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  • scissors
    July 13th, 2010adminPets Advice

    Are you just plain fed up with the aggressive dog behavior your pooch is displaying?  Join the crowd.  Canine aggression is the most serious dog behavior problem that you’ll face as a dog owner.  

    However, this behavior is preventable if you understand why your dog develops aggressive traits.  Read on to learn more about this common problem.

    Your Dog’s Aggressive Nature Is Instinctive

    Aggression is a valuable behavior in the wild.  A dog needs to be aggressive in order to hunt for its food.  It also needs to be able to defend its kill from other animals.  An aggressive dog also defends its territory and its mate.

    In the centuries since dogs were domesticated, people have selectively bred most aggressive tendencies out of dogs, but a few do remain. And since dog do have sharp teeth capable of doing people serious harm, it’s necessary to recognize aggressive behavior in dogs and deal with it effectively.

    The fact that there are several different kinds of aggression in dogs is news to many dog owners.  The two most common are aggression towards strangers and aggression towards family members.You’ll need to deal with these two types of aggression in canines differently because they have different causes.

    Aggression Towards Strangers

    This type of dog behavior is very easy to recognize.  You dog may react in one of two ways:

    Your dog will startle at the smallest sound, and will be jumpy and nervous.Agitated behavior, including pacing around, barking and whining, and acting fidgety, is seen.

    Or, on the other extreme, he’ll be very quiet, sitting in one place without moving, while staring hard at whatever it is he’s suspicious of — whether it’s a visitor or your unsuspecting mail carrier.

    The main reason a dog is aggressive around strangers is because he’s not used to them.You’ll need to teach your dog that strangers aren’t necessarily bad.

    Aggression Towards Family Members

    Your dog may show canine aggression towards members of your family for two reasons.  

    First, he’s defending something that he thinks he owns from a person he considers to be a threat.  This is called resource guarding.  

    In the wild, only the dominant individual acts aggressively to guard resources.  So obviously, your dog thinks he’s the pack leader, not you, when he displays this kind of aggressive dog behavior.

    The second reason is that he’s unhappy about how you, or somebody in the family, is treating him.  

    Discover How To Handle Aggression In Dogs

    You don’t have to be at the mercy of your dog, and you shouldn’t be.  If your dog uses aggressive dog behavior to control you and get his way, this is a very unhealthy situation, as well as being potentially dangerous.  There are many emergency room visits every year because of dog bites.  You don’t want this happening to you or a member of your family, or anyone else your dog interacts with.

    You need to learn how to deal with aggressive behavior in dogs.  You need a dog obedience course which includes a complete owner’s guide to rearing and training your dog to prevent canine aggression.  Be sure to read testimonials from other dog owners who have purchased the course to see how satisfied they are with the material.

    Do yourself and your dog a favor and learn more about controlling aggressive dog behavior.  Just click on any link in this article to find out more.

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  • scissors
    July 4th, 2010adminPets Advice

    Dog food aggression is a serious problem.  If your dog becomes aggressive around his food dish, here are four tips to end this canine behavior problem.

    Don’t Let Dog Food Aggression Get Started

    In the wild, the leader of the dog pack is always the first one to eat, usually by himself.If you always leave your dog alone at mealtime, he may get the wrong idea.  This can lead to canine aggression in the form of him snapping or growling at anyone who ventures too close while he’s eating.

    When your dog is still a puppy, always feed him after you and your family have already eaten.  This reinforces the idea for him that you and your family members all rank above him in the pack.

    When you feed your puppy, anyone should be able to approach him while he’s eating.  Slipping a little treat into his bowl while he’s eating teaches him that it’s good for someone to get close.

    Four Steps To Control Food Aggression In Dogs

    An older dog who is already using aggressive dog behavior to protect his food will require different training.

    Spend about ten to fourteen days on each of these steps.It will be necessary to do these things every time you feed your dog.  If your dog is extremely aggressive around food, you may need to keep him on a leash for your own protection. 

