Let’s discuss reactivity versus aggression.
I often hear the term “aggression” used extensively in my work, including by many organizations that I believe should be more knowledgeable, such as the ASPCA, which claims that 60-70% of dogs exhibit aggression. Very few long-term scientific studies have been conducted, but those that have been done challenge many of our assumptions about “aggression,” from which breeds display it to its meaning in canines.
My specialty, for lack of a better term, is dogs with reactivity to various stimuli. These dogs may have bite histories or a history of barking, lunging, growling, and baring teeth, etc. They may react minimally or significantly upon seeing new humans or other dogs, cars, vacuums, or any stimulus that creates discomfort or fear. This does NOT mean they are aggressive.
True aggression is entirely different. Throughout the decades-long course of my career in both animal welfare/rescue and training, I have encountered very few truly aggressive dogs. I personally stayed with each of these dogs as we said our final goodbyes for both the community’s safety and the mental well-being and peace of the dog involved, and this was ONLY after all resources and attempts to change the path of those dogs had been exhausted.
An aggressive dog doesn’t accept your tools and your warm thoughts for their well-being. They don’t care that you have only their best interests at heart. Their actions have nothing to do with you or even how you handle them. It doesn’t necessarily stem from some tragic background or abuse, similar to a human who can exhibit psychopathology or sociopathic behavior despite having lived a seemingly normal life.
These dogs are truly dangerous… but these aren’t the dogs you encounter on walks or at your local Home Depot or those you might adopt who might bark, growl, or nip at you. These are exceptions to the rules, not the rule itself.
Reactive dogs react to things they are uncomfortable with and want to intimidate out of their personal space. It can look scary because it is meant to, often because that’s the only tool they’ve learned to cope with that stimuli. The fight-or-flight response applies to both humans and canines. Again, these dogs aren’t aggressive… they just display behavior that makes us uncomfortable. Reactivity can be addressed once you understand its cause.
Learn the difference so you don’t mistakenly heed a veterinarian’s or trainer’s advice that you should euthanize your dog, when there might still be hope for you and your dog to live a better life.