Stop Aggressive Dog Behaviour

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.' (Well not easily anyway)

I’m sure you’ve all heard that when learning something new it’s always best to learn it right the first time and that it takes a lot of work to undo bad habits. Well dogs are no different and its best to get it right from the start.

One reason that dogs develop aggressive tendencies is because while they are puppies people tend to brush off their bad behaviour as playfulness when really it should be dealt with at this early stage. Remember the expression ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.’ While it may be possible to retrain older dogs its much easier to teach them while they’re young.

Dogs develop aggressive traits for a number of reasons. One common and unfortunate one is that their owners encourage this type of behaviour. A lot of people get dogs to protect their property and they praise their dogs when they bark and growl at strangers approaching their homes. Dogs learn bad habits very easily and once made they can be hard to break. Never encourage aggression in yur dog even when playing. Always keep your games light and friendly and make sure to give your dog plently of love and affection.

When talking to dog owners I always say that punishing any sign of aggression towards humans is the best thing you can do and should be done from an early age. Many people worry that if they always punish their dogs for growling or barking, their dogs will become passive and that if one day someone breaks into their house their dog will be useless and likely try to lick the intruder. But if you train your dog to give one or 2 short sharp barks every time someone approaches the house, trust me, you will not have a problem with break ins.

What you should do is react quickly to the first signs of aggressive behaviour shown by your dog. This could be a soft growl, barking or a stiffening of the body. Usually a strong ‘no’ command will do the trick. One mistake a lot of people make is petting their dog to try and sooth them when they display aggressive behavior. All this does is teach your dog that its OK to be aggressive towards humans.

Your dogs confidence can also be a factor in their behaviour. Timid or fearful dogs (much like timid and fearful humans) tend to be more aggressive and confrontational. So build your dogs confidence with a lot of praise for doing things right and avoid unnecessarily scolding your dog.

Having a well well mannered friendly dog that behaves well around new people makes life easy for dog owners. Having to worry that your dog may bark at or even attack your guests can cause a great deal of stress and take away from the pleasure of owning a dog. (Not to mention scare your guests away.) So raise your dog right and make sure they develop good habits early.

If you're worried that your dog is displaying abnormal aggression its really important that you get to the cause of it. Dog Training Secrets offers some great advice for dealing with dog aggression and especially with regards to diagnosing causes of the behavior. I strongly recommend you check it out at the link below.

      

YES! I want to claim my free instant access to the Secrets to Dog Training 6 Day Dog Behavior and Training course ($27 value).

Your Name:
Your email Address:
(This is a private and fully protected mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time).