    The first thing you’ll do is to put his food dish away for a couple of weeks.  Your dog will be eating out of your hand for a while.  Feed him just a few pieces of dog food at a time, until his meal is finished.

    After a couple of weeks, you can progress to the next stop.  Get out your dog’s food bowl again, but don’t put anything in it.  After a while, walk by and drop a couple of pieces of kibble in it.  When he eats it, keep adding small handfuls of food every couple of minutes until his meal is finished.  At this point, he’ll probably be begging you to walk up to his bowl.

    You can progress to the next step in about ten days; put out a half-full bowl of kibble for your dog.  Walk up to him as he’s eating, and as you go by, drop in a couple of treats.  Then walk up again and add the rest of his food.

    The last step is to put a full bowl of food down for him while he’s obeying the sit-stay command.Keep your control over him by not allowing him to eat until you release him from the command.  This is where the leash comes in handy, as you have control over him for this step, but hopefully you won’t need to use it.Break things up once or twice a week by calling him over to you while he’s eating and rewarding him with a tasty treat. 

    Always use the sit-stay, wait, and take-it commands when you feed him so that your dog understands that you’re in charge of the food.  This reinforces your status as the alpha dog for him.

    If your dog reverts to his old dog food aggression behavior, start again at step one. 

    Don’t continue to live with the potentially dangerous problem of canine aggression.  Click on any link in this article to learn how a good dog training program can help to end this aggressive dog behavior.

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  • scissors
    July 1st, 2010adminPets Advice

    Is dog food aggression a problem with your canine companion?  If your dog growls or snaps at anyone who gets too close while he’s eating, you need to stop this serious dog behavior problem before your dog attacks you or someone in your family.

    Dog Food Aggression Is Instinctive Behavior For Canines

    Wild dogs protect their mates, their food, and their territory.  Aggression is necessary for their survival.  The most aggressive dog is the pack leader, or alpha male, and he enforces his position by being the dominant dog in the pack.

    But your dog shouldn’t be the leader of the pack in your household.  If he is, you’re in for trouble, because he thinks he’s the alpha male, and, like he would in the wild, he’ll use canine aggression to enforce his position.  This is a dominance issue that won’t go away on its own.  You must take steps to deal with his aggressive behavior before it reaches a dangerous level.

    Causes of Food Aggression In Dogs

    Unfortunately, too many dog owners have the idea that puppy aggression around food is cute.  Don’t encourage this behavior!  This is a serious training mistake many dog owners make.  Instead of being amused by this kind of canine food aggression, you need to nip this problem in the bud.

    Your dog doesn’t know exactly who the pack leader is.The way your dog understands it, there is a leadership vacuum if you don’t take the role of the alpha male, even if you’re female.  If you don’t step into the role, he will.  And he won’t be nice about enforcing his position in your household.

    In his mind, he’s the top dog, so he can take whatever he wants from anyone in the pack who ranks lower than him.  The reality is that the family dog should be at the bottom of the heap, not the top.  Anyone in the household should be able to take anything away from him, even his food.  Of course, you’re not really going to do this, but he needs to know where he stands in your household pack.

    Dog Food Aggression Training

    With a puppy, you’ll make it clear that having people or other animals around when he’s eating is OK.  Do this right from the beginning, and you’ll probably never have a problem with this type of canine aggression.  Anyone in the family should be able to safely stand right next to him at any time while he’s eating.You should take control of his food if this isn’t the case.

    It’s always a good idea to feed your dog after you and your family have finished eating.  Your dog will instinctively understand that the alpha dog always eats first.This reinforces in your dog’s mind exactly where he is in the famly heirarchy.

    Require that your dog sit and stay quietly while you’re fixing his food.  If the dog growls, and demands food, don’t give in.  He needs to earn his food by behaving in a non-aggressive manner.

    Don’t let your dog “win” his food by showing aggression towards you.  This only rewards his bad dog behavior and reinforces the very behavior you want to stop.

