Over time dogs have learnt to live with humans. Most of the times, they are docile and lend themselves to petting. They also obey commands, if trained well. There are instances where dogs have served well as companions to senior citizens and handicapped individuals.

A well-trained dog can even run errands for you. At the same time, dogs can be unpredictable too. Although dog aggression is considered as one of the abnormal behaviors in domesticated dogs, an animal is after all an animal. Dogs evolved from wolves and retain some of their aggressive traits.

They are bound to respond to their genes and behave in accordance to them at times. However, the aggressive trait is manageable in most cases and if proper care is taken you can totally eliminate the possibility of aggression in your dog.

Aggressive dog behavior is mostly caused by the following factors:

* A medical condition.
* Genetic predisposition towards dominating the pack.
* A fear factor.
* Maternal fears for safety of the litter.
* Redirected aggression.
* Inter-male rivalry and territorial aggression.

Most people bring home a cat or a kitten expecting a friendly cat that will become a companion and lie cozily in the lap. It is unlikely that a cat will be confident enough to adjust easily to a new home and people. However, apart from the initial short period that the cat may take to get used to a new environment, most cats adjust easily in new homes.

On the other hand, some cats remain fearful of the new surroundings despite patient efforts of the cat owner. Su situation may be the start of a problem. If the fearful and anxious situation continues you can be sure that you have landed yourself with a stressed and unhappy cat.

A fearful or defensive cat is likely to resort to aggressive behavior like fighting, biting and scratching. Understanding cat behavior is critical to handle an aggressive cat or to stop cat biting behavior. Unlike treating aggressive dog behavior , which requires re-training, handling a mean cat may require a little bit more than that.

However, before you try anything it is recommended that you take precautionary measures and trim the cat’s claws. Trimming the claws should actually be a regular practice since the feral wild traits can manifest anytime.

Dog biting is something that is very likely if a dog is in an aggression mode. Aggressive dog behavior is clearly characterized by ominous or threatening behavior. It can lead to injury of other animals and even human beings, including family members.

There are various factors that influence aggression in dogs. Dog aggression can result from some underlying medical condition, inept handling, fear, anxiety or an inherent desire to dominate the pack. Dominance related aggression in dogs is actually the most common type of dog aggression in domesticated dogs. If dominance aggression surfaces, obedience training may be needed all over again.

It is difficult to identify dominance as the root cause of aggressive behavior since your dog may otherwise show signs of affection. However, it must be noted that given a chance he may assume leadership and try and dominate. This can result in an expression of displeasure even during normal actions like putting the collar on or petting him on his head.

As pack animals, dogs have an instinct to dominate. Since dogs were domesticated from wolves, they have retained pack mentality where survival depends upon leadership. . Leadership also determines who gets the best of what is available including mating rights.

Although the treatment of pet aggression may involve practically similar procedures, there are basic differences between dog aggression and feline aggression. One of the most common forms of feline aggressions is actually termed as play aggression. It is seen mostly in younger cats up to two years.

Cats learn feline behaviors during the weaning period. The mother cat and other older members of the litter play an important role in this natural learning process. It is during this period that they understand to play, stalk, kill prey and most of all, explore and investigate new objects.

This is also the time that they learn that they should not bite hard enough to hurt. Cats that have not had the opportunity to socialize enough during the early period are most likely to become more nervous and indulge in aggressive behaviors, much to the annoyance of the owners.

Inherently, a cat gets accustomed to new surroundings easily. However, generations of breeding friendly cats has resulted in the suppression of the inherent feral trait of caution. This has led to a lack of self confidence in cats. Like most animals, cats are also wary of unfamiliar noises. The daily whirring sound of a vacuum cleaner can also lead to nervousness and fearful hiding. Nervousness limits her natural tendency to investigate the disturbance and get familiar to the noise.

Understanding dog behavior is important before arriving at any conclusions about the reasons behind certain types of behavior. Much as humans feel offended at certain things and resort to aggression, dogs too respond similarly. Just as certain foods do not suit humans, there are many foods that should not be fed to dogs.

If you continue to feed your dog with a diet that disturbs his system, he is liable to show his irritation in his behavior. Persistent feeding of unsuitable diet ultimately leads to aggressive dog behavior .

Dogs are not obligate carnivores and can be often seen hunting for roots and fruits. Dogs evolved from wolves. In the wild if you see wolves and dogs eating an herbivore prey that they have killed, you may notice they first go for the stomach area of the carcass. That is where they will find roots and leaves and berries. Many times you can also see dogs eating grass.

