We're all familiar with aggression in dogs. It can strike fear into small children and even adults. Some breeds are more inclined to aggression than others but there are often underlying causes of excessive aggression in dogs and your training methods will be more efficient if you take these underlying causes into consideration. A well-behaved dog that you can trust in most situations is something that most pet owners prefer.
Sometimes excessive aggression is because your dog wants to establish dominance. Dogs are pack animals and there is always a hierarchy to the pack. The alpha dog is the leader and the other dogs follow. Proper training will establish you as the alpha dog or the leader. Do not allow your dog to think of himself as the leader or you will constantlyencounter difficulties. Even so your dog may still want to establish his dominance over other dogs or animals and this may be the cause of his dominance aggression.
Dogs can also act aggressively because they are protecting their territory. Your dog considers certain things to be "his" including you, your home and your family. While this can often be a good thing in certain circumstances it can create problems with visitors or neighbors if it gets out of control. If you dog is excessively aggressive in protecting his territory his behavior may need to be contained.
Often a dog will lash out from fear. Something frightens your dog and rather than retreat he lashes out and attacks. The dog will start growling, pull his ears back and tuck his tail between his legs. Many times this type of aggression is mistook for direct aggression. Fear aggression is always caused by a situation that has frightened the dog. He is striking out because he is scared and does not know how to handle that fear.
Sometimes the aggressive actions are misdirected. Something happens that triggers an aggressive reaction, such as a dominance or territorial issue but the dog is not able to take out his aggression on the target. He therefore will act aggressively where he is. He may start taking out his aggression on another dog or pet for no apparent reason yet something triggered his behavior. He was just not able to act on the actual issue that triggered his aggression.
Sometimes aggression can be caused by a biological or medical reason. For example, we all understand that a mother dog may become aggressive when she is protecting her litter. Less understood though is that sometimes aggression can be brought on by a medical reason. That is why it is important to take your dog to the vet for a complete examination to rule out any medical problems.
Spaying your female dog and neutering your male dog will usually help alleviate excessive aggression. Your training efforts will also be easier and more effective. If you are not in the business of breeding dogs, spaying and neutering is the responsible thing to do.
Your training exercises to curb aggression will be more efficient if you take into consideration the causes why your dog is being aggressive. Understanding the reasons for your dog's aggressive tendencies can help you to tailor your training methods to his needs. - 23802
Sometimes excessive aggression is because your dog wants to establish dominance. Dogs are pack animals and there is always a hierarchy to the pack. The alpha dog is the leader and the other dogs follow. Proper training will establish you as the alpha dog or the leader. Do not allow your dog to think of himself as the leader or you will constantlyencounter difficulties. Even so your dog may still want to establish his dominance over other dogs or animals and this may be the cause of his dominance aggression.
Dogs can also act aggressively because they are protecting their territory. Your dog considers certain things to be "his" including you, your home and your family. While this can often be a good thing in certain circumstances it can create problems with visitors or neighbors if it gets out of control. If you dog is excessively aggressive in protecting his territory his behavior may need to be contained.
Often a dog will lash out from fear. Something frightens your dog and rather than retreat he lashes out and attacks. The dog will start growling, pull his ears back and tuck his tail between his legs. Many times this type of aggression is mistook for direct aggression. Fear aggression is always caused by a situation that has frightened the dog. He is striking out because he is scared and does not know how to handle that fear.
Sometimes the aggressive actions are misdirected. Something happens that triggers an aggressive reaction, such as a dominance or territorial issue but the dog is not able to take out his aggression on the target. He therefore will act aggressively where he is. He may start taking out his aggression on another dog or pet for no apparent reason yet something triggered his behavior. He was just not able to act on the actual issue that triggered his aggression.
Sometimes aggression can be caused by a biological or medical reason. For example, we all understand that a mother dog may become aggressive when she is protecting her litter. Less understood though is that sometimes aggression can be brought on by a medical reason. That is why it is important to take your dog to the vet for a complete examination to rule out any medical problems.
Spaying your female dog and neutering your male dog will usually help alleviate excessive aggression. Your training efforts will also be easier and more effective. If you are not in the business of breeding dogs, spaying and neutering is the responsible thing to do.
Your training exercises to curb aggression will be more efficient if you take into consideration the causes why your dog is being aggressive. Understanding the reasons for your dog's aggressive tendencies can help you to tailor your training methods to his needs. - 23802
About the Author:
Kevin Lynch works with dogs and people everyday. He is an expert at aggressive dog behavior.
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