Pain-Driven Aggression in Dogs

When your dog exhibits signs of stress, did you know that pain could be the trigger? If pain is left untreated, the signs of stress can escalate into aggression. Many of us are not aware of these early signs and even if we are, we certainly may not attribute them to pain, but perhaps some other factor like fear or displeasure. Ran Courant-Morgan, M.S., Behavior Analysis, and Stephanie Keesey-Phelan, Ph.D., Behavior Analysis, of The Dog Behavior Institute in Boston educate us about signs of pain and how these signs might manifest behaviorally with evidence-based, data-driven information and a variety of anecdotal examples. It always pays to explore if pain is at the root of changes in behavior. By addressing any pain, not only will your pup feel better, they will behave better!

October 2023