Dogs are man’s best friend, the most adorable and loving pet you can have, that is unless they are aggressive and mean.
If you are an owner of an aggressive dog, then you have a lot to deal with, and you need to know that this is something that can be prevented. You need to know about your dogs growth periods and what the major influences are in his development which can cause aggressive behavior.
Some of the major factors in aggression in dogs are genetics. There are breeds such as Akita’s, Rottweilers, and Dobermans that are bred as protective animals and will tend to be more aggressive than a Labrador Retriever. Terriers were bred to be feisty in order to kill small game, and they still tend to remain feisty even now.
A big cause of aggression in dogs is “inbreeding”, which can create unstable temperaments. Another thing that can cause aggression are hormones in females in heat or with new puppies. Aggression in dogs is also influenced heavily by their living conditions.
Aggression can be happen when a dog lacks socialization, or has received harsh punishment, or maybe has been frightened or even attacked by an aggressive animal. A dog can also become aggressive by too much attention, being spoiled with unearned praise, or being kept away from people.
Dogs can also become aggressive due to children teasing them. There are so many influences that can bring out aggression in dogs, but if you are aware of these factors, you can avoid them.
Never allow your dog to achieve dominance over any person, young or old. A dog needs to know that they are not allowed to challenge their owners or any person. When they learn this, they are a happy and gentle member of the family.
Obviously, having an aggressive dog is a problem. To name a few issues, they bite people, defend their territory, and attack other dogs. Fortunately, if you want to stop dog aggression , then there are a number of options available.
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Stop dog aggression at an early age
If you have the foresight to spot trouble dogs early, then this is the easiest option. Puppies are relatively easy to train, and putting an end to aggressive dog behavior now will save you from years of hardship in the future. In fact, the easiest way to prevent future dog aggression is to get your puppy neutered. If you wait until he is older, then neutering becomes a less effective way of stopping dog aggression.
However, if you don’t notice this behavior until the dog is older, then you will have to consider other options. The type of approach you choose will depend largely on the reason your dog is exhibiting this behavior in the first place.
Stopping dominant dog aggression
Dominant behavior is one of four main types of aggression in dogs. The dog will act like it is the alpha male of the pack. Since it sees your family as its ‘pack’, then this can quickly become a problem. For example, the dog may snarl at anybody who approaches his toy, or his food bowl.
Stopping a dominant aggressive dog can be a challenge. Often, this behavior has emerged because of a passive or submissive family. To eliminate this problem, you have to show your dog that he is at the bottom of the pack hierarchy. This can be done in a number of ways: don’t let the dog sleep on your bed, feed him only at scheduled meal times, and, when you play tug of war, never let the dog win the toy from you.
Preventing predatory aggression
With some ‘herding’ breeds, the instinct to guide others around can cause significant problems for your family. Primarily, the dog may tend to nip and chase after people.
To curb this natural instinct, you have to constantly remind the dog that it’s doing something wrong. When it starts to chase or nip, say ‘NO!’ and follow this up with other negative reinforcements. It’s important to note that these are not bad dogs: they’re simply doing what they have been bred to do. If you give them a chance, they’ll become loving members of your family.
Stopping territorial aggression in dogs
Dogs are often born with a tendency to protect their own property. When they become part of your family, this can quickly lead to an unhealthy level of aggression. If your dog is territorial guarding areas of your house or backyard, then the best solution is to establish your alpha male dominance.
This will make the dog obedient to you, which will stop its territorial aggressive tendencies. As the alpha male, your dog will look to you for advice when he’s in a strange situation, or when he’s meeting a stranger for the first time. To make your dog comfortable around other people, have your friends feed him treats, or take him for walks.
Stopping fear aggression in dogs
These dogs will often act submissive when around other people. This is a sign of nervousness, which can lead to aggressive behavior, like biting.
To remedy this, build up your dog’s confidence level. Reward him with treats and attention when he does well. If he’s in a strange situation, comfort him by stroking his sides, or his chest. Eventually, this will stop the dog’s aggression.
My Puppy Is Aggressive, What Should I Do?
It is important to note that majority of dog aggression issues found in dogs is the result of genetic and hereditary factors. Certain breeds tend to be more aggressive than other breeds. Nevertheless, with proper training at an early age, it is possible to keep even the most aggressive dog breeds under control.
New dog owners can increase their chances of getting a good and non problematic pet if they educate themselves on each individual’s breed characteristics and know which breed is suitable for them.
When your new puppy starts to display signs of aggressive puppy behavior, please do not be alarm and start looking for professional help. First, try to understand the root causes of your puppy’s aggressive behavior and whether this is a genuine case of puppy aggression before making a decision to seek professional help.
For example, if your puppy starts to mouth you too hard when playing, you have to decide whether it is a case of rough play or real puppy aggression. It is a common thing among puppies to mouth and nip at each other in a litter during play and when things get rough, the puppy that “yelp” out will be giving signal to the other that it is going too far.
In the same vein, when things start becoming too rough, it is your responsibility to let your puppy know what the limits are. Failure to do so will result in things getting out of control and this may inevitably lead to dog aggression issues in the future.
