Some of us think of dogs as the most loving, adorable, and fluffiest creatures on Earth and to be honest, as pet lovers ourselves, we couldn’t agree more. But what happens when our little bundle of joy suddenly gets aggressive?

It’s definitely scary, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad, it can mean something happened to them and there are a few possible things that caused them to act the way they did such as:

1. They are ill

Sometimes your dog gets sick and when they do, they manifest differently. Some medical conditions make them act aggressively. If they start to growl, get snappy, or even bite you, but this behavior is very sudden, you should consider taking them to a vet.

Among dogs, pain is a common cause of aggression. They can have an injury or a sickness that’s causing them a lot of discomforts. Go to a vet to check what’s going on with them.

2. They are afraid

People often get dogs for their own protection, and that’s why they wouldn’t think they too can get scared of things. When they sense that they might be in danger they develop a defensive mechanism.

For example, if they are being scolded and you raise your hand, they may think you will hit them. Naturally, they will fight back. Usually, dogs with a terrible history of being abused end up having this behavior.

It’s important to take them to training classes in order to help them get over this stage.

3. They are possessive

They can become possessive over a lot of things: their food their space, their toys, or even you. If someone unwanted approaches their stuff they might growl at them.

If you have a possessive dog they may also bite a stranger that comes into your home because they consider it to be their territory.

4. They want to show dominance

The truth is dogs will be dogs, and that means that some of them still have this desire to show dominance. Aggressive behavior towards other dogs can mean they want to prove who the Alpha is.

If they growl, snap, or even bite it’s a sign they feel challenged.

5. They are simply frustrated

If it can happen to humans, it can also happen to dogs. If they can’t get something or can’t reach what they want, they easily get annoyed and they may end up showing it through aggression.

Sounds a bit familiar, doesn’t it? We have to admit we even sometimes have our moments of pure rage when we’re hungry and the food is late (just kidding).

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