    If canine aggression is already a serious problem in your household, a dog behavior course should be your next step.  You can find a course that includes a consultation with an experienced dog trainer by clicking on any link in this article.

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  • scissors
    November 14th, 2009adminPets Advice

    Is dog food aggression a problem with your canine companion?  If your dog growls or snaps at anyone who gets too close while he’s eating, you need to stop this serious dog behavior problem before your dog attacks you or someone in your family.

    Dog Food Aggression Is Instinctive Behavior For Canines

    Wild dogs protect their mates, their food, and their territory.  Aggression is necessary for their survival.  The most aggressive dog is the pack leader, or alpha male, and he enforces his position by being the dominant dog in the pack.

    However, your dog shouldn’t be the leader of the pack in your household.  If he is, you’re in for trouble, because he thinks he’s the alpha male, and, like he would in the wild, he’ll use canine aggression to enforce his position.  This is a dominance issue that won’t go away on its own.  You must take steps to deal with his aggressive behavior before it reaches a dangerous level.

    Causes of Food Aggression In Dogs

    Most of us think that a young dog displaying puppy aggression while guarding his food is cute.  Encouraging this behavior is a serious training mistake many dog owners make.  Instead of being amused by canine food aggression, you need to nip this problem in the bud.

    In your dog’s mind, he’s confused about who the pack leader is.The way your dog understands it, there is a leadership vacuum if you don’t take the role of the alpha male, even if you’re female.  If you don’t step into the role, he will.  And he won’t be nice about enforcing his position in your household.

    He thinks that since he’s top dog, he can take whatever he wants from whoever is lower in rank than him.  The reality is that the family dog should be at the bottom of the heap, not the top.  Anyone in the household should be able to take anything away from him, even his food.  Of course, you’re not really going to do this, but he needs to know where he stands in your household pack.

    Dog Food Aggression Training

    With a puppy, you’ll make it clear that having people or other animals around when he’s eating is OK.  Do this right from the beginning, and you’ll probably never have a problem with this type of canine aggression.  Anyone in the family should be able to safely stand right next to him at any time while he’s eating.You need to take control of his food if this isn’t true.

    It’s always a good idea to feed your dog after you and your family have finished eating.  Your dog will instinctively understand that the alpha dog always eats first.This reinforces in your dog’s mind exactly where he is in the famly heirarchy.

    Require that your dog sit and stay quietly while you’re fixing his food.  If your dog growls, and demands food, don’t give in.  He needs to earn his food by behaving in a non-aggressive manner.

    Never feed your dog if he growls at you.  This only rewards his bad dog behavior and reinforces the very behavior you want to stop.

    If dog food aggression is already a serious problem in your household, a dog behavior course should be your next step.  You can find a course that includes a consultation with an experienced dog trainer by clicking on any link in this article.

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  • scissors
    November 13th, 2009adminPets Advice

    Puppy socialization is a very important part of teaching your new pet how to get along in this world.  Many dog owners are surprised to learn that quite a few cases of canine aggression could have been prevented if the dog’s owner had only known about this important aspect of dog training.

    Why Is Puppy Socialization So Important?

    When you expose your dog to lots of different people, different animals, and different places, he learns for himself that new sights, sounds, and people are fun, not scary.

    You’ll find that dog socializing is much easier while your pet is still young.You’ll find that the best age for puppy socialization is between the ages of three and twelve weeks.  A young dog who has good experiences with new people, other dogs, and even cats will be much friendlier and less fearful of people.  This helps to prevent canine aggression towards strangers when he gets older.

    Remember that it’s never to late to work on dog socializing.  It may take a little longer with an older dog, but you can still use canine socialization in order to help your pooch overcome a fear of strangers and be a happier, more trustworthy friend.

    How Is Puppy Socialization Done?

    Dog socializing is not that difficult, if you’re willing to make a little effort.

