxed dog may show the following signs:
- Eyes normal shape and size (not widened or narrowed to the extreme), soft feeling.
- Mouth may be closed or open. The teeth may show slightly, but are not bared and the lips are loose. The tongue may be lolling out. The corners of the mouth may be slightly upturned, appearing as if the dog is ‘smiling’.
- The tail may be relaxed and hanging in a natural position, which only the owner can judge by paying attention to the tail at home. It may also be wagging gently.
- In the case of pricked or semi-pricked, ears are held comfortably in a neutral position. May be pricked forwards if the dog is interested in something.
- Relaxed, loose muscles with the dog’s weight distributed evenly between all four legs. Movements loose and even.
Playful – a playful dog may show the following signs:
- Eyes might be slightly wider than usual, or slightly narrowed.
- Mouth may loll open with the tongue hanging out.
- The tail may wag quickly from side to side or in a circular motion.
- The ears may be pricked and facing forward, showing alertness. They may also be folded back against the head to show that they do not pose a threat.
- Movement bouncy and jerky. Might play bow (the act of pressing the chest down to the floor, with front legs outstretched, and sticking the rump into the air) to encourage play from another dog and show that no aggression is intended. The dog may spin around in circles of bounce backwards and forwards.
- Might ‘mouth’ at the other dog, if the play is rough. Playful mouthing shouldn’t draw blood.
- High-pitched barking and growling may occur. Because vocalisations vary for each individual dog, it is important the owner pays attention to and recognises their own dog’s various vocalisations.
- Note – some dogs have raised hackles when playing simply due to excitement. Hackles should not be read on their own but as part of the overall picture. If a dog is otherwise happy, don’t worry about hackles being raised.
Fearful: a fear aggressive dog may show the following signs:
- lowered body, crouched rather than fully submissive.
- ears most likely flattened or back
- weight backwards, the dog will at least initially be giving you a feeling of reluctance to go forwards, even though his other signs may appear directed at whatever is upsetting him
- low/tucked tail, possibly with a slow, nervous wag
- raised hackles
- Eyes may be larger than usual, widened so that the whites are visible. A tell-tale sign that a dog is about to display aggressive behaviour is sidelong glances from the corners of widened eyes.
- barks/growls, fear aggressive dogs will often be more vocal than truly aggressive dogs as their intent is to make themselves appear scary enough to drive their trigger away
- bared teeth/snarling, this is a warning that the dog is being pushed to his limit, heed this and you will often avoid anything worse
Genuinely aggressive: an aggressive dog may show the following signs:
- Standing on tiptoes, with the neck arched and legs stiff.
- Raised hackles. The hair along the spine may stand on end. Be aware that raised hackles can also show nervousness, excitement and cold.
- Ears will most likely be pricked and forward-facing.
- The tail may be raised up and held stiffly. It may ‘flag’, which is the act of holding the tail up high and waving it quickly and stiffly from side to side in small motions.
- Staring directly at the other dog. The dog may blink frequently, which is an action intended to give the other dog the opportunity to break eye contact.
- Lips may be tight and retracted, baring the teeth. The muzzle may be wrinkled. Lips pulled upwards, baring the front teeth, usually means the dog is issuing a warning for the other dog to stay away. Lips pulled tightly back towards the corners of the mouth, baring parts of the front and back teeth, may show fear or defensive aggression. Lips pulled upwards and backwards may indicate that the dog is preparing to bite.
- Growls and barks may be used, usually in long, low, threatening tones. Snarls may also be used. Often, genuinely aggressive dogs are not very vocal and may limit themselves to low growls.
- ‘cold’ eyes, this is hard to describe but you’ll know it if you see it. The eyes appear blank, carrying a lot of anger and intent.
- Muscles are likely to be tense and rigid, making the dog look bigger than usual. The neck and head may be raised above the height of the shoulders. Weight may be centred on the forelegs, ready to spring forwards.
- Biting. This is almost always preceded by a warning, such as the above signs.
Most of the above behaviours can be applied to situations between a dog and a human, as well as dog on dog, or to any other situation where your dog displays aggressive behaviours.
As important as the actual aggression behaviours are the behaviours that may lead up to any aggression displays. This is particularly true of fear aggression. Most dogs will give (sometimes very subtle) signs of stress before they feel need to resort to defensive aggression. Unless you are looking for these signs they can be very easy to miss, which is why fear aggressive dogs are so often misunderstood.
Signs your dog is stressed include:
- low tail carriage
- licking lips (when no food is present)
- yawning (when not tired)
- panting (when not hot)
- physical tension, tense muscles
- tucking in behind another dog or person, looking at another for reassurance or guidance
- reluctance to move forwards
- looking away, not wanting to look at the trigger
If you see any of these signs when your dog is faced by something that elicits an aggressive response, it is more than likely that your dog is worried and stressed and that his aggressive reaction is because there has been no reaction to his more subtle signs. Learning to notice and respond to the stress indicators is an essential part of managing fear aggression, as the dog will generally only resort to aggression when he feels tipped over the edge.
If your dog has recently displayed aggressive behaviour, try to think about the situation he or she was in. Was it a stressful environment for him (even if most other dogs would be fine)? Was your dog being defensive or confrontational? Was there a potential threat nearby? Did you see any of the above stress indicators? All of this is extremely important. Next time he is in a similar situation, look out for any early body language to give you a better understanding of your dog’s motivation.
Something else that you may take into account is the physical appearance of your dog. Breed-specific traits can lead to a confusion of body language between dogs. For instance, the long ears of a Basset Hound and the pricked or sometimes cropped ears of a Doberman are not as mobile as the ears of some other breeds, and therefore cannot display the same body language. The same goes for tails. It may be difficult for other dogs to recognise playful or aggressive behaviour in a dog with a docked tail.
Another important thing to consider is age. Many people label their puppy as aggressive because it nips, bites and/or growls a lot. Try to remember that puppies need to be taught what is and is not acceptable by your standards. When they are with their littermates, mouthing and growling is their way of playing and interacting. They won’t know that you dislike the behaviour until you teach them that.
It is extremely rare to find a genuinely aggressive dog that has not been taught that aggression by humans or by other circumstances. It is even more rare to find a genuinely aggressive puppy.
One other cause of aggressive behaviour is physical discomfort or pain. In particular if your dog becomes aggressive or exhibits other behaviour that is out of character, it may be advisable to ask your vet to check for any physical cause.
Dog behaviour is a very complex subject, so you should always take time to get to know your dog and his or her mannerisms. This will help you to determine whether or not he or she is happy with a situation.
If, after reading this, you still feel that your dog shows signs of aggression, please feel free to ask us about it: https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/. We would also strongly suggest you take precautions to keep everyone safe, including keeping your dog on a long lead and taking the time to muzzle train him, while looking into training to address the issue.
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Thank you.
Updated 2016
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A Staffy-bull-terrier Frequently Asked Questions |
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