Holding eye contact for too long: It is obvious to most humans that making and holding eye contact with one another, is a sign of respect. You are showing the other person that you are listening to them and you understand the subject that is being talked about. With dogs, however, it's quite the opposite. When you maintain eye contact with a dog, you are challenging them, not to mention the rest of your body language might add to the discomfort the dog may feel while around you. If you are looking at the dog, you will likely be standing over them or leaning in toward their face to get a better look at them. You may also be standing with the front of your body facing them, with your hands crossed or uncrossed, head forward, and mouth closed. To a dog, this all says the human is challenging, they are not looking away as a sign of respect for the dog's personal space and comfort, and they might be a dangerous predator that will try to hurt the dog if the dog is not well socialized with people. This thought process happens within seconds for the dog, and they will react before the human even knows what happened.

Resource guarding (taking away/ approaching a resource the dog wants to protect): This could be anything the dog likes, such as their bed, a blanket, the couch, chair, toys, a person's lap, food bowl (empty or full) water, meat, tissues/ paper towels, bones, socks, etc. This type of behavior can occur in any dog if they are not properly socialized from a young age and taught that it's ok to have these things taken away because they will get them back eventually. It is very important to understand how your dog thinks when they are protecting something of value to them, He/she doesn't know the human will give the item back, or is taking it away for the safety of the dog; all they know is that the item that was theirs is now being taken away against their will. If you are working with a resource guarder, you should never physically force them to give up their item! This will only lead in worsening the behavior and causing the dog to become much more aggressive when protecting what is theirs, as well as making any given situation that much more dangerous. Example: a child walks by the dog's food bowl and begins sticking their hands in the crumbly kibble. The dog who is eating during this time, has already begun to growl, show their teeth, and hover over the bowl. All the warning signs go unnoticed by the 4 year old child, and as a last resort, the dog stretches out their neck and snaps at the child. The dog makes contact, but does not break the skin. *remember the dog is only giving the child a correction, although it might seem much more aggressive than that to most other people.* The dog is teaching  that if they come near their food, they will be bitten. After the bite, the child will quickly learn to stay away from the bowl and/or the dog. Obviously there's much more emotional baggage that will follow the child throughout their life, but for the dog, all they learn is that if they bite a person, they will be left alone to eat in peace.

A mating pair of dogs: Often times, a female in heat will be very moody and somewhat "unpredictable." If she feels threatened by other females in the area, she may be very  "snappy" around other dogs and people. Much like human women, when they are going through hormonal changes, they cannot control their emotions and/or reactions to certain stimuli around them (males, females, heat/cold tolerance4, personal space tolerance, etc.) Again, the dog is not being mean, aggressive, or stupid, she is just going through physiological changes that affect her hormone levels. Pregnant females can especially be moody and protective of their personal space. They will not usually tolerate any unwanted company when they are close to giving birth, or shortly afterward when they care caring for their young babies. This is also normal behavior and a mother who shows this type of behavior is being a good mom to her pups by keeping them safe.

Non-socialized (feral) dogs/ dogs who are extremely fearful, dog feels cornered, defending themselves, fight or flight reaction:  Feral dogs are some of the first dogs to bite first and ask question later. This is just how they survive and protect themselves. In most cases, this won't involve a gruesome mauling, but rather a bite and release. Depending on what kind of situation you put on the un-socialized/ feral dog; you may get a few bites and scratches. In any event, the dog is not at fault. If humans get involved with animals and are uneducated, or just plain ignorant enough to put themselves in harm's way, then it is the human who is at fault, never the dog. It's very important to socialize dogs from all ages, breeds, and sizes. By keeping your dog well adapted to the world they live in (a human world) you are keeping them that much safer than if they were left outside all day or in the streets and were never taught how kind and gentle people can be. Any fearful dog can learn to come out of their shell with enough time and proper training, but it takes time on the human's part to understand that individual dog's limits. With too much pressure, the dog will feel the need to protect themselves and will instinctively go into flight or fight mode. When the dog is in this fearful state of thinking, they are not learning. It is pointless to train with a dog (or anyone for that matter) when they are not able to concentrate on what lessons are being taught. Pay close attention to what the animal is learning, not necessarily what you think you are teaching them. If you had planned on teaching a dog to sit by pulling on the collar and pushing the butt down, that doesn't mean they are learning to sit. What you are really teaching them to do is stand, because they are fighting against the two opposition reflexes you are pressing down on. *front of the throat and base of the spine* Remember, focus on what you are actually teaching the animal instead of what you think they are actually learning.

Leash reactivity and redirection: Dogs are generally more reactive on leash than off leash, especially when there is a loose dog running around and bothering the "tethered" dog. The reason why dogs get so hyped up on leash is because they cannot get their own release from the pressure being put on them. The pressure from the leash tension, the dog coming into their space, the reaction/ overreaction of the dog handler, the environment, and so on. Tons of things could be going on that might set the dog off, the loose dog being one of the biggest reasons. Dogs can be jerks sometimes, especially when they see other dogs who are tied u or leashed, they are not being mean, stupid, or aggressive, they are just being dogs. Dogs who bite the person handling them in this situation are generally redirecting. A redirection is the action of assigning or directing something to a new or different place or purpose/ to change the direction of focus. A leashed dog may redirect on their handler if there is a loose dog running toward them because they are in fight or flight mode. If the dog can choose to run away, they would. If they cannot, then they will stand their ground and protect themselves, as predators do.

Human playing the part of "Alpha" with a dog: This is a common reason for dog bites. Humans tend to think they need to act like an animal to talk o their own pets, when really this is just confusing to the dog. Dogs do not see us a see us as a wolf or a dog, they see us as a flat faced, two legged, pink, upright walking human. They also see us as reactive, loud, spooky, predators, and respond to us like a predator would when they are protecting themselves. When uneducated people teach other uneducated people outrageous and outdated methods such as the "alpha role", using a prong collar on them in an attempt "give a mother dog's correction", or to ignore the warning signs that the dog is uncomfortable and forcing them into fight or flight. All of these idiotic reasons for training (in my opinion) will cause the dog to react at some point, and they might bite. Even if they do end up biting the trainer or their person, this is an attempt to tell the person making them uncomfortable that they are....uncomfortable, and the person putting too much pressure on them with no sign of release.

Dogs playing together: When a dog is playing with another dog, and the play is mutual, someone may occasionally get a little too rough. If one dog bites down too hard, or pulls on a sensitive body part like the ear, the other dog will likely yelp out in pain. This is a well-recognized noise that means the playing will temporarily stop. The same thing can happen when a  person and their dog are wrestling around on the floor. Again, the play is mutual, meaning there is no aggressive body slamming or fighting for dominance between the two. If the dog bites or scratches the human, the consequences would be the same as if it were two dogs playing.  No one tak3es it personal, but the playing would calm down for a bit, then recommence when either dog decides to start up again. If the other dog/ human has decided they've had enough excitement, then they would likely ignore the dog, or the human can throw a toy for the dog to play with that doesn't involve close quarters with the hands.