When Your Dog Gets TOO Aggressive

Dogs are aggressive by nature. During the caveman times, dogs needed this aggression to defend themselves as well as their territory, whether it be their food, their sleeping quarters, or their mate. They have since become domesticated and more refined, but the instinct of aggression remains, and will always be part of a dog.

As a dog’s owner, you can prevent aggressive dog behavior from showing itself and becoming a habit by recognizing it, and dealing with it. To start, you must learn to read the signs.

When a dog becomes aggressive he may exhibit any of these: he becomes jumpy and fidgety, starts barking at the least sound, has his ears pointing forward, raises his hackles, tugs against his leash, or may instead sit very still and not move, while staring hard at the object of his suspicion.

Animal therapists say that there are many different types of aggression behavior in dogs. Two of the most common ones are: aggression towards strangers, and aggression toward family members.

A dog usually becomes aggressive towards strangers because he is not used to them. And because he has not, he cannot relax. This usually happens when a dog hasn’t been trained to be around people or other animals.

The solution? Get your dog used to socializing. Expose him to new people, new situations, and new animals. If your dog is used to socializing he will soon learn that new experiences are not necessarily scary, and thus relax. This is important, especially when the dog is young. Take him to a puppy school, go walking in the neighborhood with him. Go to a dog-friendly mall. Take him for a car ride!

Sometimes a dog may exhibit aggressive dog behavior towards his own family members, for several reasons. One is, he is trying to defend something he thinks he owns, from you. This is called resource guarding, and usually happens with food or toys. Or, maybe he is not comfortable with the way he’s being treated in your household. He may even have had bad handling experience, such as being hurt while his nails were being cut. Bathing is another thing some dogs ****.

Try to see it from his point of view. Dogs are pack animals, and in a pack there is always the issue of hierarchy and dominance. Just as a dog would rank himself in a pack, he ranks himself with you and the members of the family. If a dog thinks he ranks high enough among you, or even higher than all of you, he will not hesitate to be dominant.

So how do we deal with this? Put him in his place by teaching him to be obedient. Reprimand him for bad dog behavior, and then reward him when he has done good. Eventually he will realize who is boss, and that it pays to follow you. Give him obedience training frequently and make it a pleasant experience for him by giving him praise and goodies. Before long he will learn who is the real authority and that dog aggression will be tamed.

If you want to learn more about how to handle aggressive and dominant dog behavior, read the book SitStayFetch. This guide deals with all the aspects of dog ownership, including dog aggression. Get a copy now. Click here for free dog training lessons [http://www.expressdogtraining.com].

By: Oliver Glaudy

About the Author: