Successful Ways to Cope with Aggressive Dogs
Today's domesticated dogs have a lot of wild instincts that go far back in their bloodlines. After all, their ancestors had to be aggressive to survive, to hunt for food and shelter, and to mate. A lot of selective breeding has taken place over the centuries which has taken care of a lot of the aggression in dogs; however, the ability to attack and inflict harm is just as relevant now as it was in previous ages. It's a dog's nature to be aggressive, and nothing human beings have been able to do has completely eliminated this trait. Therefore, it's up to us as loving dog owners to learn to help our aggressive dogs deal with a trait that comes naturally to them.
As humans we have a lot of control over the aggression in our animals. Even if your dog does begin developing some aggression, you can take measures to comprehend what's going on and get control of it without much conflict. With dogs, there are several types of aggression. Two of the most commonly found types are dog aggression shown to strangers and that shown to those living in your household. Why does it matter who the dog's aggression is directed towards? Why would we desire to spend time defining two varieties of aggression? Actually, it's because although both of these types are aggression, they take place for different reasons and need to be handled differently.
Obviously, aggression around strangers is simple to see. You know your dog well, so you'll be able to tell when he gets excessively agitated by watching him pace incessantly, bark, whine, and notice the smallest of sounds. Or, on the other hand, if he becomes very tense, remaining in one place and never taking his eyes off the person he doesn't know, be it the postman, a friend, or someone jogging down the street. Some dogs just don't adapt quickly to people they don't know. They prefer to be with people they are familiar with and who they feel safe with. Generally this takes place because they haven't been taken into a lot of social situations so that they can get used to the concept of strangers. If you keep your dog isolated at home all of the time, how is he ever going to become used to the idea of strangers and unfamiliar situations?
You can help your dog become a more social being by helping him get used to being with both strange animals and people. You may have never considered it prior to this, but this is an important facet for you to think about when training your dog. Beginning at a very young age, immediately after he's had all of his shots, he should be exposed to a wide variety of different people, surroundings, animals, and experiences. By doing this, you're showing your dog early on that meeting new people and trying new experiences is both safe and enjoyable. You want to make it a point to slowly introduce him to all types of people: the infant next door, a bicyclist wearing a helmet, senior citizens, both men and women, a person carrying an umbrella, teens, and many others. He will learn to be comfortable around strangers, and they won't seem to be a threat to his world any longer. Waiting until he's an adult and then trying to relieve his fears by cuddling him and telling him it's all right just isn't going to take care of it.
How can you accomplish socializing your puppy so that he doesn't grow up with a fear of strangers? As a start, you can take him to a puppy preschool. What this means is going to puppy classes, such as those taking place at veterinary clinics. A group of around ten dog owners and their puppies will meet with at least one qualified trainer who will start showing the puppies the important obedience commands, such as sit and stay. You'll like the fact that your puppy is learning to obey, but there's an even more important benefit to going to these classes. Not only will your puppy develop happy thoughts about visiting the vet's office, but he'll also have play sessions during the classes when he'll be allowed to be off-leash and frolic with the other puppies.
Talk about developing great social skills right from the beginning! He'll be able to learn how to get along with a variety of strange dogs while being introduced to a number of people he doesn't know. Since a trainer will always be present, the environment will be safe, secure, and in control. Don't get the idea that puppy preschool is the lifelong solution to aggressive activities, however. Socialization is a never ending process that you will need to work on all of your dog's life. No matter how old he is, he will always benefit from visiting to new places and being exposed to new people. The key is never to allow him to be exposed to more than he can deal with. Start slowly, with or without puppy preschool, and gradually add to the stimulus he's exposed to.
There are two basic reasons that dogs demonstrate aggression towards people in the family. One is that he's defending something that he perceives to be his. This may be a bone, his bed, his food dish, or something else he has come to feel belongs to him. It doesn't appear to be a huge problem, does it, because you know you aren't trying to take away his possessions, but there are extra underlying problems that you need to be aware of. The reason that he's acting so possessively about his things is because he's uneasy with the way you and other family members are treating or handling him.
At this point, your dog is showing a trait that is not unusual amongst dogs and which is regarded as resource guarding. This condition may include being overly-protective of his things, baring his teeth at you if you come around him while he's eating, and giving you cold, hard glares if you start to take a toy away from him. Dogs are much like people in that they all feel possessive at times, even if what they're being possessive of doesn't seem too vital to anyone else. You may see your dog acting possessively about a piece of garbage, wadded up papers, worn out socks, and other trash items. Other times you will be able to understand his possessiveness more fully when it's over food or toys.
Why would a dog that has seemed playful and at ease suddenly get all tense over the ownership of a possession? In order to answer this question, we once again need to look at the start of dog behavior. Originally, dogs were members of a pack which is a very controlled community. Within this community, each animal has its own rank to fit into the power structure as compared to every other animal in the pack. Each dog knows exactly where he and each other dog fits into the chain of command, and, therefore, knows whether he should back off or become the aggressor in any given situation.
