An animal expert explains seven reasons dogs bite other dogs, from play behavior and fear to resource guarding, territoriality, and intrasexual aggression. Learn how to recognize what's driving your dog's aggression and what to do about it.
There are many reasons why a dog attacks other dogs, and the first step before intervening is to be able to recognize the cause of the behavior in order to prevent it and address it if necessary. Let's look at the seven possible reasons in this video by an animal expert. 1. Play dogs play with each other by chasing and biting each other, and although they do not intend to hurt each other, too rough a play dynamic or excessive excitement can cause one of the dogs to injure the other. In this case, the injury, if any, will be minor and the affected dog will most likely complain or stop playing immediately. 2. Fear or insecurity One of the most common reasons why a dog bites another dog is because it is scared or feels insecure in its presence. The likelihood of an attack occurring increases if the dog in question is on a leash, does not know how to communicate effectively, or does not have the possibility of leaving the situation that is causing it stress. This usually happens especially in the case of animals that have not been properly socialized, that have experienced trauma, or that have been trained through punishment. Here above, we have left you a video in which we explain the consequences of punishing a dog. 3. Resource guarding this type of aggression occurs when a limited resource comes into play that two or more dogs find valuable and they all want to access it, for example a piece of meat, a snack, or a ball. If the animals are unable to communicate effectively and establish an order of access to the resource, a fight can break out. 4. Communication problems Dogs have a very broad language of their own that includes facial expressions, body movements, and sounds. Socialized animals that have grown up in favorable environments know how to use these signals perfectly and do so with other dogs as well as with us. If an animal is uncomfortable in the presence of another individual, it will use this language to indicate to the animal that it should move away or stop its behavior. But if this individual does not understand the signals, the dog will have no choice but to bite him to make him understand self, reinforcing this behavior. Discover everything about canine language in the video that we have included in the card. 5. Aggression due to organic Causes Suffering from an illness, being in pain, or having specific genes are also possible causes of aggressive behavior that should be assessed. For this and in the event of any suspicion of pathology, it is best to go to a veterinarian to have the animal examined and carry out the pertinent tests. 6. Territoriality Some dogs only display conflict of behavior when another animal enters their home. The defense of territory and the social group is a characteristic of some individuals that is determined by various factors, such as their genetics or their learning. 7. Intrasexual aggression in intrasexual aggression, the dog only attacks another individual of the same sex. This type of aggression is observed more frequently among adult males than among females, although it can appear in both sexes. If you want to continue learning about dog behavior, don't miss the playlist we've left for you here. Tell us, do you already know why your dog bites other dogs? Until next time, experts.