In any event, should you decide that your worries about your puppy aggression issues are not misplayed; you can seek the help of dog trainers or dog behaviorists to resolve these puppy aggression issues. Please bear in mind that the earlier you prevent and solve your puppy aggression issue, the better it will be in the long run.
Older dogs with dog aggression problems tend to be more difficult to be train and change for the better. However, it is still possible to keep most dogs with dog aggression issues under control for the duration of their life span with proper training and care.
Tips For Preventing And Stopping Aggressive Dog Behavior
Dog aggression is a relatively common problem among dog owners. Oftentimes, when a dog starts to behave aggressively, this can lead on to worse things such as attacking family members which will inevitably lead to a breakdown in relationship between the dog owner and the dog. This can often leads to dogs being abandoned at dog shelters or even euthanized by their dog owners when they failed to cure their dog aggression problems.
How to prevent and stop aggressive dog behavior:
First of all, to prevent dog aggression in dogs, make sure you start to train your dog from an early age as soon as possible. Proper training provides a form of structured learning whereby the dog can learn how to behave properly. During this period of training, it is also a good time to observe and look out for early signs of dog aggression.
Secondly, make sure your dog is socialized from an early age. Oftentimes, improper or inadequate socializing of a puppy to its new environment can lead to dog aggression in the future. As such, make sure you provide a good and proper environment for your dog to socialize and mix with people and other animals as young as possible.
Next, if your dog starts to show signs of aggressive dog behaviors such as biting, nipping, barking and glaring, you should put a stop to these aggressive dog behaviors immediately. Identify the root causes and then take concrete steps to change and prevent these behaviors from manifesting in the future.
Another important point to take note is never at any time allows your dog to achieve dominance over you or another family member in the household, not even the children. By keeping your dog status in check, you are telling it where it stands in the family and thus preventing it from getting overly aggressive and out of control in the future.
To solve dog aggression issues in your dog, first you have to understand the root causes. A lot of dog behavioral issues do not happen overnight. More often it is often developed through a prolong period of time. That is why it is absolutely crucial for all dog owners to look out for early signs of dog aggression and change and prevent these aggressive dog behaviors from manifesting into worse and uncontrollable behaviors.
Stopping Dog On Dog Aggression
When it comes to stopping dog on dog aggression, there are a few things that you may want to be aware of. All of the following solutions will go a long way in helping with the problem.
However, it’s best to incorporate all of the three into your training, as they’re all arguably equally important, especially if your dog has not been well socialized at an early age.
Socialization
The importance of socialization cannot be emphasized enough when it comes to solving any dog aggression problem. Socialization consists of socializing your dog with as many people, dogs, and other animals as possible. This process should be started at as early an age as possible.
By exposing your dog to as many sights, sounds and smells as possible, he will learn that these things are not threats. Many cases of dog on dog aggression are caused by lack of socialization with other dogs. As a result, the dog may see other dogs as possible threats and become overly defensive.
If your dog was not socialized at an early age, it is not too late to start socialization. However, it should be done very gradually so as not to overwhelm him. Socialization should never be rushed and requires a lot of patience and persistence, but the efforts pay off. You may wish to start by bringing your dog to a dog park where he can watch other dogs from a distance.
Use positive reinforcement whenever he displays calm behaviour. Gradually shorten the distance between him and the other dogs. If he starts barking or becomes aggressive, back off and step further away. You will eventually learn how much distance your dog needs between other dogs before he becomes aggressive.
At this “threshold” distance, you will need to have lots of patience and persistence. Reward him everytime he remains calm at this distance and gradually move a little closer.
Alpha Leadership Training
If you haven’t established yourself as the alpha, you should do so, as it will go a long way in stopping your dog on dog aggression problem. In many cases, this type of aggression is caused by your dog trying to protect you from another dog, which is the role of the alpha leader in the pack.
However, if you establish yourself as the alpha, then should any potential “threat” appear, your dog will look to you for command instead of trying to control the situation. Even if he still attempts to confront another dog with aggression, he will obey your command to stop what he is doing if you are the alpha.
Proper Training Techniques
When dealing with aggression issues, it’s important to never use punishment or any forms of negative reinforcement training. Such methods can be dangerous to use with a dog that’s displaying any sort of aggression.
Instead, you should focus on using positive reinforcement to train any good behaviour into your dog. Praise or treats are the simplest ways of providing positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement is one of the most effective ways of dealing with dog on dog aggression. Whenever your dog remains calm near another dog, reward him with a treat or praise so that he will associate that behaviour with good things.
If you sense that your dog is about to become aggressive at the sight of another dog, distract him and offer him a treat. He will eventually associate the presence of another dog as something positive rather than something to be aggressive about.
What Can You Do About Your Dog Aggressive Behavior?
When your dog starts to display signs of aggressive behavior, it is important for you as the owner to take concrete actions to prevent and stop your dog’s aggressive behavioral problems from getting worse and spiraling out of control.
The worst thing that can happen is someone gets attacked and become seriously injured as a result of a lack of actions on your part. There are a couple of things that you can do when you discover that your dog is displaying signs of aggressive dog behavior.
On a final note, you must take immediate actions should you discover that your dog is displaying signs of dog aggression. By discovering early and taking preventing measures and appropriate training, you can ensure that your dog will not get out of control and become aggressive and start attacking people ever.
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