Fear/Aggression

If I flip a coin to see what side I get, it could be heads, or it could be tails. But that’s really where the difference ends. Heads and Tails are just different expressions of the same coin.

When it comes to fear and aggression we’re usually talking about a similar thing. The response is simply the expression. Truthfully the majority of aggressive dogs we have worked with are actually fearful dogs.

Fearful dogs are dogs that don’t trust their surroundings and are afraid that the people (or dogs) around them are trying to hurt them. They typically cower, pull away, scream, pee themselves and even sometimes give defensive bites to scare the “threats away”

Fear aggressive dogs are dogs that have figured out that going on the offensive is the fastest way to ensure that “threats” don’t get close enough to hurt them.

Your goal, if you have a dog like this is to calm your energy down. Take your time, be patient, and be consistent. If your dog sees that your mean what you say and always follow through her trust for you will improve as will her ability to follow your instruction.