How Can I Stop Dog Aggression?
12 Jun 2010
A Dog’s Natural Instincts
In order to stop dog aggression, it is important to understand the reasons why it occurs. Aggression is a natural instinct for your dog. The aggressive behavior of wild dogs was essential to their 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 the pack, to determine their social ranking. A domesticated dog has the same instinct. Your puppy wants to know his ranking in your family and in the neighborhood.
Dogs naturally want to be protective of their territory and their pack, which is their human family. Aggressiveness may assert itself if your dog sees neighborhood dogs as a threat to his position within his home territory. Aggressive behavior will also happen when your dog feels he must protect your family. Helping your puppy acclimatize to various situations will help him understand when aggressive behavior is not appropriate.
Helping Your Puppy with Socialization
Socialization helps your puppy learn how to get along with other dogs as well as teaching him how to deal with various situations. It is best for a puppy to learn proper dog behavior and socialization from his 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. If this is the case not knowing how to relate to other dogs may lead to aggression if you do not train him properly.
Your furry friend requires socialization in two areas. Your dog must get along with other animals, as well as people, and he needs to understand the requirements within your family. Your dog requires opportunities to interact in all these areas. Your dog wants to be a responsible member of your family. Train your dog properly and he will understand what it means to be a responsible member of your family.
A fantastic resource to help you in training your dog can be found at: How to Train Your Dog
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. You cannot underestimate the effect your example has on your dog. Work at being calm with your dog as well as with family members.
What are Your Puppy’s Needs?
Your new puppy has certain needs and wants within your family. He must feel love and security and he must receive adequate attention. Aggressive behavior can happen if your dog is bored and boredom comes from lack of attention. Your dog’s aggressive behavior is being rewarded if he only receives attention when he acts aggressively. Negative attention is as much of a reward as positive attention if your dog is feeling bored. You can help stop dog aggression by giving your dog adequate attention and by training him in a positive way.
Regular exercise is important to your dog. Space and opportunities to run and play are important to a puppy who is full of youthful energy. Small apartment size dogs and older dogs need plenty of exercise as well.
A good way to provide socialization experiences as well as needed exercise and interaction with you is through neighborhood walks. Your puppy requires well regulated examples to emulate. A puppy allowed to run around freely with other neighborhood dogs will obviously learn the wrong behavior. The best playmates for your puppy are mature, well-behaved dogs.
Bad habits are the result of leaving a dog on his own without proper guidance. You help your dog curb his aggressive nature with positive training. Through proper training your dog’s attention will be focused on you instead of other dogs and people. Your dog will follow your commands in any situation if you are consistent in training your dog.
Teaching your dog tricks is a great way to prevent boredom and provide social interaction.
A great guide for teaching your dogs tricks can be found at: Training Your Dog
Can Older Dog’s Habits Be Changed?
Puppies are a clean slate and open to learning. What about an older dog? An older dog’s bad habits can be corrected with constant, consistent effort. You must handle a mature dog’s aggressive behavior immediately. If you wait to reprimand your dog he will not understand your response, he will only know that he feels bad. Continue to repeat corrective actions until your dog understands what his response should be in a particular situation.
Dog Aggression is a Critical Problem
Dog aggression is a critical problem and should be taken seriously. Dogs who have been taught to live peacefully in our society will not have to be taken to the pound. 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: How To Train Your Dog
