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Posts Tagged ‘dog aggression’

Many owners of pets had this common problem for decades together ; fighting the aggression in dogs and keeping it under control.  If you understand the concept as to what causes dogs to be assertive and how to regulate it, then the possibilities of not being a victim of dog aggression is high.  It is fantastic that dog bites cost the healthcare industry $30 million annually. 

First, you must understand the reasons behind aggression in dogs.  Not all dogs are born assertive, they usually become like that because of the conditions around them.  When a puppy is of a particularly young age, like say between one to fourteen weeks, they need to socialize entirely and sorted by relations. 

Aggression in dogs sometimes starts from a young age due to unacceptable care.  If the puppies aren’t socialized with humans from a tender age, they will grow up shy around other people and will also be afraid of them.  This is perhaps the beginning of aggression in dogs.  If left unchecked, it might be an issue later on . 
There also are factors that cause aggression in dogs.  This could be hormonal or genetic background.  The commonest breeds like Doberman and rotty are consider having the most aggression in dogs.  These breeds are of a protecting nature which explains the high aggression in dogs that belong to these breeds. 

Hormonal imbalances are due to inbreeding by some scrupulous dog breeders.  They don’t take excellent care of the dogs and in an effort to make a quick buck, resort to inbreeding.  In addition to causing heavy levels of aggression in dogs, this is also unhealthy and can have serious physiological effects on the dog too. 

The environment that the dog is being raised in also is a major contributor to aggression in dogs.  If the dog is being punished pointlessly, or being showered attention for no reason, or is the topic of teasing by passersby and youngsters, then these are all in charge of higher levels of aggression in dogs.

Furthermore, aggression can also be classified into differing kinds primarily based on the dog’s demeanor.  The defensive aggression in dogs is when the dog is terribly frightened of the person or animal and attacks in retaliation.  This is one of the commonest forms of aggression. 

The territorial aggression is the form of aggression where people or animals outside of the known circle approach the dog’s area and make it feel threatened.  On the other hand, pain induced aggression, as the name suggests, is when the dog is attacking something that causes it agony like other animals or people.  There is a chance that a mixture of aggression in dogs can exist and hence, it is safe to narrow down the causes before jumping the van. 

Sadly, a sizeable number of owners of pets mistake aggression in dogs to be an unexplained behavior change.  They fail to realize what was the reason for the dog to behave the method it did and hastily send it away to animal shelters.  If you take the time and understand, then it is possible that there are a few things your beloved pet may be making an attempt to say.

Aggression is instinctive to dogs. This attribute of dogs evolved over many centuries ensuring their survival in the wild. Many centuries of selective breeding techniques have reduced dog aggression traits. Some tips to help you to understand your dogs aggressive behaviour are below.

What makes my dog aggressive?

The most common causes are a lack of socialisation and experience with other people and the issue of dominance.

Aggression directed at strangers:

Caution and wariness are natural behaviours for dogs. If your dog isn’t used to being in unfamiliar situations it may become quite apprehensive around strangers and new environments. You are in control of making sure your dog is exposed to new experiences in a positive way. Take a look at our Review of Dog Training Zone for more ideas to stop dog aggression.

What can I do about dog aggression?

From a young age your dog needs to be socialised in order to feel comfortable in unusual situations. You will want to make sure your dog experiences new places, new people and new animals. Experience will teach your dog how much fun other places, people and animals can be. Socialising your dog doesn’t need to be stressful. At puppy pre school your dog will be exposed to new people and new dogs. When you and your puppy feel relaxed around new dogs and people you will be able to broaden your area of socialisation. Your dog will continue to need socialisation, to stay stranger friendly.

Aggression with family members:

Dogs are often aggressive towards members of their own human family when they are trying to protect something they think of as their own. Resource guarding is the term used for this behavior. If your dog gets snarly or growls at you when you are near where it is eating or playing with a toy, then you know you have a resource guarding problem. This is caused by a misunderstanding about where your dog fits in to the pack. Dogs are pack animals and packs are organised differently. Dogs are used to organisation and are ranked according to a hierarchy of position and power in relation to everyone in their family or pack. Since your dog does not have a dog family, it will rank itself against its human family and this ranking will tell it how to behave at all times. If your dog is behaving aggressively then it perceives itself to be at the top of the pack. A lower ranking member of the pack will behave in a passive, submissive way and would never growl or snarl at a higher ranking member if you approached its food or toys. The message to your dog must be clear, that you are the boss and your dog is a lower ranking member of the pack.

What can I do about my dogs aggressive behavior?

Working with your dog regularly and consistently in obedience training will help to re program your dogs preception of you as the pack leader. Regular behavior modification sessions are key to positive and effective progress. Positive praise, treats and lots of pats are important for making your training sessions enjoyable and productive.

