You’ve brought home your new pet. However, he seems aggressive. How do you begin aggressive dog training?
Some of the signs of an aggressive dog are bared teeth, biting or nipping, growling and excessive barking. Aggressive dog training helps limit these behaviors. But why does your animal do these things in the first place?
A main form of aggression is dominance aggression. Your dog wants to show its status as an alpha dog. While they will occasionally try to establish dominance towards humans, this behavior is usually reserved for other dogs and animals. Territorial aggression is when a dog tries to protect its space. Many dogs will show aggression when they feel that their space is being intruded upon. Dogs will also show aggression when they are afraid. Also, some dogs show aggression due to a predatory nature; some dogs have aggression as part of their psychological makeup.
Of course, these problems can be fixed most easily if they are addressed while your dog is a puppy. However, older dogs can still be trained. The aggressive dog training just might take a little more time and effort.
The first part of aggressive dog training is to deal with your dog’s aggression towards people. Even though your animal may have learned its aggressive habits as a puppy, with patience you can train him or her to be calmer. The first step of aggressive dog training is socialization. Introduce your animal to as many people as possible, but begin with individuals. Large groups can cause a fear aggression reaction in your animal. Make sure that you always have your animal under control. Perform the introductions in a calm, comfortable environment. Use a soothing voice, and offer praise and even treats if your dog behaves without aggression to new individuals. Eventually expand to other scenarios, such as greeting someone at the door or meeting someone on a daily walk.
For aggressive dog training with other dogs, follow similar steps. Your animal needs to be socialized with other animals. Remember to always start this step of aggressive dog training in a safe and calm area.
To deal with many types of aggression, you will need to upend your dog’s sense of “pack order.” You will need to let your animal know that he or she is not in charge; you are the one in control. This aspect of aggressive dog training will take a good deal of effort on your part. You will need to control many aspects of your dog’s life. For example, in a pack, the dominant dogs eat first. Consider crating your dog while you eat, and feeding the dog last. Do not allow the dog to sleep on the bed. When walking the dog, do not let him or her lead; you may need to use a slip collar or prong collar to control adverse behavior.
If your dog has extreme behavioral problems, you should leave the aggressive dog training to the professionals. They can pinpoint causes of your dog’s behavior and know the best methods to control the behavior. Sometimes it is even necessary to put animals on drugs, such as Prozac, to modify behavior.
Aggression is stressful on your animal, both physically and mentally. Working toward a calmer dog will make life better, both for you and your pet.
