Dealing with Redirected Aggression in Dogs

Redirected aggression is interesting and scary rolled up into one ball of madness.

And it’s common. Dogs, cats and humans will redirect their frustration onto the closest thing. Dogs can’t browse the self-help section of a bookstore so it’s up to their humans to understand why it happens before preventing it.

Examples of Redirected Aggression

An example of redirected aggression is when you’re walking two dogs at the same time in the park and one dog becomes really excited at seeing another dog in the distance. The excited dog becomes overly agitated. She is unable to get to the other dog. Then, she turns and attacks her walking mate, and they begin squabbling.

Road rage is a perfect human example of redirected aggression. A person becomes so frustrated by lack of control in a stressful situation so she lashes out at the nearest person. Lashing out ranges between horn blowing or snapping at the children in their car seats. This person is trying to deal with her frustration.

What is Redirected Aggression?

Redirected aggression is when a dog takes out his frustration on others when dealing with his frustration. Others can be dogs, pet parents and even objects. Once, when dealing with dog aggression in a client’s home, I witnessed a dog fighting with his neighbor dog along their fence line. Both dogs were separated by a chain link fence and you could tell they’ve practiced the game for a long time, as they would immediately lock eyes and their fence fighting began. This consult was during the fall and a large leaf had fluttered through the wind right next to the frustrated dog, and he attacked it. Wow, he was in a total frenzy.

Redirected aggression is not revenge seeking. I don’t think dogs plot revenge, at least I’ve not witnessed it yet. 🙂 But redirected aggression, in its mildest form, can turn into bullying behavior, which needs to be addressed quickly.

I’ve witnessed on numerous occasions dogs redirecting their frustration onto their pet parents. They become so overwhelmed, they’ll turn around and pinch or bite their owners in the leg or arm. Scary stuff!

Usually, dogs susceptible to redirected aggression have underlying anxiety struggles. These dogs can react quickly to perceived threats and have difficulty calming themselves during stressful situations. It’s the same for people too and I fit right into this category myself. I can get worked up in a matter of seconds!

By understanding the fact dogs prone to redirected aggression can react quickly, it’s important to:

• Stop frustration before it starts.
• Teach dogs how to deal with frustration without resorting to violence.

How to Deal with Redirected Aggression

Identify Frustration Triggers

It’s time to do a bit of homework. Find your dog’s frustration triggers. Now, list them in order of highest to lowest levels of frustration. For example, if your dog lunges and barks at other dogs, this will probably be first on the list followed by watching movement from a window and barking at a ringing doorbell. These are only examples so put on your detective hat and find your dog’s frustration triggers.

Stop Frustration Before it Starts

This means avoid frustration triggers.

• If you see another dog approaching, turn and walk the opposite direction.
• Ask guests to knock instead of ringing the doorbell. Duct tape across the doorbell works great as a reminder (cue). 🙂
• Close curtains or blinds. For “lookie loos,” block access to windows and move a chair or piece of furniture to block access.
• Block visual access for fence fighting. I’ve successfully used rolls of felt about four feet wide and zip-stripped it along the inside of my fence. You can purchase felt at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
• Walk one dog at a time. This prevents squabbling around triggers.

I promise you will not have to live with your sofa blocking a window or ugly felt-covered fences. These measures are to prevent a dog from practicing this behavior until you can teach him how to deal with frustration.

Dealing with Frustration

Ah, here’s the fun part! What do you want your dog to do instead of XYZ. It’s easy to say “don’t do that” but what do you want him to do instead? What if I told you to stop talking while driving? So, should you sing, hum, listen to music or read text messages instead? The devil is in the details!

• Dog approaching: Your dog looks at you.
• Fence fighting: Dog eats a food stuffed Kong.
• Lay on mat when doorbell rings.
• Heel when walking on a leash.

Seeking Professional Help

If anyone gets hurts (person, dog, cat, whatever), seek professional assistance. Having an experienced person advising you provides quicker results and prevents injuries. When in doubt, seek help.