Stop Dog Aggression to Other Dogs

My big German Shepherd is very friendly to people. In fact, as far as being a scary watchdog, he was the opposite of the stereotypical aggressive German Shepherd. However, when it comes to another dog, he gets very excitable and aggressive. Unless I could learn to stop this aggression, I couldn’t have a good time taking him for walks. Because of his large size it was quite a disturbance when ever he became aggressive.

There are a variety of reasons dogs may act aggressive. After all aggression is part of their natural instinct. Dogs needed to be aggressive just to survive. They used aggression to protect their dens and families and to hunt and kill their prey. Even after all these years of domestication the aggression instinct still remains, and stopping the occurrence of dog on dog aggression is an important thing for any owner to know how to do. As an owner you need to control your own dog if he is overly aggressive, as well as know how to recognize and avoid another dog that is displaying aggressive behavior. Learn to understand the reasons dogs become aggressive towards other dogs so that you can control aggression before it becomes a problem.To read my article on dog body language please go to .com.Recognizing Dog Body Language

If your dog is also aggressive, when ever another dog enters the area, your dog will go on alert and show that he wants to be the dominant dog. There are a variety of ways dogs try to show they are dominant, such as placing their own head over the other dogs, or by putting their paws on top of the other dog’s shoulder area. As they become more aggressive they will raise the hackles on their back, growl and show off their teeth. Try to make sure this stage of aggression doesn’t get a chance to happen. At this stage, unless the second dog doesn’t act submissively, a dogfight may be likely. this is a very common type of dog behavior and I am sure you have seen it many times before. If you notice these aggressive attitudes, avoid encountering the situation that is making our dog aggressive.

I learned a good tip about dog on dog aggression correction from reading Secrets to Dog Training, my go to source for solving my pet’s problems whenever one pops up.  I am happy to say this advise stopped my dogs aggression problem with other dogs. Use this advice, and I bet your dog will learn to start enjoying his new dog friends like mine did.Learn more about dog aggression problems at BehaveDoggy.com.How to Control Dog Aggression

The first step in stopping your dog’s aggression problem with other dogs, is to have a friend and his dog come over to visit with you and your dog.If you have a male dog, I’d strongly suggest starting this “friend” training with a female dog. try to meet somewhere neutral. so your pet doesn’t feel the need to protect his territory. To be sure your dog doesn’t lunge or act aggressive, be sure to have the dogs on their leashes at the start.  Have the dogs take the sit position far enough away from each other that they cannot touch. Stop your dog if he begins acting aggressively and command him to stay in the sit position. I am assuming you have already obedience trained your dog, and he knows you are the superior member of the family. Otherwise he just won’t be listening to you and stopping the dog on dog aggression is not going to be possible. Proper training and socializing of your dog when he is a puppy is the best way of avoiding dog on dog aggression problems, as well as creating the best behaved pet you can have. Read my  article  on Puppy Training Using Positive Reinforcement for some more information about that.  Give your dog praise and a reward once he has stopped his aggression and calmed down- be sure to let him know you are happy with his calm behavior. It is necessary to act in a consistent fashion to obtain fast and effective results. Don’t emphasize the negatives by yelling at your dog. Just be sure to use the positive reinforcement techniques that will make him always want to listen and to please you.

Dogs greet each other first by sniffing each other’s faces, so as long as they are calm it is time to let them say “Hi”. This is the normal dog greeting, and there should be no growling, no hackles raising, and no paws over the other dog’s shoulder. If your dog remains relaxed now, you have started the process of removing his aggressive attitude toward other dogs.  For future meeting, try using different locations to check the aggressive dog’s attitude. Once he seemed like he enjoyed his new “friend’s” company the final test was in my dog’s own yard. Did he stay friendly even when at home on his own ground? It was a great thing to see my dog was even friendly at home when his new pal came over. What a relief. As soon as my friend and his dog came over, my dog began to wag his tail. This is the opposite of his previous behavior, and a very welcome sight. It was great to see my formerly aggressive dog playing in the yard and having fun.

Although this was just the start,  I now knew how to introduce my doggy to new dog friends, and stopped his really bad dog on dog aggression problem. I began to bring my dog for walks at the park, on his leash of course, and he would now finally walk  calmly alongside me without paying attention to other dogs. Now it was a lot of fun taking my formerly crazy dog for a walk at the park. Stopping dog on dog aggression made it a lot more fun than being worried and embarrassed by my crazy dog’s lunging and barking frenzies.

Try introducing your dog to a new friend and I bet you also have good results stopping your dog’s aggressive attitude.