    Many dog trainers suggest a puppy preschool.  This is a series of group-training classes for puppies and their owners.Usually you’ll find about 10 puppies and their people, plus a couple of dog trainers.  During these classes, the puppies start to learn basic dog obedience commands like sit, stay, and others.

    Your pup will learn more than just basic obedience lessons at puppy preschool.  The play sessions are where your puppy learns essential social skills.The puppies are let off their leashes and allowed to interact during the play sessions.  Why is this important?

    First, your puppy is learning how to interact with other dogs.

    Second, there will be lots of unfamiliar people around, including dog trainers and other dog owners.  This is a great way for your puppy to learn not to be afraid of new people.

    Third, it’s a controlled environment.  The dog trainers make sure things don’t get too wild.

    Don’t Stop Puppy Socialization Too Soon

    Many dog owners make the mistake of thinking that since their dog has been to puppy preschool, their puppy is now socialized.  This mistaken idea can lead to problems with aggression in puppies later on.

    It’s important to continue to expose your young dog to new faces, new animals, and new places.  Sometimes puppies who seemed to be well socialized at a younger age “forget” those early lessons.  By the time your dog is between eight months and two years old, he may become fearful of people and start showing puppy aggression towards strangers.

    You can learn more about using puppy socialization to prevent future problems with canine aggression by clicking on any link in this article.

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  • scissors
    November 2nd, 2009adminPets Advice

    Are you just plain fed up with the aggressive dog behavior your pooch is displaying?  Join the crowd.  Aggressive behavior in dogs is the most serious dog behavior problem that you’ll face as a dog owner. 

    However, canine aggression is preventable if you understand why your dog develops aggressive behavior.  Read on to learn more about this common problem.

    Your Dog’s Aggressive Nature Is Instinctive

    Aggression is a valuable behavior in the wild.  A dog needs to be aggressive in order to hunt for its food.  It also needs to be able to defend its kill from other animals.  An aggressive dog also defends its territory and its mate.

    In the centuries since dogs were domesticated, people have selectively bred most aggressive tendencies out of dogs, but a few do remain. And since dog do have sharp teeth capable of doing people serious harm, it’s necessary to recognize aggressive behavior in dogs and deal with it effectively.

    Too many dog owners don’t know that there is more than one type of aggression in dogs.  The two most common are aggression towards strangers and aggression towards family members.  It’s necessary to deal with these two types of aggression in canines in a different manner because they are caused by different things.

    Aggression Towards Strangers

    This type of dog behavior is very easy to recognize.  You dog may react in one of two ways:

    He’ll act nervous and will be jumpy, startling at the smallest sound.  You’ll notice agitated behavior, including acting fidgety, pacing around, and barking or whining.

    Or, on the other extreme, he’ll be very quiet, sitting in one place without moving, while staring hard at whatever it is he’s suspicious of — whether it’s a visitor or your unsuspecting mail carrier.

    The main reason a dog is aggressive around strangers is because he’s not used to them.  Your dog needs to be taught that strangers aren’t always a bad thing.

    Aggression Towards Family Members

    Your dog may show canine aggression towards members of your family for two reasons. 

    First, your dog is protecting something he thinks belongs to him from someone he believes is a threat.  The term for this behavior is “resource guarding”. 

    In the wild, only the dominant individual acts aggressively to guard resources.  So obviously, your dog thinks he’s the pack leader, not you, when he displays this kind of aggressive dog behavior.

    The second reason is that he’s unhappy about how you, or somebody in the family, is treating him. 

    Discover How To Handle Aggression In Dogs

    You don’t have to be at the mercy of your dog, and you shouldn’t be.  If your dog uses aggressive dog behavior to control you and get his way, this is a very unhealthy situation, as well as being potentially dangerous.  There are many emergency room visits every year because of dog bites.  You don’t want this happening to you or a member of your family, or anyone else your dog interacts with.

