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Posts Tagged ‘dog aggression’

Barking, chewing, pulling on the leash, jumping on people, these are just a few of the topics that fall under the heading problem dog behavior.Experienced dog owners are usually familiar with these common problems and it is important to know why a dog behaves in these ways.Understanding why a dog behaves in these ways will help you to not mishandle the situation.You might be a new dog owner, you may be thinking of getting a dog or you may just want to know how to deal with your dog’s behavior.  In any case, an understanding of problem behaviors is the best way of both solving and preventing them.  

A primary principle is that a tired dog is a good dog.  One of the most common causes of problem dog behavior is that they have too much energy.Lots of exercise will make it less likely that the dog will have undesirable behaviors.  Does that make sense?How do you feel after a good workout?  Are you tired?Is it time for a rest?Do you think this would help you to have a better nights sleep?.Another advantage to helping your dog get enough exercise is that you too will get more exercise.You must make sure that your dog gets enough exercise, this is part of its basic care.

Some common problem dog behaviors are
– Barking
– Chewing
– -  Pulling On The Leash
– Not Obeying Commands
– - Improper or No House Training (Potty Training)

You need to understand why your dog behaves like this.  Barking for example, is one of a dog’s ways of communicating and a  dog has different reasons to communicate, some reasons could indicate serious problems.  Another example is chewing.Another behavior that is natural to dogs is chewing, but this can be a problem if the dog destroys things.  How about house breaking, or in other words potty training?  How does that affect your life?

Dogs have reasons for behaving in these ways as they are natural to dogs, but problems can develop.  Learning why your dog is behaving in a particular way is a good start in determining if there is something that you can change or remove from the dog’s environment to help stop the unwanted behavior.   The basic thing to remember is that a dog will behave in a certain way for a reason and it is helpful to find that reason.Don’t forget that a tired dog is a good dog.  Make sure that your dog gets enough exercise and make sure that you play with your dog often.The relationship between you and your dog will be more fulfilling if you know how to deal with your dog’s problem behaviors.

A lot of times, professional dog trainers find that people have tried to train their own dogs without the proper background knowledge.It is sometimes necessary to untrain inappropriate behaviors that have been unintentionally trained in this way.If a person is not experienced at training dogs, they could teach unwanted behaviors along with the desired behaviors without even knowing it.  This is why it is critical to learn from a professional.Should you take classes?Its up to you. Classes can be very good, but they are expensive and they take away some of the flexibility of your schedule.Not everyones’s schedule is the same and it is better to set your own.There are excellent training systems available.

These problems require that you get proper advice.Doing the wrong thing can make the problem worse.  Get help with PROBLEM DOG BEHAVIOR

Dog developed an instinctual aggressive-it is a part of their very nature. They evolved as pack animals who used their aggressive instincts to hunt for their prey and to protect their den and pack mates from danger. Even though dogs need aggressive instincts to survive in the wild, theses days aggressive traits in dogs need to be under control. If your dog is an aggressive one,  knowing which reason causes your dog to be aggressive will help you figure out how to go about correcting his problem.

Here is a list of the 6 most common reasons for dog aggression.

• Dominance Aggression: Each time 2 dogs greet each other, they figure out which one is submissive and which is dominant. Because dogs live in a pack society, it is necessary for them to establish a pecking order, so that every dog knows his place in the pack. Most of the time, this process is figured out quickly and without any friction or aggression between the dogs. If one of the dogs refuses to submit to the other dog it is possible for a dog fight to soon occur.

• Fear Aggression: Fear aggression is pretty much the opposite of  dominance aggression. An extremely agitated dog suffering from fear aggression may lunge and snap at anything close by when it is in this state. For example, a dog that had been abused by a former master, will likely show fear aggression towards certain people-especially if that person is doing something to agitate the poor dog. You can recognize the familiar body language of a fearful dog:his lips will be curled up and showing his teeth; he may even lunge and snap his teeth in an effort to bite; his tail will be tucked between his legs and against his tummy; and he will make whining and groaning sounds. A dog in this state may try to bite anything nearby, so don’t try to comfort a dog like this.

• Territorial Aggression: Aggressive behavior over territory is a very common reason for a dog becoming aggressive. This type of aggression originated when dogs needed to defend their families and their dens from predators-nowadays they want to protect your family and home instead. You want to be sure your dog is not overly protective because his aggression could lead to him attacking another dog or person. An aggression problem like this is something you must be aware of and take steps to correct before the problem is out of control. The dog must learn to know to not let the barking turn into violence.

