Canine aggression is both a welfare problem for affected dogs and a safety issue, with welfare-positive approaches to prevention and management offering better outcomes than punitive responses.
Canine aggression and welfare are deeply connected: most aggressive dogs are fearful dogs whose welfare is chronically compromised by anxiety. Punishment-based responses to aggression - which remain common despite evidence of harm - increase the underlying fear driving the behavior while suppressing warning signals, making future bites more likely and more severe. Welfare-positive aggression management addresses the fear at the root of the behavior through behavior modification, appropriate medication, and environmental management. Breed-specific legislation fails both welfare and safety goals - removing dogs from families based on appearance rather than behavior history causes welfare harm without evidence of safety benefit.