How to Stop Dog Aggression

It's Natural

In order to stop dog aggression, it is important you understand the reasons why it occurs. Dogs are social animals. In the wild a dog would live in a pack with other dogs. Within the dog pack, a dog that is coming of age, will assert itself in an effort to ascertain its social position or rank.

A domesticated dog has the same needs. A puppy needs to know its social rank within its family as well as in the neighborhood. Neighborhood dogs may pose a threat to your dog's position within its home territory. Dogs naturally want to be protective of their territory and their pack or family.

Socialization with other dogs is taught a puppy by his mother between its sixth and eighth week.  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. Not knowing how to relate to other dogs may lead to dog aggression.

Needs and Wants

A puppy just removed from his mother, and new to a family, has certain needs and wants. He must feel love and security, he must have attention and he needs exercise.  When a puppy does not receive adequate attention he can become bored which can lead to aggressive behavior towards dogs or people.  If a dog is not receiving adequate attention, except when they exhibit aggressive behavior, the aggressive behavior has been rewarded.  To a dog, that is bored, attention does not have to be positive to be a reward.  Negative attention is better than no attention. To stop dog aggression you must give adequate attention and learn to train your dog in a positive way.

A puppy is full of youthful energy and requires space and opportunities to run and play. Even a small apartment size dog should have opportunities for adequate exercise. A dog left on its own without guidance will adopt bad habits. Proper guidance will help a dog to curb his aggressive nature. As you take the time to train your dog his attention will be focused on you and not on other dogs or people around him. He will learn to follow your commands no matter the situation.

How to Stop Dog Aggression

How to Stop Dog Aggression

When a puppy is first introduced into a home the owner needs to provide opportunities for the dog to exercise and socialize with other dogs. A puppy needs examples to emulate. Those examples need to be regulated. A puppy allowed to run around freely with other neighborhood dogs will obviously learn the wrong behavior. Your puppy's playmates should be mature well behaved dogs. Neighborhood walks, besides providing needed exercise, provide experiences for socialization under your control.

Socialization has two distinct areas to consider, when referring to our furry friends. Do they get along with other animals, and do they live within the boundaries of your family's home requirements?  A dog requires opportunities to interact in both environments.  Members of the family must exhibit calmness with their dog as well as towards each other.  Your dog may not be able to talk, but he can feel, especially any tension that may be within the home.  If the household members are tense, the dog will be tense.  The only way a dog may have to express the tension he feels is through aggression.  We need to teach and live by example. Your furry family member wants to be a responsible member of your family.

Youthful dogs have energy and need interaction from their owner. Exercise is a must. Your puppy needs to have plenty of opportunities to exercise. Walks are excellent. Taking your friend out for a walk provides exercise and social opportunities. A walk is a great way for your dog to be able to interact socially with other animals as well as people.

Teaching your dog tricks provides social interaction, prevents boredom and provides exercise.  Dogs, especially high energy dogs need activity.  Activity that is regulated fulfills both your dog's social needs as well as his exercise requirements.  A dog whose needs are met and who feels secure will not normally be aggressive towards people or other dogs, unless threatened.

All this is well and good if your furry friend is a puppy.  They are a clean slate and open to learning.  When a dog is mature and exhibiting aggressive behavior their bad habits must be addressed immediately.  An older dog's habits are set and will require consistent effort on your part to correct.  Your dog wants to be a responsible family member.  You must be consistent in repeating corrective actions until your dog understands what the proper response should be in a particular situation.

Dog Aggression is Serious

Dog aggression is a serious problem. There are far too many dogs that have been taken to the dog shelter because their owner had difficulty handling them.  There are many books and videos available to assist you in learning how to properly train your puppy or dog to stop dog aggression before it becomes a problem.  Check out the books on this website for help in overcoming dog aggression.