Some Ideas To Prevent Dog Aggression

Understanding Your Dog

Taking the time to understand why dog aggression occurs will help you stop the problem. Dogs are naturally aggressive. In the wild aggressive behavior was essential to a dog’s survival. Through domestication and selective breeding this trait has been minimized but the instinct is still there.

As social animals undomesticated dogs lived together in packs with a distinct hierarchy. As dogs came of age they would assert themselves, within their pack, in order to determine their social ranking. Domesticated dogs still have this instinct. A puppy wants to know his ranking within his family as well as within the neighborhood.

Dogs naturally want to be protective of their territory and their pack, which is their human family. Neighborhood dogs pose a threat to your dog’s social standing and his home territory.  This threat can cause aggressive behavior in your dog. Aggressive behavior will also happen when your dog feels he must protect your family. By introducing your puppy to different situations you can help him understand when aggressive behavior is not appropriate.

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.  When a puppy is taken away from his mother at an early age he may not have been taught 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.

There are two areas of socialization to consider with your dog. Your dog must learn to get along with other animals and people and he must understand what is expected within your family.  It is essential that your dog have 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. 

A great resource to help you in training your dog can be found at: Training Your Dog in Any Situation

Tension Within the Family

Your dog is impacted by the way you and your family handles tension. 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. It is important that you work at being calm with your dog as well as with each other.

Your Puppy’s Needs and Wants

Your new puppy has certain needs and wants within your family. He must receive plenty of attention and he must feel love and security. Your puppy must receive enough attention or he will become bored and boredom leads to aggressive behavior. If your dog only receives attention when he exhibits aggressive behavior then the aggressive behavior is being rewarded. 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.

Dogs should be exercised regularly. Space and opportunities to run and play are important to a puppy who is full of youthful energy. Even a small apartment size dog and older dogs should have opportunities for adequate exercise.

Neighborhood walks are a good way to provide socialization experiences as well as providing opportunities for exercise and interaction with you. Your puppy requires well regulated examples to emulate. The wrong type of behavior will be reinforced if your puppy is allowed to run around with neighborhood dogs. You should choose mature, well-behaved dogs as 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. By taking the time to train your dog you keep his attention focused on you instead of on other dogs and people. Positive, consistent training will ensure that your dog will follow your commands in any situation.

Teaching your dog tricks will provide social interaction and will also help prevent boredom.

A fantastic guide for teaching your dogs tricks can be found at: Training Your Dog

Can You Teach an Old Dog New Tricks?

These ideas work well with a puppy because they are a clean slate and open to learning but what if your furry friend is an older dog? Constant, consistent effort is needed to correct an older dog’s bad habits. Aggressive behavior in a mature dog must be addressed immediately. If you wait to reprimand your dog he will know he feels bad but he will not understand why. Repeatedly correct your dogs negative actions until he understands the correct response in a particular situation.

Dog Aggression is Serious

Dog aggression should be taken seriously. Far too many dogs have been taken to the pound because they had a difficult time living peacefully in our society. Don’t let aggression become a problem. Take the time to train your puppy or dog.

I highly recommend this great course to help you successfully train your dog, whatever his age: Dog Obedience Training