There are lots of reasons dogs can become aggressive. After all aggression is part of their natural instinct. Dogs evolved with a need to be aggressive. In order to feed and protect their families, aggression was a necessary survival trait. Despite thousand of years of domestication, dogs retain the aggression instinct, and if a dog becomes overly aggressive you will benefit from knowing how to control your pet. 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.
One way a dog will display dominance is by putting their head above the other dog’s head and maybe also putting their forelegs on the other animal’s back or shoulders. Dogs will frequently raise their hackles while showing their teeth and growling. It is good to avoid this stage of aggression before it occurs. If the second dog does not begin to act submissively at this point, there will very likely be a dog fight. Of course you have seen this type of dog behavior many times. If you notice these aggressive attitudes, avoid encountering the situation that is making our dog aggressive.
If you try the tip below, I think your dog’s attitude will change for the better, once he knows the fun of having a doggy 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.
- Have both dogs on their leashes so you can maintain complete control in case your dog lunges. Place the dogs into the sit position while they are apart enough that they cannot reach. Stop your dog if he begins acting aggressively and command him to stay in the sit position. Give your dog praise and a reward once he has stopped his aggression and calmed down- be sure to let him know you are happy with his calm behavior. It is important for you to be consistent to get the best and quickest results with your dog training. Stay positive with your training and remember not to yell when frustrated as that will not make the training go faster or easier.
- Dogs greet each other first by sniffing each other’s faces, so as long as they are calm it is time to let them say “Hi”. 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 is still calm at this point you have already begun stopping dog on dog aggression in your pet.
- Meet your friend and his dog in different places to see if the aggressive dog was comfortable with his new friend in a variety of locations. The repeated meetings with another friendly dog will serve to desensitize your dog’s aggressive attitude towards other dogs.
- Once he seemed like he enjoys his new “friend’s” company the final test is in your dog’s own yard. 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.
This was the beginning of being able to introduce your dog to other new friends and stopping those bad aggression problems.
Try introducing your dog to a new friend and I bet you will have good results stopping your dog’s aggressive attitude. For more articles about solving dog behavior problems and dog obedience training advice please click here- www.BehaveDoggy.com
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