My Dog is Passive Aggressive. How Do I Get It To Be Aggressive?

Suppose your dog is passive. Isolate or restricting your dog’s socialization with other people and pets will cause your pet to be aggressive towards encroaching visitors or new family members. Despite this, even the most aggressive dogs lose their edge if they are not healthy and robust.

Are there ways to train a passive dog to become aggressive? Yes, there are, although some dogs are typically not aggressive. However, the method you use to train them will determine if they will become aggressive.

What Are The Sign That My Dog Is Passive?

Suppose your dog’s ears always rest flat on his head and his tail tucked between his legs; this is a sign of a passive dog.

Additionally, a subordinate dog frequently stops, averting eye contact and lowering his head and body to the point where he is belly up on the ground.

Ways To Make Your Dog Aggressive

Isolate It

When you isolate your dog, it tends to mark its territory. Any other person coming towards that area is seen as a threat. A dog can mark its territory; urinating on objects in the area is one way, and the urine amount is usually small.

You can also tell your pet is marking its territory when it starts to kick its hind legs. Pheromones are released and kicked about the domain during the backward paw scratching.

Tie It Down

Always putting your pet on a leash is another way of increasing aggression in your dogs. Most dogs love to roam about free. Tying your pup to a leash will rob it of its freedom to expend the energy it has built up.

Furthermore, this will make your pet feisty and snappy and often adopt an aggressive stand. The more often you leash your pup, the more aggressive it will become.

Suppose Your Dog Is Passive, Restrict Its Socialization

When you restrict the number of people and other pets that have access to your dog and the number of people who interact with it, your dog will exhibit territorial, defensive, protective, or possessive aggression toward anyone unfamiliar with it.

Keep It Healthy And Active

Suppose illness, injuries, and other underlying sicknesses plague your dog. In that case, your dog will likely be unable to function well as it is not in the best condition.

However, a healthy and active dog will be more confident and daring. Despite this, even the most aggressive dogs lose their edge if they are not healthy and robust. It will show aggression to strangers and other perceived threats around it. You must ensure that your pet is fed a healthy diet and vaccinated when due.

Reasons Why Your Dog Is Passive

Injury

A broken bone or dislocated joint here and there can result in pain for your pet. This will make it cringe and whine in pain, and it will avoid interactions and contact with other dogs and people. Your pet will likely want to protect and nurse its injuries.

However, there are instances where your dog will become highly aggressive. It may feel that anyone encroaching on its territory will likely inflict further damage. At the same time, you must understand that your pet might become passive when injured.

Underlying Medical Conditions

Several medical conditions can make your dog passive and uninterested in any activity. It can also cause your pet to isolate itself.

These underlying conditions can make it to sleep for periods. Furthermore, it can cause them to lose their aggression as they cannot function properly.

In cases where your pet suffers from gastrointestinal diseases, kidney and heart diseases, or Cushing’s disease. Your pet will lose weight and become lazy, disinterested, and weak.

Infection May Be Why Your Dog Is Passive

When your dog has an infection such as parvovirus, heartworm, or even less severe one, it will likely become sick and lethargic. These infections compromise the ability of your pet to function as a healthy dog would.

This causes it to become detached, unresponsive, and distant from you and any other activity around it. As a result, it cannot display the level of aggression it would typically show. Additionally, the infection can cause a more severe health issue.

Depression Can Be Why Your Dog Is Passive

Mental issues affect dogs just like humans, so if your dog is passive, it may suffer from depression. Your pet is likely to always be on its own and often seem lethargic in this state.

Although depression in dogs can manifest differently, some dogs become aggressive when you come close to them.

However, some other dogs will be aloof about everything around them. In some cases, all your dog will do is whine, sigh, and look sad and withdrawn.

Signs Of Aggression In Your Dog

You should notice that your pet will begin to exhibit aggressive behavior, such as snapping and growling. Its body will be stiff with a rapidly wagging tail, yawning or licking its lips, averting the eyes, cowering, and tail tucking with raised fur.

At the same time, you must know that not all dogs behaving this way are aggressive; many warning signs can indicate worry or fear.

What You Should Do When Your Dog Turns Too Aggressive

Suppose your dog is passive, and you want it to be aggressive. However, it turns out to be more aggressive than you bargained for. You can try to socialize with your dog; however, you should not do this alone.

It would help to consult a professional dog trainer or animal behaviorist. If your veterinarian has concluded that your pet’s over-aggression is not a medical issue.

It would help if you did not attempt to resolve hostility alone because it is such a significant issue.

A professional behaviorist or trainer can assist you in determining the best strategy for dealing with your dog’s hostility. You will almost always employ positive reinforcement to teach your dog new actions.

Punishing your dog for aggressive behavior almost always backfires and worsens the situation. Suppose you hit, yell, or use another aversive way to deal with a growling dog.

The dog may feel compelled to defend itself by biting you or someone else without notice due to the punishment.

Conclusion

Despite your desire to want your passive pet to become aggressive, you must take note of the circumstance that causes your pup to become aggressive.

Also, observe the type of aggressive behavior it exhibits at that moment. This will determine the next thing you will have to do.

Suppose it displays aggression that will result in violent tendencies. In that case, you must ascertain what makes your dog this hostile. You can consult your vet doctor to check for any underlying medical condition or consult a professional dog trainer.