Today’s pet dogs have a lot of wild behaviors that go far back in their bloodlines. After all, their ancestors were required to be aggressive to survive, to look for food and shelter, and to mate. A lot of selective breeding has happened over the centuries which has stopped a lot of the aggression in dogs; however, the ability to attack and cause harm is just as real now as it was back then. It’s a dog’s instinct to be aggressive, and nothing human beings have been able to do has completely eradicated this behavior. Therefore, it’s up to us as loving dog owners to learn to help our aggressive dogs control a trait that is a natural part of them.
As humans we have a lot of control over the aggression in our animals. Even if your dog does begin showing some aggression, you can take measures to understand what’s happening and take care of it without much trouble. 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 family members. What difference does it make who the dog’s aggression is directed towards? Why would we want to use our time defining two varieties of aggression? In actually, 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 see. You know your dog well, so you’ll be able to tell when he gets extremely agitated by watching him pace constantly, bark, whine, and be startled by the smallest of sounds. Or, also, if he becomes very silent, sitting in one place and never 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. Instead they like to be in the company of people they are familiar with and who they feel comfortable with. Most times this occurs 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 confined at home all of the time, how is he ever going to become used to the idea of strangers and unknown situations?
You can help your dog become friendlier by helping him get used to being with both strange animals and people. You may have never realized it prior to this, but this is a major need for you to include when training your dog. Starting at a very young age, immediately after he’s had all of his shots, he must 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 a lot of fun. You want to make it a point to slowly introduce him to a variety of people: the toddler next door, a skater wearing safety equipment, senior citizens, both men and women, a person carrying a skateboard, teens, and a variety of others. He will learn to be comfortable around strangers, and they won’t present a threat to his world any longer. Waiting until he’s grown up and then trying to relieve his fears by petting him and telling him it’s fine just isn’t going to validate it.
How can you go about socializing your puppy so that he won’t grow up with a fear of strangers? As a start, you can take him to a puppy preschool. This consists of going to puppy classes, such as those offered 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 obey, but there’s an even bigger plus to attending these classes. Not only will your puppy develop positive thoughts about a trip to the vet’s office, but he’ll also have play sessions during the classes when can be off-leash and frolic with the other puppies.
Talk about acquiring great social skills right from the start! He’ll be able to assimilate how to get along with a lot of strange dogs while being introduced to a number of people he he hasn’t met before. Since a trainer will always be there, the environment will be safe, secure, and in control. Don’t think that puppy preschool is the lifelong answer to aggressive behavior, however. Socialization is a continuous process that you will have to work on all of your dog’s life. No matter how old he is, he will always benefit from being taken 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 common reasons that dogs demonstrate aggression towards those living in your household. One is that he’s taking care of something that he perceives to be his. This may be a plaything, his bed, his food dish, or anything else he has come to feel belongs to him. It doesn’t sound like a large problem, does it, because you know you aren’t opting to take away his belongings, but there are extra underlying problems that you need to consider. The reason that he’s acting 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 exhibiting a trait that is often seen amongst dogs and which is called resource guarding. This situation may include being overly-protective of his things, baring his teeth at you if you come near him while he’s eating, and giving you cold, hard glares if you try 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 valuable to anyone else. You may find your dog acting possessively about a hunk of garbage, wadded up tissues, 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 congenial and at ease suddenly get all nerved up over the ownership of a possession? In order to find an answer for this question, we once again need to look at the origins of dog behavior. Originally, dogs were part of a pack which is a very controlled community. Within this community, each animal has its own rank as part of the power structure as compared to every other animal in the group. Each dog knows exactly where he and each other dog fits into the chain of command, and, therefore, knows whether he should keep away from or become the aggressor in any given situation.
To your dog, your family unit is just like 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 natural 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-important. He’s going to act like a smart alack and begin treating everyone with more aggression. When he has decided that he is the top dog in the pack, he’s going to behave based on that perception. He understands that none of the others in the pack have a right to aggression or to try to boss him as the one highest in rank. As long as he feels that no one in the family is superior to him, he feels he has a right to his aggression, and he’ll never imagine that anyone will challenge his right to have whatever he chooses to have.
So how should you react when your dog starts exhibiting aggressive traits that show he considers himself the dominant dog of the pack? The answer is that you have to consistently work on his obedience training, and do it frequently. These sessions will help him to accept 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 needs to do what you expect him to do. During these sessions, when he obeys you should heap on the praise and goodies to reinforce the behavior you’re after. If he doesn’t behave as he should, put him in “time out” by putting him outside or in another room.
It always helps to be knowledgeable aboutany topic you’re coping with, so take a small amount of time to learn about dog psychology and ways to communicate with your dog. When you start conductingsessions with your pooch, keep them short and to the point. As you undoubtedly already know, most dogs aren’t going to allow you to be huggy-kissy with them. In their perception, allowing you to cuddle them and put your arms around them means that they are admitting that you are the boss. If your dog lets you to cuddle him, you know you’ve been relegated to the stature of the superior dog 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 feel easy with it as an adult. If someone tries to hug him, he’s going to become agitated and show dog aggression. If your dog’s aggressive behavior is out of hand and you don’t feel you have the ability to do the training yourself, you need to contemplate finding a dog trainer to do the job for you.
A second reason that dogs become aggressive when being handled is that they’ve had at least one grooming session gone wrong. Two of the most prevalent bad experiences dog have during grooming are bathing and nail-clipping. Many dogs freak out when faced with being restrained and bathed. Pet owners have problems coping when their perfect pet suddenly starts to be all agitated and upset in the middle of a bath. They often think they need more restraints which only makes the problem worse. More restraint will mean more excitement, 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 think he has to defend himself by baring his teeth and growling at his owner. Nail clipping can be even more traumatic 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 happens, it means a lot of pain for the dog and makes him even more fearful of those nail clippers.
If your dog is one of these animals that becomes frightened during grooming sessions, you could be wondering if he can be altered in order to make the sessions less uncomfortable for everyone involved. Although it’s much simpler to begin when your dog is a tiny puppy, it is possible. 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 attention as puppies have a much more difficult time adapting to being touched. With your older dog’s aversion to clippers, start by taking hold of one of his paws and touching it with the clippers. Show him that clippers don’t always mean pain. Since he’s probably already had some less than positive grooming experiences, you have to teach him to stay calm because nothing is going to hurt him.
For the older dog that has an aversion to bathing, you must practice the bathing procedure with him making it a happy experience for him. Sit him in the warm bathtub if that’s possible. If you have to take him outdoors, don’t do it when the water is going to be too cold. He won’t learn to enjoy a bath by being sprayed with icy-cold water. While you’re conducting 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 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 nervous, stop what you’re doing immediately.
There’s a reason that dogs show aggression. They’re warning you that you have to stop what you’re doing or face the consequences. If you try practicing the grooming tips outlined above and your dog still can’t handle being groomed, it’s time to get the services of 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 safeguard himself for the possibility of aggressive behavior. Dog grooming services abound where for a price you can have licensed 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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