    You can learn how to handle aggressive behavior in dogs.  You need a dog obedience course which includes a complete owner’s guide to rearing and training your dog to prevent canine aggression.  Be sure to read testimonials from other dog owners who have purchased the course to see how satisfied they are with the material.

    Do yourself and your dog a favor and learn more about controlling aggression in dogs.  Just click on any link in this article to learn more.

    Tags: , , ,
  • scissors
    February 10th, 2009adminPets Advice

    Let’s face it, as a new dog owner, you probably haven’t thought too much about puppy socialization.  However, this is a very important part of dog training.  Many cases of canine aggression could have been prevented if the dog’s owner had only known how to socialize a puppy

    Why Is It So Important To Socialize Your Dog?

    When you expose your dog to lots of different people, different animals, and different places, he learns for himself that new sights, sounds, and people are fun, not scary. 

    It’s better to start socializing your dog while he’s still a puppy.You’ll find that the best age to socialize a puppy is between the ages of three and twelve weeks.  A young dog who has good experiences with new people, other dogs, and even cats will be much friendlier and less fearful of people.  This helps to prevent aggressive dog behavior towards strangers when he gets older.

    Remember that it’s never to late to socialize your dog.  It may take a little longer with an older dog, but you can still use canine socialization in order to help your pooch overcome a fear of strangers and be a happier, more trustworthy friend.

    What’s The Best Way To Socialize A Puppy?

    Actually it’s not that difficult to socialize your dog, if you’re willing to make a little effort.

    Many dog trainers suggest a puppy preschool.  This is a series of group-training classes for puppies and their owners.There are usually around 10 puppies and their owners, along with two or three dog trainers.  During these classes, the puppies start to learn basic dog obedience commands like sit, stay, and others.

    You may be surprised to learn that the obedience lessons aren’t the most important thing your dog will learn in puppy preschool.  The play sessions are where your puppy learns essential social skills.When the play sessions are happening, the puppies are let off their leashes and allowed to interact with each other.  Why is this important?

    First, your puppy is learning how to get along with unfamiliar dogs. 

    Second, you pup will be meeting lots of new people, since there will be a couple of dog trainers and eight or ten other dog owners there.  This is a great way for your puppy to learn not to be afraid of new people.

    Third, it’s a controlled environment.  The dog trainers make sure things don’t get too wild.

    Don’t Stop Puppy Socialization Too Soon

    Many dog owners make the mistake of thinking that since their dog has been to puppy preschool, their puppy is now socialized.  This mistaken idea can lead to problems later on. 

    It’s important to continue to expose your young dog to new faces, new animals, and new places.  Sometimes puppies who seemed to be well socialized at a younger age “forget” those early lessons.  By the time your dog is between eight months and two years old, he may become fearful of people and start showing canine aggression towards strangers.

    Here’s some food for thought:  even though your puppy has learned basic skills during his first few months, it’s important to keep reinforcing puppy socialization lessons throughout your dog’s life.

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  • scissors
    February 9th, 2009adminPets Advice

    Tell me, does this describe your dog?  Whenever somebody comes to your door, your dog puts on a big show of barking and acting brave, but all the time he’s backing up.If an unfamiliar person approaches, he’ll retreat to a safe place, while carefully watching this suspicious intruder.  These are signs of fear aggression in dogs.

    If you don’t deal with this problem now, it will only get worse as your dog gets older.  In this article, we’ll take a look at what causes this type of aggressive behavior in dogs, and what to do about it.

    Causes of Fear Aggression In Dogs

    One of the main causes of this kind of canine aggression is a lack of socialization when your dog was younger.  If your dog doesn’t have lots of opportunities to interact with unfamiliar people and other dogs when he’s between the ages of three and twelve weeks, he’ll have a hard time trusting people and dogs he doesn’t know.  

    Unfortunately, another reason for this fearful behavior is that your dog was abused at some point in his life.An abused dog needs lots of love and attention to overcome his fearfulness.

    Herding breeds tend to be more prone to developing fearfulness than other breeds of dogs.  This aggressive dog behavior tends to run in certain breed lines, too.  