Left to him, a dog will eat only what he can digest and pass easily. Domesticated dogs do not have that option available to them. They have to consume what they are fed by dog owners. It is a known fact that commercial dog food contains synthetic preservative, coloring and fillers.

Dog aggression can have various causes. The various kinds of aggression observed in dogs are categorized based on what causes it – fear aggression, dominance aggression, territorial aggression and others. Aggressive dog behavior can be induced by fear.

Fear is an emotion that we generally do not associate with dogs. However, it is a reality that some dogs can feel threatened or fearful due to certain specific objects, people or actions. If somebody, regardless of it being a human being or another animal, approaches a dog that is otherwise cringing in a corner with fear, the dog is likely to respond with aggression.

Such dog aggression can be understood in comparison with normal human behavior. Consider this – if you find yourself in a fearful condition and some one is approaching you without clarifying his intention, you are most likely to hit back in defense.

A dog cannot understand human language. In a fearful condition the dog is likely to misunderstand your gestures or body language. This can result in seemingly non-instigated aggression. While most dogs try to attack the source of fear, some resort to escape or show abnormal behaviors like increased fearful activity.

Dog territory marking, dog scent mixing, male spraying, dog marking – it does not matter what you call such bad dog behavior. It may be dog instinctive behavior, but no one wants a dog relieving itself in the house!

Let’s say you have an aging male dog who, up until now, has been somewhat of a model citizen. You want you new puppy to learn from him so that training will be easier, and the pup will grow up with some social skills.

You bring the new pup home. The old dog tolerates him, but he clearly is not thrilled to have another male in his house. In a situation such as this, we humans feel a bit guilty, and we want to give the old timer extra affection to be sure he does not feel left out.

Instead of reacting emotionally, the best thing to do, in reality, is to allow the dogs to acclimate to one another. Correct the old dog if he is too rough on the newcomer, but surely correct the pup if he is out of line. Balance is the only thing that will bring harmony between two males (actually, any dogs being together need this balance).

Playful dog biting by young puppies is a common phenomenon. But when the same situation occurs in adult dogs, it can result in serious consequences. Biting is a part of basic aggressive dog behavior. It arises from an inherent attribute of dogs to dominate a pack.

Wild dogs use biting as a tool to assert their dominance over other dogs within the pack. Even within a litter of puppies around the mother, it is common to see some pups trying to assert dominance and biting each other. Dogs tend to bite without provocation only when they start assuming the family as the pack and see a situation where they feel that can dominate and become the ‘alpha’ dog.

While any type of aggressive dog behavior is difficult to tolerate, dog biting assumes more significance in the light of the problems that are associated with it. In many cases, dog biting arises out of fear or when a dog finds him in an inescapable situation. If this behavior is not corrected in its early stages, dog aggression may assume unmanageable proportions.

Dog biting makes up for almost half the claims made under homeowner’s insurance policies. Nearly two thirds of the cases relate to biting incidents that occur with an acquainted dog. At the same time, healthy and well trained dogs are not aggressive and they normally do not bite.

There is evidence of a genetic disposition of dog aggression in certain breeds. However, that is not the only cause of aggressive dog behavior. There are other factors that influence aggressive behavior in dogs and the best way to guard against such a situation is to start dog training when you purchase or accept a puppy.

Select a puppy that suits your family. Puppies that are too shy need large amounts of coaxing in various situations. Shy puppies will need more time in each activity. Before selecting a shy puppy, make sure that you are ready to spend some time with for him.

On the other hand, if you choose a dominant dog, you may require everyone in the family to be authoritative. You can get to know which puppy is dominant or too shy by inspecting the litter. The most dominant will take control of all activity while a too shy puppy will be seen cringing in the corner.

All species of animals, including humans, have an underlying aggressive trait, which surfaces in specific situations and events. Cats are fairly predictable creatures. Despite this, there are instances when cat owners are startled by a sudden and abrupt change in behavior.

This can cause a seemingly content and friendly cat into a spitting and aggressive cat. Cats normally do not do anything without reason and there is always an understandable reason behind the aggression. Like dog aggression, feline aggressive behaviors also need to be understood before any specific action can be taken.

The most common type of aggressive behavior observed in cats is playful aggression. Young cats that are less than two years of age love to play and indulge in activities that appear aggressive to humans. Young cats do not let go of any opportunity to practice skills that they need for survival.

This involves exploration, investigation and predation. A kitten is likely to pounce upon anything that moves to investigate and explore. It may even bite an innate object that appears as a prey. Socializing at a young age ensures that the playful activity is limited to scratching and restricted biting that does not break the skin.