Today’s tame dogs have a lot of wild behaviors that go far back in their bloodlines. After all, their ancestors had to be aggressive to survive, to search for food and shelter, and to mate. A lot of selective breeding has occurred over the centuries which has taken care of a lot of the aggression in dogs; however, the ability to attack and cause harm is just as relevant now as it was with your dog’s ancestors. It’s a dog’s instinct to be aggressive, and nothing human beings have been able to do has completely restrained this tendency. Therefore, it’s up to us as doting dog owners to learn to help our aggressive dogs deal with a trait that is natural to them.
As humans we command a lot of control over the aggression in our animals. Even if your dog does begin exhibiting some aggression, you can take measures to comprehend what’s going on and defuse it without much trouble. With dogs, there are quite a few 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. What difference does it make who the dog’s aggression is being aimed at? Why would we need to use our time defining two kinds of aggression? Essentially, it’s because although both of these types are aggression, they happen for different reasons and need to be handled differently.
Obviously, aggression around strangers is simple to observe. You know your dog well, so you can tell when he gets extremely upset by watching him pace around the room, bark, whine, and notice the smallest of sounds. Or, on the other hand, if he becomes very tense, sitting in one place without taking his eyes off the the strange person, be it the postman, a friend, or someone jogging down the street. Some dogs just don’t take quickly to people they don’t know. They prefer to be with people they know and who they feel at ease with. Generally this takes place because they haven’t been spent time in a lot of social situations so that they can adjust to the concept of strangers. If you keep your dog isolated at home all of the time, how is he ever going to get used to the idea of strangers and different situations?
You can help your dog become a more social being by helping him get used to being around both strange animals and people. You may have never considered it before, but this is a major need for you to consider when training your dog. Starting at a very young age, right after he’s had all of his innoculations, he must be exposed to a large variety of different people, surroundings, animals, and experiences. By doing this, you’re showing your dog from the start that meeting new people and sharing new experiences is both safe and fun. You want to make sure you slowly introduce him to a variety of people: the infant next door, a bicyclist wearing safety equipment, senior citizens, both men and women, a person carrying an umbrella, teens, and a lot of others. He will learn to be less aggressive around strangers, and they won’t present a threat to his world any longer. Waiting until he’s grown up and then trying to assuage his fears by patting him and telling him it’s okay just isn’t going to cut it.
How can you go about socializing your puppy so that he will not grow up with an aversion to strangers? For starters, you can take him to a puppy preschool. This will include going to puppy classes, such as those held at veterinary clinics. A group of about ten dog owners and their puppies will gather 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 mind, but there’s an even larger benefit to taking part in these classes. Not only will your puppy develop joyful thoughts about going to the vet’s office, but he’ll also have play sessions during the classes during which can be off-leash and cavort with the other puppies.
Talk about acquiring great social skills right from the start! He’ll be able to learn how to get along with a lot of strange dogs while being introduced to a group of people he is unfamiliar with. Since a trainer will always be present, the environment will stay safe, secure, and in control. Don’t get the idea that puppy preschool is the lifelong solution to aggressive behavior, however. Socialization is a continuous process that you will have to work on all of your dog’s life. No matter what his age, he will always benefit from visiting to new places and being in the vicinity of new people. The key is never to give him more than he can handle. Start slowly, with or without puppy preschool, and slowly increase the stimulus he’s exposed to.
There are two general reasons that dogs demonstrate aggression towards people in the family. One is that he’s protecting something that he considers to be his. This may be a toy, his bed, his food dish, or something else he has come to feel he owns. It doesn’t sound like a major problem, does it, because you understand you aren’t opting to take away his things, but there are extra underlying problems that you need to be aware of. The reason that he’s behaving so possessively about his things is because he’s not comfortable with the way you and other family members are treating or handling him.
At this point, your dog is demonstrating a trait that is not unusual amongst dogs and which is regarded as resource guarding. This trait may include being overly-protective of his things, snarling 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 a lot like people in that they all feel possessive once in awhile, even if what they’re being possessive of doesn’t seem too vital to anyone else. You may find your dog acting possessively about a hunk of garbage, wadded up papers, worn out socks, and other trash items. Other times you can understand his possessiveness better when it’s over food or toys.