    Hormonal imbalances may be a factor.  A dog with borderline hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormones) may be anxious and fearful.  Thyroid treatment is helpful in these cases.

    Will This Type of Fearful Canine Aggression Go Away On Its Own?

    Unfortunately, no.  A fearful dog may learn that he can intimidate people by barking at them.  Once he figures out that this works very well, his behavior will get worse, especially around people who are scared of dogs anyway.  

    A dog may be so successful in hiding his fearfulness with a veneer of aggression that it’s hard to tell that the fear is what’s driving his bad dog behaviors.

    How Can I Train A Dog With Fear Aggression?

    A reward-based technique is usually the best way to deal with aggressive behavior in dogs that’s caused by fear.  If your dog doesn’t like people, you need to figure out how to teach him that this stranger really does like dogs, and if you dog gets close to him, he’ll give your pup a treat.  

    You need a volunteer for this, someone who’s very patient with dogs.  Have your friend sit in a chair and scatter dry food around it.Your dog can stay at a distance or get closer if he wants.Eventually, your dog will approach close enough to get the food.  

    The next time, have your friend hold the kibble in his hand.  Be patient and let the dog come to him to get the treat.  Don’t pay any attention to the dog if he’s acting fearful.Don’t reward his bad dog behavior with your attention by either reassuring him or punishing him when he’s showing fear-based aggression. The time to praise the dog is when he gets close enough to get the food.

    You can see that dealing with fear aggression in dogs can be a long and difficult process.  A good dog training course can be a very helpful guide when working with a fearful dog.Choose a course that includes a free consultation with a dog trainer with years of experience.

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  • scissors
    February 8th, 2009adminPets Advice

    Let me ask you a simple question.  Do you know the triggers for fear aggression in dogs?  If not, then you need to read this article to learn more about this type of canine aggression.

    Fear Aggression In Dogs

    This is one of the most frustrating types of dog behavior problems.  Your dog may not hate all strangers; just certain ones.He may have a dislike for all men, or he may zero in on men who have beards or men who wear hats.  He may absolutely detest kids under five, but older children are fine.  He may be fine with strangers outside the home, or he may bark at anyone who walks by the house.  

    You can use dog behavior modification techniques to desensitize your dog to strangers.  But in order to do so, you need to identify exactly what it is about a stranger that’s scaring him.

    Common Triggers For Canine Aggression In Fearful Dogs

    Men often seem more threatening to a nervous dog than women do.  They’re bigger, their voices are deeper and louder, they may have beards or moustaches, they may wear hats.  Men have a more direct way about them.Another reason is that they make eye contact more directly, also.  Sometimes a man may remind your dog of someone who scared him or abused him in the past.

    Children are often enough to send a nervous dog over the edge.  Their voices are high-pitched, and they move quickly and unexpectedly.  They’re sometimes attached to scary things like skateboards and roller blades.Little kids often bring noisy toys with them, which can be overwhelming to a dog who’s nervous to begin with.  

    Kids also have a tendency to grab dogs with no warning and hug them.With an unfamiliar dog, this can be dangerous.  Most dogs don’t like to be hugged anyway.  Teach your children never to hug a dog, especially one they don’t know.

    Any dog finds it threatening if someone makes prolonged eye contact with him.  This is especially true with a nervous, fearful dog.  Avoid looking a strange dog directly in the eye.  Look down or to the side instead.

    Someone who’s just walking down the street fast or very slowly can be scary, too, especially if they appear to be coming right at your dog.  Anything out of the ordinary can be unsettling for him.

    Strange movements, like somebody jumping around or waving their arms about, will catch a nervous dog’s eye.Unfamiliar smells on a stranger, like cigars or beer, can be scary for your dog, too.

    Sometimes it’s not something as obvious as any of these things. You’ll need to spend some time watching your dog and making notes of which trigger, or combination of triggers cause him to display fear-based aggression towards strangers.

