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Aggressive Dog Training
1. Are all dogs naturally aggressive??
2. Types of Aggressive Dog Behaviour
3. What is aggression towards strangers?
4. Recognize the signs of aggression towards strangers...
5. Treatment for aggression towards strangers:
6. Aggression towards Family Members
7. Treatment for aggression towards family members
Are all dogs naturally aggressive?
Dogs are naturally aggressive animals as aggression is one of those traits or primitive
instincts that have been passed down from their ancestors. Think of Darwin’s theory
of “Survival of the Fittest.” The dogs who were able to hunt better, defend themselves
better from other creatures, defend resources (i.e food and shelter) better and
mate better had better chances of surviving in the harsh wilderness and passing
on their genes. In other words, dogs who were more aggressive had better chances
of survival. It is an innate trait that is in their blood since the beginning of
time and while this trait has been minimized through selective breeding over the
centuries, nonetheless it is still present.
But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean that we, as dog lovers and owners cannot do anything
to curb the aggressive nature in dogs. Prevention is definitely possible as well
as steps that we can take to deal with aggression if for some reason we weren’t
able to prevent it in the first place.
Types of Aggressive Dog Behaviour
There are several different types of aggressive behaviour exhibited by dogs but
we will discuss the two most common ones here on this website. They are aggression
towards strangers and aggression towards family members. While both of these are
classified as aggressive behaviours, they are both very different in their root
cause and subsequently, in their treatments.
Aggression towards Strangers
What is aggression towards strangers?
Aggression towards strangers is just that – the dog showing aggressive behaviours
towards strangers. And the simple reason is because the dog just doesn’t recognize
the person or put more simply, he/she has never gotten the chance to get used to
them or the environment. To understand what your dog is thinking, put yourself in
your dog’s shoes. If you were suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar environment, wouldn’t
you be a bit on edge? And, that’s exactly how your dog feels!
Recognize the signs of aggression towards strangers...
It’s pretty easy to tell that your dog is on edge around strangers. It’s either
he/she is jumpy and on the alert, constantly fidgeting, just can’t sit still and
barks and whines. Or, he/she is the complete opposite, sitting as still as a statute,
but staring hard at the object of his suspicions.
Treatment for aggression towards strangers:
Now we know the reason behind why your dog is aggressive towards strangers, we can
more effectively treat that aggression. Since the reason the dog is aggressive towards
strangers is because he/she was never given the chance to get used to the strangers,
we just need to give him/her the opportunity to do just that! Now, don’t get me
wrong, I don’t mean that your dog has to get used to every single stranger in the
world (that would take forever!!), he just needs to get ‘socialized.’ Socializing
your dog means exposing him/her to a wide variety of new experiences, people and
animals at a very young age to get him accustomed to the strange world that he/she
will be living in. Through socialization, your dog will learn through experience
that that new sights, sounds, and people are really okay and fun, not scary and
nerve-wrecking! By exposing him/her to a bunch of new and different things, it will
help him/her to learn that it’s ok to be relaxed in an unfamiliar environment and
as such, there is no need for him to be aggressive. This can be achieved through
puppy pre-school classes which is a series of group training classes for puppies
that teaches puppies the basic obedience commands such as sit and stay. This is
also combined with ‘play sessions’ which allows your puppy to roam free with other
dogs and play, providing an ideal environment for him/her to learn good social skills.
However, while puppy preschool is important, you should also make an ongoing effort
to introduce your dog to a variety of different and new places, environments and
people. Just be careful that you do this slowly and gradually to build up his tolerance
level so that he/she is now overwhelmed.
Aggression towards Family Members
Resource guarding refers to the overly-possessive behaviours exhibited by your dog
because he/she is not comfortable with the treatment/handling you are giving him/her.
This is usually one of the most common reasons for aggression from the dog towards
family members. While dogs can be possessive from time to time (just like humans),
it is usually over items with a real ‘perceived value’ such as food or toys. Their
behaviour may include:
- Growling at you when you approach and he/she’s eating
- Giving you a direct stare (“The Eye”) when you go take a toy away from him
Treatment for aggression towards family members:
The best treatment for dominant, aggressive behaviour is consistent, frequent obedience
work, which will underline your authority over your dog. Since dogs are pack animals,
they are used to a very structured environment where each animal is ranked in a
hierarchy of position or power (aka dominance) in relation to every other animal.
Your dog has ranked each member of the family and has his/her own perception of
where he/she ranks as well in that environment. As such, if your dog perceives him/herself
to be higher up on the hierichal ladder, then he may start to act aggressively since
that is an exclusive right of a superior-ranked animal. However, if it was the other
way around, then your dog would never even dream of acting aggressively towards
you as that may lead to some undesirable consequences towards him.
Now that we know WHY the dog is acting aggressively towards you or your family member,
here’s how you can stop that behaviour. Show your dog that YOU are the boss and
it’s good for him/her to do what you say. You can demonstrate this by rewarding
him with treats and praises for obeying a command and by isolating him/her for misbehaviour.
By doing this exercise in to 15 minute sessions on a daily basis will show him/her
who’s the boss in the family.
Just two fifteen-minute sessions a day will make it perfectly clear to your dog
that you’re the boss, and that it pays to do what you say. You can make this fact
clear to him by rewarding him (with treats and lavish praise) for obeying a command,
and isolating him (putting him in “time-out”, either outside the house or in a room
by himself) for misbehaviour. And of course, consistency is the key so make sure
you train your dog regularly to help establish positive behaviour patterns.
You can get more information on handling aggressive and dominant behaviours from
your dogs by checking out Secrets to Dog Training. Secrets to Dog Training has a
ton of updated and detailed information on a host of common dog behaviour problems,
including a complete owner’s guide to owning, rearing, and training your dog, as
well as many other aspects of dog ownership. To get the inside word on preventing
and dealing with problem behaviors like aggression and dominance in your dog, Secrets
to Dog Training is definitely worth your time. Many of my friends who are dog owners,
including myself have reviewed this book and found it to be extremely valuable with
all the tips and insights it provided. You can visit Secrets to Dog Training by
clicking on the link below:
Aggressive Dog is a pain, but it does not have to...
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