Why would a dog that has seemed playful and at ease suddenly get all nerved up over the ownership of a possession? In order to answer this question, we once again need to look at the origins of dog behavior. Originally, dogs were members of a pack which is a very structured community. Within this group, each animal has its own rank as part of the power structure as compared to every other animal in the pack. Each dog comprehends exactly where he and each other dog fits into the line of authority, and, therefore, knows whether he should keep away from or become the aggressor in any given situation.
To your dog, your family unit is the equivalent of a dog pack. He has his own ideas about the hierarchy of power within the family and ranked each member. He also sees his own place in the rankings. Due to these innate behaviors, living with your dog can get interesting. If he sees himself as more of an authority figure than other members of the family, he’s going to become very self-satisfied. He’s going to act cocky and begin treating everyone with more aggression. When he has decided that he is the supreme being in the pack, he’s going to act on that perception. He understands that none of the others in the pack have a right to aggression or to try to dominate him as the one at the top. As long as he thinks that no one in the family is ranked higher him, he feels he has a right to his aggression, and he’ll never dream that anyone will challenge his right to have whatever he wants to have.
So how should you react when your dog starts demonstrating aggressive traits that show he thinks he’s the most authoritative member of the pack? The answer is that you must repetitively work on his obedience training, and do it twice a day. These sessions will help him to accept that you, in fact, are the authority figure of the pack. Give him two 15-minute sessions a day, and he’ll soon learn that you’re the boss and that he has to do what you expect him to do. During these sessions, when he does as you want you should heap on the praise and rewards to reinforce the behavior you want. 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 situation you’re coping 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 give you a chance to be lovey-dovey with them. In their perception, 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 wasn’t allowed to become used to a lot of physical contact as a puppy, he isn’t going to be comfortable with it as an adult. If anyone tries to hug him, he’s going to become upset and show dog aggression. If your dog’s aggressive behavior is out of order and you don’t feel qualified to do the training yourself, you need to think about hiring a dog trainer to take care of it for you.
Another reason that dogs become aggressive when being handled is that they’ve had at least one bad grooming session. Two of the most common bad experiences dog have in grooming are bathing and nail-clipping. Many dogs freak out when faced with being confined and bathed. Pet owners have problems coping when their perfect pet suddenly gets all nervous 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 an unpleasant experience to be avoided if at all possible. He may even decide he must protect himself by baring his teeth and growling at his owner. Nail clipping can be even more upsetting to a dog. When clipping his nails, it’s easy to clip too deep and hit the blood vessel that runs inside the claw. When this occurs, it creates 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 retrained in order to make the sessions easier for everyone involved. Although it’s much less difficult to begin when your dog is a tiny puppy, it can be done. If you’re starting with a puppy, make sure you give him a lot of touching and rubbing all over his body so that he’ll grow up and enjoy being handled. Older dogs that were not given this type of cuddling as puppies have a tougher time adapting to being touched. With your older dog’s nervousness with clippers, start by taking hold of one of his paws and touching it with the clippers. Demonstrate for him that clippers don’t usually mean pain. Since he’s undoubtedly already had some negative grooming experiences, you must teach him to stay calm because there’s nothing that’s going to hurt him.
For the mature dog that doesn’t like bathing, you need to practice the bathing procedure with him making it a happy experience for him. Put him in the warm bathtub if that’s possible. If you must take him outdoors, don’t do it when the water is going to be too cold. He won’t learn to tolerate a bath by being sprayed with icy-cold water. While you’re giving him the water bath, give him lots of praise, patting, and even occasional treats to help him understand that you’re happy with his behavior. A key factor in these practice sessions is to give your dog his freedom if he becomes uncomfortable and stressed out. Keep the entire process fun and enjoyable for your dog. Don’t push him too far or too quickly, and if he gets scared, stop what you’re doing immediately.
There’s a reason that dogs show 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 call in a professional. Your vet will be willing to clip his nails. Make sure you let the vet know that your pooch can be an aggressive dog during clipping times so that your vet will safeguard himself for the possibility of aggressive behavior. Dog grooming services are popular resources where for a price you can have qualified 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 dog training 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.
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