• Redirected Aggression: This type of dog aggression can often be confused with other aggressive behavior.  For instance, somebody may be walking down the alley on the other side of your fence, and is doing something that is agitating your dogs-as sometimes happens-your dogs may become so over-excited that they turn on each other for a moment. It is similar to when sharks go nuts in a frenzy. The grip of the aggression got so strong that they even attacked their own buddy.

• Predatory Aggression: All dogs are born with the instinct of a predator deep down. If you have a dog or a cat and live in the countryside you probably already witness predatory aggression all the time. When you see your dog chasing a cat or a bird you are seeing signs of predatory aggression. sometimes dogs enjoy something just for the fun of the chase and are not really aggressive in a predatory sense. Sometimes the chasing really is predatory aggression and the dog is going to hurt whatever it is after-so you must get control of this aggression before it leads to any problems.

• Medical Reasons Causing Aggression: An example of this would be the aggressive natures of some female dogs that are either pregnant or are taking care of a litter of puppies. There may be times your dog is feeling bad from an injury or illness, something like this could cause him to act aggressively.If your dog is suddenly acting aggressive although he usually isn’t that way, you should have him checked with the vet for a medical issue. There are those problem dogs that just are aggressive-period, and don’t need much of a reason to get all aggro. Just like some people we all have met, that’s just the way  they are.

Once you can recognize and determine causes for dog aggression you can choose the right techniques to correct your dog’s aggression problem, and have a pet you can be comfortable with in any social situation.

To read more about solving dog aggression problems and advice on dog obedience training please click here: BehaveDoggy.com.

Please click here to read my full review of the best of the on line dog training programs.

For the very best advice on solving dog aggression problems and great dog obedience training techniques get yourself a copy of Secrets to Dog Training.

Many pet owners had this frequently seen problem for years together ; fighting the aggression in dogs and keeping it under control.  If you understand the concept as to what causes dogs to be aggressive and how to manipulate it, then the probabilities of not being a victim of dog aggression is high.  It is amazing that dog bites cost the healthcare industry $30 million yearly. 

First, you want to understand the factors behind aggression in dogs.  Not all dogs are born assertive, they usually become like that due to the conditions around them.  When a puppy is of a very young age, like say between one to 14 weeks, they need to socialise entirely and taken care of by members of the family. 

Aggression in dogs sometimes begins from a young age due to improper care.  If the puppies aren’t socialized with humans from a tender age, they’ll grow up shy around others and also will be alarmed of them.  This is perhaps the start of aggression in dogs.  If left unchecked, it may be a problem later. 
There are factors that cause aggression in dogs.  This should be hormonal or genetic background.  The most common breeds like Doberman and dog are consider having the most aggression in dogs.  These breeds are of a protecting nature which explains the high aggression in dogs that belong to these breeds. 

Hormonal imbalances are due to inbreeding by some scrupulous dog breeders.  They do not take excellent care of the dogs and in an effort to make a quick buck, resort to inbreeding.  As well as causing raised levels of aggression in dogs, this is also unhealthy and can have serious physical effects on the dog too. 

The environment the dog is being raised in is also a serious contributor to aggression in dogs.  If the dog is being punished pointlessly, or being showered attention for no reason, or is the subject of provoking by passersby and children, then these are all responsible for higher levels of aggression in dogs.

Similarly, aggression may also be classified into different sorts primarily based on the dog’s demeanor.  The defensive aggression in dogs is when the dog is awfully afraid of the person or animal and attacks in retaliation.  This is one of the commonest forms of aggression. 

The territorial aggression is the form of aggression where animals or humans outside of the known circle approach the dog’s area and make it feel threatened.  On the other hand, agony prompted aggression, as the name says, is when the dog is attacking something that causes it pain like other animals or folk.  There’s a possibility that a mixture of aggression in dogs can exist and hence, it is safe to chop down the causes before jumping the van. 

Sadly, a sizeable number of animal owners mistake aggression in dogs to be an unexplained behaviour change.  They fail to realize what was the reason for the dog to behave the manner it probably did and hastily send it away to animal shelters.  If you take the time and understand, then it is possible that there are a few things your cherished pet may be making an attempt to say.

Aggression is instinctive to dogs. This trait of dogs developed over many centuries ensuring their survival in the wild. Selective breeding and domestication processes have reduced and refined dog aggression. Some tips to help you to understand your dogs aggressive behaviour are below.

What makes my dog aggressive?

Factors such as lack of exposure to other people and dogs as well as dominance are the most common causes of dog aggression.

