A variety of aggressive dog behavior and traits can be noticed in a dog's activities. Most dog owners think that dog aggression is found only in common aggressive behavior like barking, growling, biting etc. But it is not so.

The level of aggression in dogs is determined by his perception of how much of a threat is being posed by another animal or individual. These can be classed as low level and high level aggression.

Low level aggression is displayed by most dogs everyday. This aggression is passive in nature, and the purpose is to warn the other dog or person that your dog is in control of the situation. Such aggression is displayed in the form of growling, ignoring commands from the owner, pushing against people, jumping up to intimidate, aggressive stance.

Your dog will display this kind of lower level aggression when he feels threatened, for instance, when he is introduced to another dog. Both the dogs will adopt a stiff stance, keep their heads up and ears pointed. After he has sufficiently observed the other dog and begun to feel more comfortable, he will back away and the aggression will begin to die away, until the two dogs become familiar with each other.

When a dog meets a human for the first time, he will show aggression by jumping up, pushing or leaning on the person until the person loses his balance, or the dog growls, along with an intense stare.

If the dog is small or a young puppy, this type of behavior can sometimes seem cute to onlookers or go unnoticed. But if aggressive dog behavior is not identified and dealt with, it will become more serious when the puppy grows into a larger dog, and then it will become downright dangerous and training him will be difficult. Whether your dog is a large dog or a small puppy, these aggression issues have to be dealt with early.

If your dog displays passive aggression which is not effective, he will start trying to gain dominance by displaying higher levels of aggression. Higher level aggression will take the form of snapping and snarling, biting, jumping up, barking aggressively, nipping at legs or heels, displaying teeth and staring

Higher level aggressive behavior is serious business, and your dog will go on to physical aggression next - fighting or biting, or trying to bite, and potentially this could be a dangerous situation.

As soon as you notice that your dog may be escalating to higher aggressive dog behavior, you must immediately go in for dog aggression training without delay.