    Dog Behavior Modification Can Help

    Punishing a dog who displays canine aggression towards strangers doesn’t work.  Dogs learn by associating things.  So punishing a dog who’s already aggressive towards strangers only serves to teach the dog that strangers really are bad.  He gets the idea that if a stranger shows up, he gets punished, so he gets even more aggressive towards new people.

    What you need to do is to desensitize your dog to strangers.  You do this by associating strangers with good things, like tasty treats.  Dog behavior modification is a long, slow training process that can’t be rushed.

    A good dog training course can be worth its weight in gold when working with a fearful dog.  When looking at courses, you’ll want to choose one that has lots of good testimonials from dog owners who have used the course material.  It’s also important to find a course that includes a free consultation with an experienced dog trainer.  Another essential feature you’ll appreciate is a dog owner forum where you can ask questions, and talk to other dog owners who have solved the same problem with their dogs.

    This is the easiest way you’ll find to to deal with fear aggression in dogs.

    Visit No More Bad Dogs to learn more about fear aggression in dogs.

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  • scissors
    February 8th, 2009adminPets Advice

    Are you just plain fed up with the aggressive dog behavior your pooch is displaying?  Join the crowd.  Aggressive behavior in dogs is the most serious dog behavior problem that you’ll face as a dog owner.  

    However, canine aggression is preventable if you understand why your dog develops aggressive behavior.  Read on to learn more about this common problem.

    Your Dog’s Aggressive Nature Is Instinctive

    Aggression is a valuable behavior in the wild.  A dog needs to be aggressive in order to hunt for its food.  It also needs to be able to defend its kill from other animals.  An aggressive dog also defends its territory and its mate.

    In the centuries since dogs were domesticated, people have selectively bred most aggressive tendencies out of dogs, but a few do remain. And since dog do have sharp teeth capable of doing people serious harm, it’s necessary to recognize aggressive behavior in dogs and deal with it effectively.

    Most dog owners don’t know that there are several types of aggression in dogs.  The two most common are aggression towards strangers and aggression towards family members.It’s necessary to deal with these two types of aggression in canines in a different manner because they are caused by different things.

    Aggression Towards Strangers

    This type of dog behavior is very easy to recognize.  You dog may react in one of two ways:

    Your dog will startle at the smallest sound, and will be jumpy and nervous.You’ll see that he agitated, pacing around, and barking or whining.

    Or, on the other extreme, he’ll be very quiet, sitting in one place without moving, while staring hard at whatever it is he’s suspicious of — whether it’s a visitor or your unsuspecting mail carrier.

    The main reason a dog is aggressive around strangers is because he’s not used to them.  Your dog needs to learn that strangers aren’t necessarily a bad thing.

    Aggression Towards Family Members

    Your dog may show canine aggression towards members of your family for two reasons.  

    The first reason is that your dog wants to protect something he possesses from a person he believes is a threat.”Resource guarding” is what this behavior is called.  

    In the wild, only the dominant individual acts aggressively to guard resources.  So obviously, your dog thinks he’s the pack leader, not you, when he displays this kind of aggressive dog behavior.

    The second reason is that he’s unhappy about how you, or somebody in the family, is treating him.  

    Discover How To Handle Aggression In Dogs

    You don’t have to be at the mercy of your dog, and you shouldn’t be.  If your dog uses aggressive dog behavior to control you and get his way, this is a very unhealthy situation, as well as being potentially dangerous.  There are many emergency room visits every year because of dog bites.  You don’t want this happening to you or a member of your family, or anyone else your dog interacts with.

    In order to deal with aggressive behavior in dogs, you’ll need to learn some new skills.  You need a dog obedience course which includes a complete owner’s guide to rearing and training your dog to prevent canine aggression.  Be sure to read testimonials from other dog owners who have purchased the course to see how satisfied they are with the material.

    Do yourself and your dog a favor and learn more about controlling aggression in dogs.

    Tags: , , ,