Stopping Dog Aggression

August 29th, 2009 at 9:08pm

There are a variety of reasons dogs may act aggressive. Dogs are instinctively aggressive. Just to be able to survive, dogs needed to be aggressive. Aggression was needed in order to be able to hunt and catch food, and to protect their families and territory. Even after all these years of domestication the aggression instinct still remains, and stopping the occurrence of dog on dog aggression is an important thing for any owner to know how to do. In order to control your dog’s aggression it is a good thing to know how to recognize your dog’s body language for warning signs. If you understand what the reasons that cause dog aggression, you can become pro-active and stop the aggression from happening.

Dogs display dominance in a number of ways, including trying to place their head above the other dog’s head or perhaps by placing one or both forelegs over the other dog’s shoulders. Growling and displaying teeth along with raising the hair on their back are also displays dogs use when becoming more aggressive. It is good to avoid this stage of aggression before it occurs. At this stage, unless the second dog doesn’t act submissively, a dogfight may be likely. Anyone familiar with dogs has seen these dog behaviors many times before. If you notice these aggressive attitudes, avoid encountering the situation that is making our dog aggressive.

Try out the tip below for stopping dog aggression, and get your dog a new friend.

Take your aggressive dog on a visit with you to a friend’s house who has a nice non-aggressive dog. Because dogs are more aggressive to other dogs of the same gender, try making sure his new friend is of the opposite sex. If your friend’s place isn’t a good idea, at least starting in a neutral location is a good idea, so your dog doesn’t have the instinct to protect his turf.

To be sure your dog doesn’t lunge or act aggressive, be sure to have the dogs on their leashes at the start. Have the dogs take the sit position far enough away from each other that they cannot touch. If your dog is acting aggressive, remind him who’s the boss, and make sure he stays in the sit position. Use lots of praise and a nice treat for a reward to show him you are happy when he stops his aggressive posture. Be consistent with your training so your results are fast and also consistent. Don’t emphasize the negatives by yelling at your dog.

Once the dogs show that they are calm around each other bring them close enough to take a preliminary sniff at each other. This is the normal dog greeting, and there should be no growling, no hackles raising, and no paws over the other dog’s shoulder. If your dog remains relaxed now, you have started the process of removing his aggressive attitude toward other dogs.

For future meetings, try using different locations to check the aggressive dog’s attitude. The repeated meetings with another friendly dog will serve to desensitize your dog’s aggressive attitude towards other dogs.

Try to have a final test visit in your dog’s own yard, once he is comfortable with his new friends company. Start the final test with the dogs on the leash, just in case the aggressive dog cops an attitude on his home turf. As long as your dog stays relaxed and non-aggressive, let them play with each other. Now that your dog is able to stop being aggressive with other dogs, you will feel a big relief.

Although this is just the start, you now knew how to introduce your doggy to new dog friends, and stopped his really bad dog on dog aggression problem.

So, if your dog is aggressive to other dogs, try the “doggy friend” technique for good results. For more articles about solving dog behavior problems and dog obedience training advice please click here- www.BehaveDoggy.com

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