My family and I were out walking our dogs this evening when we passed by a fence with a large dog on the other side. The dog was lunging, snarling, and throwing himself at the fence. Several of the boards were loose and one was missing from this routine behavior from the dog.
The owner of the property was out front so I mentioned to him that his fence was breaking and his dog was displaying serious fence aggression. I told him that who ever the unlucky person was walking by when the fence broke would be attacked by 100 pounds of pent up anger from his dog. The owner just laughed and said his dog was well trained and wouldn't hurt a fly, "It's just harmless noise" he said.
This really bothered me because it is this kind of ignorance that gets people killed. When an animal is displaying aggression of any kind it is not "just harmless noise". It is, in fact, a warning that you need to take action before something tragic happens. My guess is that this dog is a very sweet dog when he is with his owner and so the owner feels that he has nothing to worry about. The truth is, when the owner is gone the dog has taken the job of fiercely guarding the property line from anyone walking by. He is not getting exercised enough and is able to release his energy by overreacting to strangers.
This owner is not unlike many others out there. He simply does not want to believe that his loving family pet could be dangerous, but the truth is any dog can and will bite if not trained properly. Knowing commands and how to retrieve is not enough. Dogs, especially big dogs, have to learn the difference between a real threat and normal activity. What this owner needed to do was correct his dog at the very first sign of aggression towards something on the other side of fence and continue to work on it. His dog also needs a lot of daily physical activity so he does not release his energy in this dangerous way. Unfortunatley, simply ignoring the behavior and passing it off as harmless is going to get someone hurt.
If you see a dog showing aggression like this at a fence you need to contact animal control so they can investigate and asses the danger to the public. And, if your dog shows this kind of behavior you need to act NOW to correct it before someone gets hurt.
*Remember, there is no such thing as harmless aggression. If your dog acts aggressive do not be foolish enough to assume it's just talk with nothing behind it. And if you encounter a dog showing signs of aggression call and get some help before it is too late!
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