You may have wondered how to stop dog aggressive behavior when your dog is exhibiting some bad habits. Often, these behaviours are perfectly normal and seldom anything to worry about (such as your dog’s constantly mounting you for attention). However, other times they are a sign that your dog requires some professional dog training help. If left unchecked, aggressive behaviour can quickly escalate into a potentially dangerous situation where a badly behaved dog could injure you or others. There are simple steps you can take to curb the aggressive behaviour in your dog and train your pet to behave properly.
How to stop dog aggressive behaviour issues involves three steps that must all be taken in order to achieve success. The first step is to identify the cause(s) for the aggression issues. Then you should find a qualified professional trainer in your area who can provide the appropriate professional help and guidance on how to deal with your specific situation. Remember, many things can trigger aggression issues and addressing each one can certainly help get your dog back into line.
Many dogs show aggression due to fear, lack of exercise, being teased or pushed. One common way for this is to display their teeth, growling, snarling, lunging and other physical actions. It is important to identify the root causes of your dog’s aggressive behavior and addressing them one step at a time will ensure you see results sooner rather than later. Here are some common causes of aggressive behavior:
* Socialization – This is a general term that describes how many dogs in our society are completely adjusted to their surroundings and how they learn to interact with others. Many dogs that have never been exposed to people or other dogs and never have any negative experiences with them end up having a very aggressive behavior with people when they get older. This can be due to either mistreating or not getting adequate socialization early on in their lives or it can be caused by being abandoned by their parents.
* Lack of Training – The most common problem of aggression is that it was not addressed or controlled from the very beginning. If a puppy is left to roam the house and be left to his or her own devices, there is a good chance that it will growl, bark, chew, dig and other aggressive behavior issues will develop as the dog gets older and more aggressive. Some experts believe that excessive aggressive training techniques could lead to such problems as the development of aggression toward their owners and other dogs as well. If you think your pet could be exhibiting signs of aggression, you should immediately schedule a professional dog training class so that the issue can be corrected.
* Behavioral Issues – One of the most common problems experienced by owners is inappropriate training. Many puppies are sent off to training classes before they are ready and if they are not socialized with other dogs or other people, their level of behavior issues can grow quite quickly. Proper socialization and training programs at an early age can help these dogs grow into well-adjusted adult dogs. If your pet has never been trained or is not familiar with proper training techniques, you should consider getting a professional dog trainer to help correct their behavior issues. A lot of this training can be done during playtime with other dogs or with playing toys, which allows them to develop a great relationship with their new owners while learning proper skills for socializing with other animals or people.
* Physical Abuse – Many dogs are subjected to physical abuse in their daily lives. Common examples of this include hitting other dogs, excessive chewing, biting and aggressive behavior toward other people and other animals. Such behaviors can be prevented in many cases by using simple training techniques. There is a large segment of the dog population that simply doesn’t respond to training, so the first step should always be to make sure that your pet is properly socialized and that they receive adequate exercise on a regular basis.
* Lack of Exercise/LD – A number of behavioral problems can also be the result of a lack of exercise or too much exercise. A physically fit dog is able to perform properly and should be encouraged to do so. If your puppy has never been physically active before, it is important that you take him out regularly and work on basic obedience skills and the development of good leadership qualities. This will help your puppy to develop into a confident pack leader and can reduce the aggression of aggressive behavior in your pets. By removing the stress of worry about whether he is pleasing his masters and eliminating the opportunities for aggressive behavior to occur, you can teach your dogs how to behave properly and become happy, healthy dogs that love their owners.