More information about handling aggressive and dominant behaviors, as well as detailed information on a host of other common dog behavior problems, can be found at Secrets to Dog Training. Check out a full look at Daniels Stevens Secrets to Dog Training at DogHelpdesk.com

Food aggression is most often seen in dogs who are rescued from homes where they were abused or neglected. A bite, a growl or a snap are all different types of food aggression. When attempting to pat your dog whilst its in the processs of eating it may well turn aggressively towards you.

Self-preservation is the most common source of food aggression, and the easiest to correct. In these cases, dogs feel the need to protect their food, from fear of it being taken away. Causes of this behavior can come from situations where the dog has been abused, had its food removed as a punishment of from just being under fed. Food aggression doesn’t always come from owner abuse or neglect, however. If you are not the first owner of your dog it may be that other pets have caused your dog to be off of its food.

If you feel that this is the case with your dog, all that’s necessary to correct the behavior is time, patience, and lots of love. Showing your dog that you are to be trusted is of key importance, that when you give the food to it you will not then remove it later. Be sure that your dog sees you pour their food and place it for them to eat, rather than readying the food and then letting the dog into the room.

Go slowly. Sitting by your dog whilst it eats is a great place to start off. For the first few times, stay silent. Ensure that your dog knows you are there but be sure not to startle them or make them fearful of your presence. When you get to the stage that your dog does not seem nervous when you are around, start talking to them in a gentle manner as they eat, wander around their eating area but stay at a distance. When your dog is used to you and no longer nervy you will be able to pet it whilst it is still eating. If they growl or snap, simply back away, and sit silently. It is an absolute must that no punishment is dished out on your dog, do not shout or hit it. It is key to let them know that you are happy with them when they let you stroke them as they eat.

If you are consistent with this training, you will see positive results very quickly.

dog behavior

There are some careers people are just born to do. There are other careers that may not cross a person’s mind unless it is brought to their attention. A certified dog trainer may be one of these careers. There is a great need by some who need help training their dog. Maybe they do not know how to handle their new pet’s dog aggression or they are losing the battle over puppy training. Either case, a certified trainer can help out by providing discipline, guidance and knowledge.

Becoming a certified dog trainer begins with a love of animals. It requires patience and a desire to interact with the animal. Dog obedience training takes knowledge and a compassionate nature in order for there to be success. Most people do not turn to a certified dog trainer until there is an obvious sign of dog aggression and then the battle begins. Dog training starts when the animal first comes home and continues throughout the life-time of the canine.

The training all begins with understanding the basic nature and structure of a dog. It is important to learn the different breeds in order to understand each dog’s particular traits and learning level. Some dog are more hyper than others and require a special sort of handling skills. The same goes for fetching or active breed lines that require special diets and more exercise.

Once the basics of dog behavior are down, then begin the specialized coursework designed to train a dog through a variety of methods. The instruction will teach how to use a variety of instruction in order to train the dog such as through a clicker or through positive reinforcement. Other steps include teaching safety to the owners as well as the dog. It is also important to learn how to deal with dogs that are more difficult to deal with due to a past history of violence or dog fighting.

Once the coursework is complete, the certified dog trainer is ready to begin. There are a variety of places to work such as pet supply stores, kennels or even opening up a business. One great example of a certified dog trainer is Cesar Millan who works with troubled dogs and their owners on his hit television show ‘The Dog Whisperer’ airing on cable.

A freelance trainer will not punch a clock or find them working day-in and day-out within the confines of an office building. There is the freedom of working outdoors and getting to play while being paid. If you decide to work for a company such as Pets Mart then you can get benefits as well. You may never be famous but you will be important to the people you help.

When you first get a puppy you may enjoy your puppy jumping up. “Oh, how cute”. But it stops being funny when your full-size dog begins to jump up on people with dirty paws – somewhat embarrassing. So I recommend that you nip this behavior in the bud while he is still young. It’s a big mistake to encourage it and then later have to try to stop the behavior.

The most usual circumstance for this behavior is when someone arrives at your house or when you encounter someone while you’re taking your dog for a walk. So, it’s a good idea to coach your dog to sit in these circumstances.

In some cases jumping up can be your dog trying to become the dominant one, but usually the behavior is just a greeting. Other problem behaviors can be caused by dominance and this definitely needs to be prevented. You should be the dominant one, the pack leader.

You must appreciate the idea of positive reinforcement. For this you can use food treats or praise and affection. It’s vital that you stop giving any reward for the behavior of jumping up. So instead of giving your dog a lot of affection as he jumps up, you must ignore him while he is excited. Avoid giving him any eye contact.

In contrast to this, when he is calm and has all his paws on the floor you can give him affection.

