I think more information would be needed. If the dog biting out of fear? How old is the dog, how long has he been aggressive? Has abuse caused the aggression, was he trained to be aggressive? How severe is the aggression, does he get defensive or has he bitten? Did he do a full blown attack or just one bite? I think some HA can be fixed but for some it's better if the dog is PTS.
Are you talking about an actually problem you're having or are you just speaking theoretically?
Are you talking about an actually problem you're having or are you just speaking theoretically?
Personally, I don't think "aggression" in a general sense is ever truly cured, but I do think that through careful training and desensitization, a dog's triggers can be eliminated, thus eliminating the aggressive response to those triggers. Is it a cure for aggression? Not really. I see it more as maintainence - it's something you need to keep up and continually monitor if you don't want the behavior to return. When you live with an aggressive dog, there is no point at which you say "okay, mission accomplished, no more aggression!" and immediately release control of the dog. It's something that always needs to be kept under control, and I really don't think it ever goes away entirely.
Some types of aggression are, IMO, impossible to eliminate and very difficult to control. A dog with an inherent predisposition to aggression is always going to have the instinct to behave aggressively in certain situations, and it's hard for conditioning to overcome instinct. I wouldn't ever expect a guardian breed not to protect its territory, just like I wouldn't expect a sighthound not to chase things, or a Border Collie not to work livestock.
Some types of aggression are, IMO, impossible to eliminate and very difficult to control. A dog with an inherent predisposition to aggression is always going to have the instinct to behave aggressively in certain situations, and it's hard for conditioning to overcome instinct. I wouldn't ever expect a guardian breed not to protect its territory, just like I wouldn't expect a sighthound not to chase things, or a Border Collie not to work livestock.
perhaps, but then define agression.. My my def I know a few, and their lives have never been on the line.
Maybe that would be a really good place to start-define agression. ie for dogs that bite we could use Ian Dunbar's bite scale. Many dogs who are termed agressive, make lots of noise and frequently threated, yet never hurt anyone. That is a different issue than a really nervous dog who then lashes out and bites someone seriously once.
Maybe that would be a really good place to start-define agression. ie for dogs that bite we could use Ian Dunbar's bite scale. Many dogs who are termed agressive, make lots of noise and frequently threated, yet never hurt anyone. That is a different issue than a really nervous dog who then lashes out and bites someone seriously once.
definition of aggression -- a dog that inappropriately responds to a stimulus with a forward behavior, either in hopes of making it go away (fear) or in hopes of controlling it (dominance) or in hopes of engaging it in a fight game (prey/fight drive).
can it be cured? depends on the dog's undelrying temperament, depends on the dog's experiences. i think most of the time it can be masked by training counter behaviors (it's impossible for a dog to bite while doing a down stay). it can be avoided by managing the dog's environment (the dog can't bite visitors if you don't have company coming over or if the dog is locked int he bedroom while the visitors are there). sometimes it can be cured, but most owners don't do what it takes to cure it.
a dog who is acting in a high prey drive needs more activity and acceptable outlets for the drive. a dog who is fear aggressive may be able to learn to trust and to overcome the fears.
can it be cured? depends on the dog's undelrying temperament, depends on the dog's experiences. i think most of the time it can be masked by training counter behaviors (it's impossible for a dog to bite while doing a down stay). it can be avoided by managing the dog's environment (the dog can't bite visitors if you don't have company coming over or if the dog is locked int he bedroom while the visitors are there). sometimes it can be cured, but most owners don't do what it takes to cure it.
a dog who is acting in a high prey drive needs more activity and acceptable outlets for the drive. a dog who is fear aggressive may be able to learn to trust and to overcome the fears.