Stop Dog Aggression
Understanding Your Dog
The first step in stopping dog aggression is to understand why it happens. Aggression is a natural instinct for your dog. The aggressive behavior of wild dogs was essential to their survival. This instinct is still there even though it has been minimized through domestication.
As social animals undomesticated dogs lived together in packs with a distinct hierarchy. To determine their social ranking, within the pack, dogs would assert themselves as they came of age. Domesticated dogs have this same instinct. It is important to your puppy to know his ranking within your family and within the neighborhood.
Dogs naturally want to be protective of their territory and their pack, which is their human family. If your dog sees neighborhood dogs as a threat to his territory, or his social standing, he may become aggressive. Aggressive behavior will also happen when your dog feels he must protect your family. Your puppy can learn when aggressive behavior is not appropriate if you will take time to introduce him to different situations.
Helping Your Puppy with Socialization
Socialization is an important part of a puppy’s upbringing because it teaches him to cope with a variety of experiences, including getting along with other dogs. Socialization and proper dog behavior is best taught by a puppy’s mother. However, taking a puppy away from his mother before 10 weeks of age may mean that he has not been taught how to socially interact with other dogs. When a puppy becomes part of your household it becomes your responsibility to give him supervised experiences that will continue the socialization process and help avoid dog aggression.
Your furry friend requires socialization in two areas. These two areas are: 1) getting along with other animals and people; and 2) understanding the requirements within your family. Your dog should be given opportunities to interact in all these areas. Your dog wants to be a vital part of your family. Your dog can learn to be a responsible member of your family if he is trained properly.
An excellent resource to help you in training your dog can be found at: How to Train Your Dog
Tension Within the Family
The way you and your family handles tension has an impact on your dog. Tension within your home will cause your dog to be tense. Your family must learn to handle tension in an appropriate manner or your dog may show aggressive behavior in trying to deal with the tension around him. Your example has a profound effect on your dog. Being calm with your dog and others is extremely important.
Your Puppy’s Needs and Wants
It is important that a puppy’s needs and wants are met. He must receive plenty of attention and he must feel love and security. Your puppy will become bored when he does not get enough attention and boredom can lead to aggressive behavior. Your dog’s aggressive behavior is being rewarded if he only receives attention when he acts aggressively. When your dog is bored negative attention is as much of a reward as positive attention. No attention is worse than negative attention. You can help stop dog aggression by giving your dog adequate attention and by training him in a positive way.
Your dog requires regular exercise. Space and opportunities to run and play are necessary for a puppy full of youthful energy. The need for exercise applies to apartment size dogs and older dogs as well.
Neighborhood walks, besides providing needed exercise and interaction with you, also offer experiences for socialization under your control. You must provide good examples for your puppy to follow. The wrong type of behavior will be reinforced if your puppy is allowed to run around with neighborhood dogs. Mature, well-behaved dogs are the best playmates for your puppy.
Bad habits are the result of leaving a dog on his own without proper guidance. With positive training your dog’s aggressive nature can be controlled. You can keep your dog’s attention centered on you, instead of other dogs and people, by training him properly. If you are consistent in training your dog he will follow your commands no matter the situation.
Another way to prevent boredom and provide social interaction is by teaching your dog tricks.
An awesome guide for teaching your dogs tricks can be found at: Training Your Dog
Can Older Dog’s Habits Be Changed?
All this is well and good if your furry friend is a puppy because they are a clean slate and open to learning but what about an older dog? With constant and consistent effort an older dog’s bad habits can be corrected. An older dog’s aggressive behavior must be addressed immediately. Your dog will not understand your response if you wait to reprimand him. He will only know that he feels bad. Until your dog understands the correct response in a particular situation you must repeatedly correct his actions.
Dog Aggression is Serious
Dog aggression is a critical problem and should be taken seriously. Many dogs are taken to the pound because they were not taught to live peacefully in our society. Help your dog handle his aggressive nature by taking the time to train him properly.
I highly recommend this awesome course to help you successfully train your dog, whatever his age: How To Train Your Dog
