The Relationship Between Aggression and Physical Disease in Dogs

Abstract

Aggression is a very common behavioral problem in dogs. Although aggression can be part of the normal behavior of dogs, medical conditions can either trigger aggression as in the case of intracranial tumors or aggravate an existing aggression problem as it happens with painful conditions. Therefore, it is essential to include an assessment of physical health in the diagnostic protocol of canine aggression.

Keywords: Canine aggression; Dermatologic problems; Diagnostic protocol; Endocrine disease; Microbiome; Neurologic problems; Pain; Physical disease.