Stranger aggression:

Dogs are naturally cautious and suspicious. Unfamiliar situations may cause your dog apprehension if it has not had much experience with strangers and new surroundings. If you broaden your dogs knowledge and consistently reinforce positive experiences your dog will feel at ease when confronting a new situation. Take a look at our Review of Dog Training Zone for help to deal with aggressive dog behavior.

How can I change my dogs aggressive behaviour?

The key to your dog accepting a wide variety of experiences is starting from a young age. Make sure you include other people and animals in your choice of experiences. Experience will teach your dog how much fun other places, people and animals can be. Make socialising your dog a fun time and you will soon see how easy it is to do. You might want to start with puppy pre-school. Exposure to new people and other dogs will increase your confidence about where you can take your dog. You will continue to need to socialise your dog.

Aggression around family members:

When dogs feel they need to protect something that is theirs, they can react aggressively towards their family members. This is called resource guarding. Resource guarding usually appears as snarling, growling or over possessiveness. Your dog will behave like this if it thinks it has dominance over you. Remember, dogs are pack animals. Dogs are used to organisation and are ranked according to a hierarchy of position and power in relation to everyone in their family or pack. Since your dog does not have a dog family, it will rank itself against its human family and this ranking will tell it how to behave at all times. If your dog perceives himself to be at the top, it is his job to behave aggressively. A lower ranking member of the pack will behave in a passive, submissive way and would never growl or snarl at a higher ranking member if you approached its food or toys. You need to make it clear to your dog that you are the boss and he is a lower ranking family member.

Is there anything I can do about this?

Working with your dog regularly and consistently in obedience training will help to re program your dogs preception of you as the pack leader. Short and regular training sessions are the key to effective behaviour modification. Positive praise, treats and lots of pats are important for making your training sessions enjoyable and productive.

For more detailed information about dog training and other behavioral problems, check out Secrets to Dog Training. Check out a full look at Daniels Stevens Secrets to Dog Training at DogHelpdesk.com

Food aggression is most often seen in dogs who are rescued from homes where they were abused or neglected. A bite, a growl or a snap are all different types of food aggression. You may find that your dog will attempt to bite or snap at you if you put your hand by its bowl.

Self-preservation is the most common source of food aggression, and the easiest to correct. As the dog fears their food being taken from them they feel the need to be very protective of it in these cases. Dogs who have been under fed will have a tendancy to guard their food in an aggressive manner to protect what they have. Food aggression doesn’t always come from owner abuse or neglect, however. If your dog’s previous owner had other pets, those animals could have run your dog off of its food.

If you feel that this is the case with your dog, all that’s necessary to correct the behavior is time, patience, and lots of love. You have to show your dog that you can be trusted, that you are not a competitor for its food, but rather the giver of the food. Do not prepare your dog’s food and then invite it to come and it, you need your dog to see you preparing it.

Go slowly. Sitting near to your whilst it is in eating mode is a good place for you to start off. For the first few times, stay silent. Your dog has to note that you are still there whilst it is eating but make sure that you do not make it nervous to your presence. As your dog becomes less nervous to your presence and is not so guarded talk softly to them and reassure them that all is ok, whilst moving around the room. As your dog becomes more accustomed to your presence it will allow you to handle its bowl whilst eating. Just take a few steps back and do not say anything if your dog begins to snap or growl at you. It is an absolute must that no punishment is dished out on your dog, do not shout or hit it. Show your dog lots of affection when it allows you to touch its food and pet them whilst still eating.

If you are consistent with this training, you will see positive results very quickly.

puppy training

Television can bring to light many different types of careers. One of these is being a certified dog trainer. This is an ideal career is a person loves to work around animals. It may not be a traditional job in an office but it is a career in which someone is doing what they love. The trainer is instrumental in teaching both the dog and owner how to bond and interact with each other. It is very satisfying to know that your knowledge and skill is being passed on to other dog lovers.

Becoming a certified dog trainer begins with a love of animals. It requires patience and a desire to interact with the animal. Dog obedience training takes knowledge and a compassionate nature in order for there to be success. Most people do not turn to a certified dog trainer until there is an obvious sign of dog aggression and then the battle begins. Dog training starts when the animal first comes home and continues throughout the life-time of the canine.

Not all dogs are alike. Different breeds will require you to know how they interact with other dogs and humans. It is for this reason that basic classes in dog breeds, aggression level and physiology are studied in order to know what to expect. The basic coursework prepares you for understanding the psychological and physical aspects each different dog will require.

