Tips on Training Aggressive Dogs

Dogs are naturally aggressive. Dogs evolved this attribute over hundreds of years to survive in the wild. Many centuries of selective breeding techniques have reduced dog aggression traits. Read on to understand why dogs behave aggressively.

Why is my dog aggressive?

Many factors can cause aggression in dogs but the most common is not a lot of socialisation with other people and the issue of dominance.

Aggression directed at strangers:

Caution and wariness are natural behaviours for dogs. Unfamiliar situations may cause your dog apprehension if it has not had much experience with strangers and new surroundings. If you broaden your dogs knowledge and consistently build on positive experiences your dog will feel at ease when confronting a new situation. Browse our Dog Training Zone Review for inspiration to train aggressive dogs.

What can I do about it?

From a young age your dog needs to be socialised in order to feel at ease in unusual situations. In your choice of experiences include other people, places and animals. Your dog will learn that new situations are safe and fun. Make socialising your dog fun and you will soon see how easy it is to do. Puppy pre school is a good place to meet new people and a variety of other dogs. When you and your puppy feel at ease around new dogs and people you will be able to expand your area of socialisation. Your dog will continue to need socialisation, to stay stranger friendly.

Aggression around family members:

Dogs are commonly aggressive towards members of their own human family when they are trying to protect something they think of as their own. This is known as resource guarding. Resource guarding usually appears as snarling, growling or over possessiveness. This sort of aggression is a result of a dominance problem. Remember, dogs are pack animals. Packs are structured according to power and position in relation to everyone else in the pack. Dogs rank themselves against their human family as a substitute for a dog family and their ranking tells them how to behave in any situation. If your dog is behaving aggressively then it perceives itself to be at the top of the pack. If your dog behaves in a submissive/passive way it perceives its self to be ranked lower than other family members and wouldn’t dare growl or snarl if you approached during eating or if you took away a toy. It is up to you to reinforce in your dog that you are the leader and it is a lower ranking member of your pack.

What can I do to change this?

Rebuild your authority with your dog by regular and consistent obedience training work. Short and regular training sessions are the key to effective behaviour modification. Positive praise, treats and lots of pats are important for making your training sessions enjoyable and productive.

For more detailed information about dog training and other behavioral problems, check out Secrets to Dog Training. Check out a full look at Daniels Stevens Secrets to Dog Training at DogHelpdesk.com