For the past few decades, the general concept about canine aggression in the pet dog population has been that it is pathological, abnormal, and to be corrected through behavior modification of some kind. Rarely are the ultimate sources for “aggressive” behaviors considered within the greater context of history or natural laws, as we find ourselves living in a world so far from that which even our grandparents knew.

As a result, those who live and work with pet dogs in developed countries these days often perceive the expression of “aggressive” behaviors from a more limited proximate perspective in which current pop-narratives about behavior overshadow long-standing fundamental tenets of evolutionary science. If we are to discover meaningful answers and solutions to the rapidly increasing prevalence and severity of behavior problems in our canine companions in the modern age, we would be wise to take a step back to consider some of those core ethological principles from which the behavior of all life on earth arises.

Though most people have heard the phrase “survival of the fittest”, very few of us have thought about how such a cornerstone of evolution might influence the behavior of the dogs in our homes. We don’t generally think about the fact that literally ALL animal behavior in nature – even aggression – is functional on an evolutionary level (simply because it can’t afford not to be). We aren’t generally talking about the adaptive original purposes of the behaviors we find unsavory in our pet dogs – barking, growling, snapping, biting, attacking. We just want the behavior to stop. We don’t talk about natural selection and its role in these very logical, necessary responses to specific conditions in the natural world. So we misunderstand. But that’s only part of the problem.

The more egregious ignorance we have adopted as a culture regards the profound significance of our interruption to the natural orchestra of checks and balances which evolutionary principles provide to all species. We don’t recognize how significant our alterations to the canine species, through artificial selection (breeding), has been to the health and “fitness” of the modern pet dog population – especially in the captivity so many of them experience. As a result, we don’t recognize the mess that our dogs (and their human families) now find themselves in for what it truly is. We can continue to treat the symptoms alone, but the roots of the problems will grow if they remain misunderstood and unmitigated.

We’ve “screwed the pooch” as they say (both figuratively AND literally), and it’s time we come to terms with it. Unless we can finally appreciate the evolutionary, historical, and current influences and interruptions in our discussion of canine “aggression” and other “behavior problems”, we will continue to fail to understand or reconcile the dysfunction we experience in life with our pet dogs in the 21st century in a meaningful way. Thankfully, changes in our perceptions, attitudes, and expectations can yield remarkable results. We just have some very important conversations to have as an industry, culture, and community of dog lovers worldwide.