Once the basics of dog behavior are down, then begin the specialized coursework designed to train a dog through a variety of methods. The instruction will teach how to use a variety of instruction in order to train the dog such as through a clicker or through positive reinforcement. Other steps include teaching safety to the owners as well as the dog. It is also important to learn how to deal with dogs that are more difficult to deal with due to a past history of violence or dog fighting.

Once the coursework is complete, the certified dog trainer is ready to begin. There are a variety of places to work such as pet supply stores, kennels or even opening up a business. One great example of a certified dog trainer is Cesar Millan who works with troubled dogs and their owners on his hit television show ‘The Dog Whisperer’ airing on cable.

If you find yourself longing for more freedom and becoming tired of simply punching a clock, consider a different line of work. There is always a need a certified dog trainer somewhere and you might find yourself looking forward to going into work each day.

In the beginning you may feel that when your puppy jumps up, he’s so cute. But it’s not so funny when your full-size dog jumps up on people with dirty paws – very embarrassing. So it’s best to nip this behavior in the bud while he is still young. It’s a big mistake to encourage it and then later have to try to stop the behavior.

Jumping up most often occurs when someone comes into your home or when you come across someone while you’re taking your dog for a walk. So, it’s a good idea to coach your dog to sit in these circumstances.

In some cases jumping up can be your dog trying to become dominant over you, but usually the behavior is just a greeting. Other problem behaviors can be caused by dominance and this definitely needs to be prevented. The ideal situation is that you are always the dominant one, the alpha dog.

You must understand the idea of positive reinforcement. This can be tasty treats or praise and affection. You have to stop giving any reinforcement for this behavior. So instead of giving your dog a lot of attention as he jumps up, you must ignore him as long as he is excited. Don’t give him any eye contact.

Contrary to this, when he is no longer excited and has all four paws on the floor you can show him affection.

Hopefully, your dog may already sit on command. If so it’s a good idea to get him to sit as your enter the house or as guests arrive. When he does sit, give him a affection or a tasty treat. If you haven’t already trained him to sit, you should work on this and other obedience training. Start training him in obedience with short sessions away from distractions. Keep them fun for your dog.

It’s important that you get the cooperation of everyone who comes into contact with your dog, so that they don’t undermine your efforts. Get them to agree be calm and not excited when they greet your dog. They should avoid eye contact with your dog.

Initially, you may want to put your dog in another room when visitors arrive, so that the whole situation at the door is avoided.

I hope that this helps with how to stop your dog jumping up. Read more about other problems in dog behavior such as aggressive dogs.

Aggression is instinctive for dogs and everyone knows that dogs can badly harm humans and other animals. However, there are methods available to dog owners for training aggressive dogs. An aggressive dog must be given obedience training immediately, before someone is injured.

For a really great dog training book, I strongly recommend that you take a look at: Training Aggressive Dogs.

The most common types of dog aggression are aggression towards strangers, and aggression towards family members. These two types of dog aggression occur for different reasons so must be treated differently.

Aggression Towards Strangers

The most common reason for a dog disliking a person or another animal is that he hasn’t had a chance to get used to them. Socialization is the method used to familiarize dogs with new environments, and new people and animals. Socialization is vital to your dog’s training. You may be wondering how socialization can stop aggressive dogs from attacking the postman or pizza delivery boy. A dog that has been socialized will start to realize that these new encounters can be pleasurable instead of being frightening.

Your dog needs to learn this lesson as a puppy. If your dog is often amongst various kinds of people (for example children, teenagers, men wearing uniforms, old people, people wearing helmets or carrying umbrellas) in a relaxed and fun environment, the chances of your dog being being aggressive towards strangers are much less.

Just a reminder, if you are looking for a great free site to help you solve your dog’s aggressive behavior, you should check out: Stop Aggressive Dog Behavior.

Puppy group training courses (often held at pet stores or at a vet clinic) are a good place to socialize your dog in a controlled environment. Your puppy will learn how to behave around strange dogs. He will also realize that there is no reason for him to be afraid of the unfamiliar people at these sessions. It is important that he is not overwhelmed – allow his tolerance to build gradually by starting off slowly.

Aggression Towards Family Members

Aggressive dog behavior towards human family members is most commonly for these reasons:

• Your dog is guarding his food and toys from his owner or family members. This highly possessive behavior (called resource guarding) is quite common in dogs.

• This resource guarding behavior is a clear display of dominance and relates to your dog’s perceived ranking in the hierarchy of your household. To your dog, your family composition is no different from a dog pack. A dog that sees himself in a loftier position than his master will act aggressively.