If you’ve already trained him to sit, then command him to sit as you enter the house. As soon as he sits, reward him with a affection or a tasty treat. If he doesn’t already sit on command, you should work on this and other obedience training. Start training him in obedience with short sessions away from distractions. Make sure you and your dog have fun in your training sessions.

It’s vital that you get the cooperation of everyone who your dog comes into contact with, so that they don’t upset all your work. Get them to agree be calm and not excited when they meet your dog. They should avoid eye contact with your dog.

In the beginning, you may want to put your dog in another room when visitors arrive, so that the whole situation at the door is avoided.

I hope that this helps with how to stop your dog jumping up. Read more about other dog behavior problems such as dog aggression.

Dogs are naturally aggressive and we all realize that dogs are capable of seriously injuring humans and other animals. Fortunately, there are ways for dog owners to stop aggression in their dog. An aggressive dog must be given obedience training immediately, before he hurts you or someone else.

For a really great dog training guide, 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 types of dog aggression happen for a variety of 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. Socialization is the method used to familiarize dogs with new environments, and new people and animals. It’s impossible to overly stress the importance of socialization in your dog’s training. So how will socialization prevent aggressive dogs from attacking people who make deliveries to your house?. A dog that has been socialized will start to understand that these new encounters can be pleasurable instead of being frightening.

He needs to learn this lesson as a puppy. The more your dog is introduced to different kinds of people (for example children, teenagers, men wearing uniforms, old people, people wearing helmets or carrying umbrellas) in a relaxed and fun environment, 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: Stop Aggressive Dog Behavior.

Puppy group training sessions (often run by pet stores or at a vet clinic) are an excellent place to socialize your pup in a controlled environment. Your puppy will learn how to behave around strange dogs. He will also learn that he need not fear the strangers at these sessions. It is important that he is not overwhelmed – allow his tolerance to build gradually by starting off slowly.

Aggressive Dog Behavior Towards Family Members

Dog aggression towards human family members is usually for these reasons:

• Your dog is trying to safeguard 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 usual in dogs.

• As dogs are pack animals, it boils down to dominance and your dog’s perception of his ranking in the hierarchy of the family structure. To your dog, your family composition is no different from a dog pack. Dogs that perceive their ranking in the pecking order to be higher than their owner or family members will probably show aggressive behavior.

Resource guarding is clearly an act of dominance – a lower ranked dog would never be aggressive towards to a higher ranked member of the pack.

The best way to stop aggressive dog behavior is to give your dog consistent obedience training, which will ensure that your dog understands that you are the “top dog”. Your “alpha dog” status can be strengthened 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 great product that you might want to see: Secrets to Dog Training

Does your dog bite or overly growl at people (and even small children) that they do not know very well?  This form of dog aggression is relatively a common occurrence and has been assessed to be usually born out of fear.  While dogs are territorial in nature, it becomes a cause for concern if they become overly aggressive to strangers.

Fear-based dog aggression mostly traces its roots to the lack of confidence in the development of canines. Dogs that become overly aggressive are oftentimes those that have been in the bottom of the pack with its litter mates, physically or verbally punished at an early age, kept outside the home, tethered on a short chain, and frustrated or taunted by people. 

On the other hand, genetics can also play a role in this kind of behavior as some dogs that have not been abused will still react to a frightening stimulus.   Some breeds, like the terrier and bull breeds have a higher likelihood of developing dog aggression upon reaching maturity than other breeds.

Dog owners can stop fear-based dog aggression to avoid potentially dangerous situations for both humans and other animals.  In general, proper instruction is best done through positive reinforcement as it produces better results.For example, you should train your dog in an atmosphere where he feels comfortable and not threatened.

Experts recommend to have a veterinarian check your dog if he suddenly becomes aggressive.  You also have the option of using a muzzle if you are concerned that he will be aggressive towards other dogs or people.Your dog may need more time though to get used to the feel of the muzzle.

It’s also important to socialize your dog by taking him to public places and providing opportunities to meet other dogs and people as well.Keeping your pet in isolation only heightens his fear of straners as it deprives him of the chance to interact with other people and dogs.  Remember that aggression could also stem from pent-up energy which can escalate to anxiety and frustration over time.  Continuously neglecting his basic need to get out there and exercise will only compound the problem further.

As a whole, we advise to regularly train your dog under a variety of conditions and in progression.The key to changing any undesirable behavior is consistency particularly as dogs don't learn new concepts overnight.  It will take time for him to unlearn the aggression caused by a myriad of factors. 

As such, owners must exercise a great deal of patience because training is a gradual process that cannot be forced or rushed.This means that you have to implement a form of discipline that has a humane approach.Physical punishment should be avoided during this kind of training as it will only impede any progress you've made.

Therefore, getting rid of dog aggression in general requires a lot on your part.  With enough time, knowledge, and persistence you will eventually see it through and your hard work will pay off in the end.