U.S.PET CARE
Pet care: Fear, not dominance, drives your dog's aggression
Veterinary behaviorist Jeff Nichol says a frightened dog can misread kind gestures as threats, and suggests a food toy in another room before guests arrive.
On air: Kenji Moonfield and Gloria Vance on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: M. Rehemtulla · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Kenji Moonfield and Gloria Vance on this story, from BBN After Hours at 4:43 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Albuquerque Journal's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Albuquerque Journal: “Pet care: Fear, not dominance, drives your dog’s aggression”, with reporting from VCA Animal Hospitals.
- Covered on BBN on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 4:43 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Kenji Moonfield and Gloria Vance.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- Albuquerque JournalPet care: Fear, not dominance, drives your dog’s aggression
- VCA Animal HospitalsDog Aggression Diagnosis and Overview facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorA pet care column in the Albuquerque Journal says fear, not dominance, drives most dog aggression. It comes from veterinary behaviorist Jeff Nichol.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorHe writes that most people don't mean to intimidate their dogs. It happens by accident, when a frightened pet misreads the best of human intentions.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo the growling and lunging isn't the dog being the boss. It's the dog being scared of the doorbell.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe column says it isn't logical. A veterinary reference calls the dominance idea the most common misdiagnosis.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe most common misdiagnosis.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorHis advice before guests arrive: put the nervous dog, not the owner, in another room with a food-dispensing toy.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentFinally, a party plan where the dog gets the snack puzzle and the owner doesn't get banished to the bedroom.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentI've been put in the bedroom.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorI once watched a diplomat hide in a coat closet for the same reason. Nobody offered him a toy.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe dog gets a puzzle feeder and the diplomat gets a closet. The dog is winning the whole exchange.
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Photo: USA International Trade Administration · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Anderseidesvik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bigesian · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Monday, November 2, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
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