Such resource guarding is typical of dominant behavior, as an underdog would not be aggressive to a more highly ranked member of the pack.

Dog obedience training is the best way to stop aggression in dogs, which will make your dog understand that you are the boss or “alpha dog”. Your “alpha dog” status can be strengthened with rewards such as treats and praise when he reacts appropriately to a command, and with “time-out” for misbehaving.

I hope you have found this article useful. I also have a review of a top notch product that you might want to check out: Secrets to Dog Training Review

Does your dog bite or growl at people (and even small children) that they do not know very well?  This form of dog aggression is relatively a common occurrence and has been assessed to be usually born out of fear.  While dogs are territorial in nature, it becomes a cause for concern if they become overly aggressive to strangers.

Fear-based dog aggression mostly traces its roots to the lack of confidence in the development of canines. Dogs that have been in the bottom of the pack with its litter mates, physically or verbally punished at an early age, kept outside the home, tethered on a short chain, and frustrated or taunted by people usually become aggressive. 

On the other hand, genetics can also play a role in this kind of behavior as some dogs that have not been abused will still react to a frightening stimulus.   Some breeds, like the terrier and bull breeds have a higher likelihood of developing dog aggression upon reaching maturity than other breeds.

Dog owners can stop fear-based dog aggression to avoid potentially dangerous situations for both humans and other animals.  In general, proper instruction is best done through positive reinforcement as it produces better results.For example, you should train your dog in an atmosphere where he feels comfortable and not threatened.

Experts recommend to have a veterinarian check your dog if he suddenly becomes aggressive.Using a muzzle on your dog is an option if you are particularly concerned that he will be aggressive towards other dogs or people.Your dog may need more time though to get used to the feel of the muzzle.

It’s also important to socialize your dog by taking him to public places and providing opportunities to meet other dogs and people as well.  Keeping your pet in isolation deprives him of the chance to interact with other people and dogs, thus heightening his fear of strangers.Remember that aggression may also be due to pent-up energy that escalates to anxiety and frustration over time.  Continuously neglecting his basic need to get out there and exercise will only compound the problem further.

As a whole, we advise to regularly train your dog under a variety of conditions and in progression.  Consistency is the key to changing any undesirable behavior since dogs don’t learn new concepts overnight.  It will take time for him to unlearn the aggression caused by a myriad of factors. 

As such, owners must exercise a great deal of patience because training is a gradual process that cannot be forced or rushed.  This means that you have to enforce discipline through a humane approach.  Under no circumstances should you physically punish your dog – in fact, hurting him will just undo whatever progress you’ve made.

Therefore, getting rid of dog aggression in general requires a lot on your part.Investing enough time, knowledge and persistence will eventually see your hard work paying off in the end.

Are your dog aggression problems too much and are now crying out for obedience training help? Then you found the right place. Here are four side-by-side reviews of the four best aggressive dog training sites in the net today.

Sit Stay Fetch is the most excellent dog training website and we highly recommend it as it has lots of helpful advice to end your dog problem. Daniel Stevens discussed everything there is to know about fixing a dog’s aggression issues with over 100 images to make learning easier and interesting. Dog Training Secrets is very informative but it doesn’t have supplementary photos. Secret of a Professional Dog Trainer is the third. There are great tips available.

Sit Stay Fetch – Dog Obedience Training, covers all points of aggressive dog training and helps answers many dog problems, for example, your dog being usually disobedient, your dog being over-aggressive, being quirky off-leash or even on-leash, not appropriately housetrained, etc. It has over 100 step by step photos and is a very informative. It includes the most modern dog training tips (used by professional trainers themselves) not available in other books like dog whispering and advanced behavioral training among other things.

Dog Training Secrets by Charlie Lafave, shares to you the significance of training your dog and what may happen if you don’t. Includes pretty much everything you need to know about dog training, like the 7 common behavioral problems and solutions. For those who have left they’re dogs untrained, there’s a chapter for training adult dogs as well.

Starting from how to choose and purchase a dog, Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer covers all possible about training dogs. It’s really long and boring but it has very useful tips. Warning for the visual person: there aren’t any pictures at all and you might find it hard following certain instructions. It includes questions usually asked by people who want to train their dogs on their own. There isn’t a table of contents.

How To Train Your Dog in One Evening, covers 10 most frequent problems. The first thing is to help you find out the reasons your dog are having these problems. It goes on with detailed instructions telling you what to do to solve each problem. It’s very direct and easy to understand. Even though it’s correct, obedience training your dog in one night is almost an impossibility.