Pain-related aggression in dogs: 12 clinical cases

Abstract The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the main features of pain-related aggression in dogs. Twelve dogs presented for aggressive problems at the Veterinary Hospital of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, were included, and a questionnaire was used to gather information on the context of the aggression, body posture during the attack, impulsiveness, and aggressive behavior before the onset of the pain-eliciting condition. The most common cause of pain was hip dysplasia (66.7%), but no relationship was found between the cause of pain and the characteristics of the aggressive behavior. Dogs were classified as having been aggressive before or after the onset of painful condition. Dogs that had not been aggressive before the onset of the pain-eliciting condition were more impulsive ( df = 1, χ 2 = 5.3, P = 0.0209), showed aggression as a result of manipulation context more frequently ( df = 1, χ 2 = 6, P = 0.0143), and adopted a defensive body posture more frequently ( df = 1, χ 2 = 3.733, P = 0.0533) than dogs that had been aggressive before the onset of pain. These results suggest that previous expression of aggressive behavior has a major effect on the pattern of pain-related aggression in dogs.