As far as your dog is concerned, your family unit is similar to a dog pack. He has made his own decisions about the hierarchy of power within the family and ranked each member. He also sees his own place in the rankings. Due to these intrinsic behaviors, living with your dog can get interesting. If he sees himself as superior to other members of the family, he's going to become very self-assured. He's going to act like a smart alack and begin treating everyone with more aggression. When he has decided that he is the superior animal in the pack, he's going to act based on that perception. He understands that none of the others in the pack have a right to aggression or to try to control him as the one highest in rank. As long as he thinks that no one in the family is superior to him, he feels he has a right to his aggression, and he'll never believe that anyone will try to take whatever he chooses to have.
So how should you handle it when your dog starts showing aggressive behaviors that show he considers himself the highest-ranking dog of the pack? The answer is that you must repetitively work on his obedience training, and do it often. These sessions will help him to understand that you, in fact, are the dominant member of the pack. Give him two 15-minute sessions a day, and he'll soon comprehend that you're the boss and that he has to do what you expect him to do. During these sessions, when he obeys you should
pour on the praise and goodies to reinforce the behavior you're looking for. If he doesn't behave as expected, put him in "time out" by putting him outside or in another room.
It always helps to be in the know aboutany topic you're dealing with, so take a little time to educate yourself about dog psychology and ways to communicate with your dog. When you start havingsessions with your pooch, keep them short and focused. As you probably already know, most dogs aren't going to allow you to be cuddly with them. In their experience, allowing you to cuddle them and hug them means that they are admitting that you are the boss. If your dog allows you to cuddle him, you know you've been relegated to the stature of the superior being in the pack. If a dog wasn't subjected to a lot of physical contact as a puppy, he isn't going to feel at ease with it now that he's grown. If a person tries to hug him, he's going to become tense and show dog aggression. If your dog's aggressive behavior is out of order and you don't feel you're able to do the training yourself, you need to consider employing a dog trainer to accomplish the task for you.
Another reason that dogs become aggressive when being handled is that they've had at least one bad experience while being groomed. Two of the most usual bad experiences dog have in grooming are bathing and nail-clipping. Many dogs panic when faced with being restrained and bathed. Pet owners have trouble coping when their perfect pet suddenly starts to be all agitated and upset in the midst of a bath. They often want to add more restraints which only adds to the problem. More restraint will mean more panic, and the dog will once again conclude that having a bath is not a good experience to be avoided if at all possible. He may even believe he needs to defend himself by baring his teeth and growling at his owner. Nail clipping can be even more frightening to a dog. When clipping his nails, it's easy to clip too far and hit the blood vessel that runs within the claw. When this occurs, it causes a lot of pain for the dog and makes him even more leery of those nail clippers.
If your dog is one of these pets that becomes frightened during grooming sessions, you may be wondering if he can be retaught in order to make the sessions easier for everyone involved. Although it's much easier to begin when your dog is a young puppy, it isn't impossible. If you're beginning with a puppy, make sure you afford him a lot of touching and rubbing all over his body so that he'll become an adult who will enjoy being handled. Older dogs that were never given this type of touching as puppies have a much more difficult time adjusting to being touched. With your older dog's nervousness with clippers, start by taking hold of one of his paws and touching gently with the clippers. Demonstrate for him that clippers don't always mean pain. Since he's likely to have already had some bad grooming experiences, you must teach him to stay calm because nothing is going to hurt him.
For the mature dog that dislikes bathing, you must practice the bathing process with him making it a pleasurable experience for him. Place him in the warm bathtub if that's possible. If you need to take him outdoors, don't do it when the water is going to be too cold. He won't learn to like a bath by being sprayed with icy-cold water. While you're administering the water bath, give him lots of praise, patting, and even occasional treats to help him understand that you're pleased with his behavior. A main factor in these practice sessions is to permit your dog his freedom if he becomes uncomfortable and stressed out. Keep the whole process fun and enjoyable for your dog. Don't force him too far or too fast, and if he gets nervous, stop what you're doing immediately.
There's a reason that dogs exhibit aggression. They're give you a head's up that you must stop what you're doing or face the consequences. If you try practicing the grooming techniques outlined above and your dog still can't stand being groomed, it's time to hire a professional. Your vet will be willing to clip his nails. Make sure you let the vet know that your pooch might be an aggressive dog during clipping times so that your vet will take precautions because of the possibility of aggressive behavior. Dog grooming services are available where for a price you can have trained professional groomers wash, brush, and clip your dog for you. Once again, let them know up front about your dog's aversion to grooming.
If you'd like more information on unwanted behaviors that your dog is exhibiting, such as stop a dog from barking or dog eating grass, you’ll probably be interested in taking a look at Secrets to Dog Training. It’s a complete, A-Z manual for the responsible dog owner, and deals with recognizing, preventing, and dealing with just about every problem dog behavior under the sun. You can check out Secrets to Dog Training by clicking here: dog behavior digging.
Leave a Comment