A Dog’s Natural Instincts

Understanding aggressive behavior, in your dog, is the first step to curtailing it. Aggression is a natural instinct for your dog. Undomesticated dogs often had to be aggressive in order to survive. Through domestication and selective breeding this trait has been minimized but the instinct is still there.

Undomesticated dogs were also social animals and lived together in packs that maintained a definite hierarchy. Dogs would assert themselves, as they came of age, to determine their social ranking within the pack. Domesticated dogs have this same instinct. Your puppy wants to know his ranking in your family and in the neighborhood.

Your dog has a natural instinct to protect his territory and his pack or family. If your dog sees neighborhood dogs as a threat to his territory, or his social standing, he may become aggressive. Aggressive behavior will also happen when your dog feels he must protect your family. By introducing your puppy to different situations you can help him understand when aggressive behavior is not appropriate.

Socializing Your Puppy

Socialization helps your puppy learn how to get along with other dogs as well as teaching him how to deal with various situations. It is best for a puppy to learn proper dog behavior and socialization from his mother.  However, if a puppy is taken from his mother before ten weeks of age he may not have been taught how to socially interact with other dogs. When a puppy becomes part of your household it becomes your responsibility to give him supervised experiences that will continue the socialization process and help avoid dog aggression.

There are two areas of socialization to consider with your dog. These two areas are: 1) getting along with other animals and people; and 2) understanding the requirements within your family.  Your dog requires opportunities to interact in all these areas. Being a responsible member of your family is important to your dog. Training your dog properly will help him learn to be a responsible member. 

A fantastic resource to help you in training your dog can be found at: Training Your Dog in Any Situation

Family Dynamics

Your dog will be affected by they way you handle tension in your family. Your dog will react to tension within your home.  He will be tense if family members are tense. The only way your dog may be able to express the tension he feels is through aggressive behavior.  This is why it is important that your family handles tension in an appropriate manner. Your dog learns much from your example. Being calm with your dog and others is extremely important.

Your Puppy’s Needs and Wants

Your new puppy has certain needs and wants within your family. He must feel love and security and he must receive adequate attention. If your puppy does not receive enough attention he will become bored and this can lead to aggressive behavior. If your dog only receives attention when he acts aggressively then his aggressive behavior is being rewarded. To a bored dog no attention is worse than negative attention. If your dog receives enough attention, and if he is trained in a positive manner, dog aggression should not be a problem.

Your dog requires regular exercise. Space and opportunities to run and play are necessary for a puppy full of youthful energy. Even a small apartment size dog and older dogs should have opportunities for adequate exercise.

A good way to provide exercise and interaction with you is through neighborhood walks.  These also offer experiences for socialization under your control. Your puppy requires well regulated examples to emulate. Your puppy will learn the wrong behavior if he is allowed to run freely with neighborhood dogs. The best playmates for your puppy are mature, well-behaved dogs.

A dog left on his own, without proper guidance, will adopt bad habits. You can control your dog’s aggressive nature with the positive training. Through proper training your dog’s attention will be focused on you instead of other dogs and people. If you are consistent in training your dog he will follow your commands no matter the situation.

Teaching your dog tricks is a great way to prevent boredom and provide social interaction.

An awesome guide for teaching your dogs tricks can be found at: Training Your Dog

Can Older Dog’s Habits Be Changed?

All this is well and good if your furry friend is a puppy because they are a clean slate and open to learning but what about an older dog? Constant, consistent effort is needed to correct an older dog’s bad habits. Any aggressive behavior by an older dog must be handled immediately. If you wait to reprimand your dog he will not understand your response, he will only know that he feels bad. Repeatedly correct your dogs negative actions until he understand the correct response in a particular situation.

Take Dog Aggression Seriously

Dog aggression is a critical problem and should be taken seriously. Dogs who have been taught to live peacefully in our society will not have to be taken to the pound. Don’t let aggression become a problem. Take the time to train your puppy or dog.

I highly recommend this great course to help you successfully train your dog, whatever his age: Training Your Dog