Aggression is natural for dogs and everyone is aware that dogs can seriously hurt humans and other animals. However, there are methods available to dog owners for training aggressive dogs. It is essential that dog owners who have an aggressive dog make sure that he is given obedience training, before he harms you or a member of your family.
For a really great dog training book, I strongly suggest that you check out: Training Aggressive Dogs.
The most common forms of dog aggression are aggression levelled at strangers, and aggression towards family members. These two kinds of dog aggression happen for different reasons so must be treated differently.
Aggression to Strangers
Dogs will often dislike unfamiliar people and other animals until they have a chance to get used to being around them. The process for getting your dog used to unfamiliar people, animals, and surroundings is called socialization. Socialization is a key part of obedience training for your dog. So how will socialization stop aggressive dogs from attacking people making deliveries to your home?. A dog that has been socialized will start to understand that these new encounters can be pleasurable instead of being frightening.
It is vital that your dog learns this at a young age. The more often your dog interacts with different people (e.g., children, teenagers, men wearing uniforms, old people, people wearing helmets or carrying umbrellas) in peaceful and enjoyable surroundings, the safer your dog will be around strangers.
Just a reminder, if you are looking for a great free site to help you solve your dog’s aggressive behavior, you should check out: Training Aggressive Dogs.
Puppy group training sessions (often held at pet stores or at a vet office) are an excellent place to socialize your dog in a controlled environment. During these sessions, your pup will be taught how to interact with other dogs. He will also realize that there is no reason for him to be afraid of the strangers at these sessions. Make sure you don’t overwhelm him - begin slowly to allow his tolerance to grow over time.
Aggression Towards Family Members
The most common reasons why dogs show aggression to their human family are:
- Your dog is trying to protect his belongings (food, toys, etc.) from an apparent threat (that is to say you or your family members). This highly possessive behavior (called resource guarding) is quite normal in dogs.
- Such resource guarding behavior is a clear display of dominance and relates to your dog’s perceived ranking in the hierarchy of your household. To your dog, your family structure is no different from a dog pack. A dog that sees himself in a loftier position than his owner will be aggressive.
Resource guarding is clearly an act of dominance - a lower ranked dog would never show aggression towards to a higher ranked member of the pack.
Dog obedience training is the best way to discourage dog aggression, which will make it clear to your dog that you are the “alpha dog”. Your “alpha dog” status can be reinforced with rewards such as treats and praise when he responds appropriately to a command, and with “time-out” for bad dog behavior.
I hope you have found this article useful. I also have a review of a fantastic product that you might want to check out: Secrets to Dog Training Review
