Body Language: The Ladder Of Aggression

Dogs  possess a distinct set of behaviours that quite often bewilder their  human companions.  Much of their behaviour and communication is silent,  based completely in their body language.  From subtle eye movements to  the direction and speed of a tail wag, you can tell a lot about your  hound’s interactions with their surroundings, humans, and other animals  through their body language.

Though  for many dog owners, they are largely unaware of the more intricate  details of canine body language which can lead to an ‘aggressive’  incident, or incidents, catching them off guard.  Such incidents often  result in dogs being surrendered for rehoming.

Aggression,  regardless of context, always stands out as a significant concern for  dog owners.  People who witness dog bites, or what looks like dog  aggression, often say it ‘came out of nowhere’.  However, there will  have been a series of events and numerous warning signs before such the  incident occurred…they just went unnoticed.

The  thing with dogs is that no behaviour is without motivation.  They are  often rooted in a complex mix of various environmental, instinctual,  emotional, and genetic factors.  

Nature and nurture play a big role on an individual dog’s temperament and personality traits.

While  certain breeds may have been selectively bred for traits such as  aggression or guarding instincts, which can manifest in aggressive  behaviour if not properly managed or trained, but that doesn’t mean  you’re more likely to be attacked by a bull breed or shepherd, than a  sausage dog or cockapoo!  Trust us when we say, you are far more likely  to be attacked by a cockapoo…

A great deal of incidents come from environmental factors that predispose them to react aggressively in certain situations.

Such  factors play a significant role in shaping a dog's behaviour regardless  of age.  Poor socialisation, lack of training, diet and poor welfare  can all contribute to heightened levels of stress and anxiety in dogs,  increasing the likelihood of aggressive responses in situations they are  uncomfortable with.  Beyond this, experiences of abuse, neglect, and  trauma can also lead to fear-based aggression or defensive behaviours in  dogs.

Realistically, greyhounds  are not aggressive dogs.  Not by a long shot.  They are known for being  placid, gentle, and tolerant dogs that are great with humans of all  ages and other dogs.  It takes a great deal to push a greyhound into  acting aggressively, even defensively aggressive.

Nearly  ever instance of ‘aggression’ in greyhounds that we’ve come across, it  was through human error.  Human interactions with hounds, in taking into  consideration the surrounding context, have provoked, and escalated the  situation, forcing defensive responses from the hounds.  This is  largely through owners (particularly children) misinterpreting their  hounds body language, leading to inappropriate handling.  This then  caused the hounds to respond negatively.

This  is particularly important in relation to children.  Dogs will often  present clear signs they are uncomfortable with being approached,  cuddled, or climbed on.  They may seem as if they are being patient, but  often they are just frozen in not knowing what to do, and don’t  understand why their signals are being ignored.  As children are unable  to identify the early signs of discomfort, it is important for the  parents to closely supervise interactions between them.

Such signs as ‘smiling’ or ‘giving kisses’ are a misinterpretation of a dog asking for space because they are uncomfortable.

It  is essential for dog owners to both recognise and understand that while  aggression may appear suddenly, and apparently unprovoked, that there  are always underlying motivations and triggers behind the behaviour.   Understanding these and your hounds’ boundaries, particularly during the  initial settling in period, can be the most effective means of  preventing incidents or managing incidents in future.

This  is where the ‘ladder of aggression’ comes into play.  This hierarchical  framework sheds light on the various stages and motivations underlying  aggressive behaviour in dogs.

Firstly,  it’s important to note that the ladder of aggression is an umbrella  term that encompasses a wide range of behaviours, starting from signs of  discomfort all the way up to full aggressive responses.  All of which,  when looking at the context in which they occur as well as the dog’s  history, can have the root cause diagnosed.  

As  with a real ladder, the ladder of aggression has multiple rungs and  each of them represent a different behaviour and the escalation of  aggression.  The ladder of aggression doesn’t have a specific time frame  in which the behaviours are demonstrated, it depends completely on the  situation.  
A dog can go from the button to the top  rung of the ladder almost immediately if they are already in a  heightened state of stress from ongoing environmental problems, and the  dogs signals of discomfort, going unnoticed.

Such  situations can occur during the initial settling in period for your new  hound where they are in a constant state of stress (even if they appear  calm), and triggers just stack one on top of another until they have a  meltdown!  (We’ll discuss trigger stacking and the stress bucket in a  future post.)

For a lot of very  well socialised and placid dogs, interactions that make them  uncomfortable will largely remain within the lower rungs of the ladder.   These would be considered warning signs provided through subtle body  language such as:

- Stiffening
- Blinking
- Yawning
- Whale eye (eyes bulging/whites showing)
- Lip licking
- Turning their body away, sitting or holding a paw up
- Tight facial features or ‘smiling’
- Panting
- Tail tucked under

They  will give these signals, in no particular order, often several times.   These are a communication of discomfort and a request for space.  Should  these not get the response they are looking for, AKA space, even the  most placid dog will continue to work up the ladder if these signs go  unnoticed.  

A lot of dogs will  remove themselves from a situation that they are uncomfortable with, but  this isn’t always possible depending on the context such as being  restricted by a lead, being restrained by a child giving them a hug or  they feel cornered.

These signs  are all freely given but can largely go unnoticed.  All the while the  dogs discomfort, fear and anxiety are increasing.  They may even feel  threated, or stressed, depending on the context.  The result of which is  for the dog to move up a rung and vocalise their discomfort.

This  is where growling comes into play, which can quickly escalate to  barking and air snapping to create space.  This is a defensive action,  rather than true aggression.  They are not intending to cause any harm  but instead establish their boundaries and protect themselves from what  they perceive as a threat.

Growling  and barking are often misinterpreted as being aggressive, when it is  just another aspect of a dog’s communication.  Unfortunately, dogs do  not speak English (as much as we would all love them to!)!

If  your hound has reached the point of vocalising, or worse still  snapping, they’re well over their tolerance threshold for the situation  they are in.  At this stage they may also be demonstrating displacement  or calming behaviours to try and self-soothe and dispense of the tension  and anxiety they are holding onto.

Really,  to be at this stage, a lot of things have been missed or gone wrong.  A  lot of instances we’re aware of that have reached this stage, or the  rungs we’re yet to discuss, is through owners being completely unaware  of the underlying issues.  It can just happen, but it doesn’t mean you  can’t come back from it.

The  final rungs are when a dog becomes physically aggressive.  It may not be  with the intent to do harm, but contact will be made either bodily or  through a bite.  This is the last place any dog owner wants to be and  whether it happens once, or more, you should most definitely be  consulting with a professional behaviourist.
Sometimes  it is impossible to see the forest for the trees when you’re ‘in’ the  situation and in seeking outside help, they will be able to identify the  problem and walk you through how to fix it.

While  the ladder is a great tool for explaining the escalation of dog  behaviour, it doesn’t explain the motivations.  A key approach to  responsible dog ownership is seeking to learn more about canine  behaviour and body language, even at a basic level, so to be able to  identify triggers, discomfort and to advocate for their dog to prevent  incidents from occurring.

This opens up the ability to forge a healthy, trusting and mutually respectful relationship with our canine companions.