Diagnosis of Aggression Toward Familiar People in Dogs
If your dog has suddenly or gradually over time become aggressive toward you, other family members, or friends, it is imperative to make an appointment with your veterinarian before the symptoms progress. The veterinarian will ask for a detailed history of the dog, including his home environment, habits, routines, discipline, training, and any other questions he feels is necessary to properly diagnose the underlying condition, if any.
The veterinarian will perform a complete examination which may include medical testing, such as blood work, a urinalysis and other tests. It is very important to tell your veterinarian of any changes in diet, or if the dog is showing any symptoms of illness. The medical professional will check for anxiety issues or dominance issues by asking you specific questions pertaining to these disorders.
What is Aggression Toward Familiar People?
Aggression in dogs toward familiar people is a frustrating situation that dog owners may face during the ownership of their companion. Growling, barking, biting, snarling, lunging, or any type of aggressive behavior can be caused by a variety of reasons. Many people view the term “aggression” in different ways; some feel that if a dog bites a familiar person it is considered aggression, while others may feel that a growl or snarl to a familiar person is a signal for aggression. What is important to understand is that if a dog has been a member of your family for a period of time and has had time to “bond” with everyone, it is important to be mindful of any behavioral changes. If your companion has never snarled or growled before, and all of a sudden begins to do that (without being threatened or provoked) then it may be time to visit the veterinarian.
Aggression in dogs toward familiar people occurs when a dog, well known to its family or family friends, becomes aggressive towards them, causing emotional harm or physical harm to his loved ones.Youtube Play
Aggression Toward Familiar People Average Cost
From 22 quotes ranging from $200 – $3,000
Reason 3: Trust
General aggression of people or things usually points to socialization or trauma. But when asking ‘why is my dog aggressive towards me but not my husband” you need to consider is it just you. When your dog is only afraid of you and not other people it can be due to lack of understanding your dogs way of communication. Dog’s communicate through facial and body expressions. Humans communicate through voice. Unfortunately, sometimes our dogs tell us that they are uncomfortable using their body and we are deaf to it. As a result, they escalate their behavior to a growl or bite.
Answering this question helps eliminate determine to true culprit. When asking ‘why is my dog aggressive towards me but not my husband” you need to consider their behavior towards all people.
If your dog is only aggressive to you and not to new experiences or people who look like you then you have a “trust issue”
If your dog is aggressive to all new things, people and places then you have a “socialization issue”
If your dog is aggressive to people who look like you, then you have a “trauma issue”
If your dog was never exposed to new things as a puppy he will develop the fear of new things. For instance if he saw a women with long black hair he might automatically become stressed. Typically lack of socialization creates a very shy or fearful dog across the board. This means that it is not people specific. If its new, its bad. Typically, these dogs are afraid of all women with long black hair regardless of their race, height, or relationship with the person.
Trauma tends to be very specific. This means your dog only reacts to back haired, Caucasian women who weighs between 150-200 pounds with green eyes. Think back to other times your dog has became reactive. Did those people share the exact same characteristics as you or are they just novel things. This would be a dog who reacts to women with black, red, brown, and even green hair. So if you are asking yourself “why my dog is aggressive towards me but not my husband”, think to your self ‘is it just new things’ or is it ‘people who look like me?’.
This is usually personality driven. In general men tend to be better at respecting our dogs personal boundaries. This is because they are are less inclined to be reassuring, lovey-dovey, and hug orientated. Hugging is a primate behavior and very stressful to most non-primates. On a daily basis I see pet parents smoother their dog. During the entire interaction the dog is giving off “help me” signals that are being ignored. Try not to Elmira your dog. In addition abandon the hand sniff thing as it does invade their space. Instead, do the “treat and retreat method” and not the reach out or touch method. Lack or trust is a common woo among women who feel that ‘my dog is aggressive towards me but not my husband”. The worst part is the women are trying to be affectionate to their dog but are going about it in the primate way. Women tend to be more touch based then men which causes many of them to ask ‘why is my dog aggressive towards me but not my husband’.