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 happened 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 in previous ages. It’s a dog’s instinct to be aggressive, and nothing humans 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 control a trait that comes naturally to them.
As humans we command a lot of control over the aggression in our animals. Even if your dog does start showing some aggression, you can take measures to analyze what’s taking place and defuse it without much trouble. With dogs, there are quite a few types of aggression. Two of the most common types are dog aggression shown to strangers and that shown to family members. Who cares who the dog’s aggression is targeted at? Why would we desire 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 in the presence of strangers is easy to see. You know your dog well, so you’ll know when he gets very agitated by watching him pace around the room, bark, whine, and jump at the smallest of sounds. Or, also, if he becomes very quiet, staying in one place without taking his eyes off the person he doesn’t know, be it the postman, a friend, or someone jogging down the street. Some dogs just don’t adapt quickly to people they don’t know. They’d rather be with people they are familiar with and who they feel safe with. Most times this occurs because they haven’t been taken into a lot of social situations so that they can adjust 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 more socialized by helping him get accustomed to being with both strange animals and people. You may have never thought about it before, but this is a major need for you to consider when training your dog. Beginning at a very young age, immediately after he’s had all of his innoculations, he should be exposed to a wide variety of different people, places, animals, and experiences. By doing this, you’re showing your dog from the start that meeting new people and trying new experiences is both safe and enjoyable. You want to make sure you slowly introduce him to a variety of people: the baby next door, a skater wearing safety gear, senior citizens, both men and women, a person carrying a skateboard, teens, and a lot of others. He will learn to be at ease around strangers, and they won’t seem to be a threat to his world any longer. Waiting until he’s grown up and then trying to ease his fears by patting him and telling him it’s all right just isn’t going to take care of it.
How can you accomplish 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 taking place at veterinary clinics. A group of about ten dog owners and their puppies will meet 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 plus to taking part in these classes. Not only will your puppy develop positive thoughts about going to the vet’s office, but he’ll also experience play sessions during the classes in which can be off-leash and frolic with the other puppies.
Talk about learning great social skills right from the git go! He’ll be able to learn how to get along with a cross section of strange dogs while being exposed to a group of people he he hasn’t met before. Since a trainer will always be around, the environment will remain safe, secure, and in control. Don’t think that puppy preschool is the lifelong answer to aggressive traits, 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 gently add to the stimulus he’s exposed to.
There are two common reasons that dogs demonstrate aggression towards family members. One is that he’s defending something that he perceives to be his. This may be a toy, his bed, his food dish, or something else he has come to feel belongs to him. It doesn’t appear to be a huge problem, does it, because you realize you aren’t trying to take away his belongings, but there are more underlying problems that you need to know about. The reason that he’s behaving so possessively about his things is because he’s uncomfortable with the way you and other family members are treating or handling him.
At this point, your dog is showing a trait that is not unusual amongst dogs and which is regarded as resource guarding. This condition may include being overly-protective of his things, snarling at you if you come close to him while he’s eating, and giving you cold, hard glares if you attempt 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 chunk 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 congenial and at ease suddenly get all agitated over the ownership of a possession? In order to answer this question, we once again need to look at the beginnings 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 unit. Each dog understands exactly where he and each other dog fits into the hierarchy of power, and, therefore, knows whether he should back off or become the aggressor in any given situation.
In your dog’s mind, your family unit is the equivalent of a dog pack. He has established the hierarchy of power within the family and ranked each member. He also perceives 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 like a smart alack and start treating everyone with more aggression. When he has decided that he is the supreme being in the pack, he’s going to act based 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 highest in rank. As long as he feels 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 aggressively pursue whatever he chooses to have.
So how should you react when your dog starts showing aggressive behaviors that show he is taking the role of the dominant dog of the pack? The answer is that you need to firmly work on his obedience training, and do it often. These sessions will help him to accept that you, in fact, are the dominant member of the pack. Give him two 15-minute lessons a day, and he’ll soon comprehend 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 lavish on the praise and goodies to reinforce the behavior you’re after. If he doesn’t behave as you’d like him to, 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 dealing with, so take a small amount of time to learn about dog psychology and ways to communicate with your dog. When you start havingsessions with your pooch, keep them short and to the point. As you most likely already know, most dogs aren’t going to allow you to be cuddly with them. In their experience, allowing you to cuddle them and hug them means that they are acknowledging that you are the boss. If your dog allows you to cuddle him, you know you’ve won the stature of the superior animal in the pack. If a dog wasn’t subjected to a lot of physical contact when he was young, he isn’t going to feel comfortable with it now that he’s grown. If a person 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’re able to do the training yourself, you need to think about employing a dog trainer to accomplish the task 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 usual bad experiences dog have during grooming are bathing and nail-clipping. Many dogs go crazy when faced with being confined and bathed. Pet owners have trouble coping when their perfect pet suddenly becomes all excited and upset in the midst of a bath. They often think they need more restraints which only exacerbates 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 believe he needs to defend 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 sever the blood vessel that runs through the claw. When this takes place, it causes 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 is scared during grooming sessions, you could be wondering if he can be altered in order to make the sessions easier for everyone involved. Although it’s much simpler to start when your dog is a young puppy, it can be done. If you’re beginning with a puppy, make sure you give him a lot of touching and rubbing all over his body so that he’ll grow to enjoy being handled. Older dogs that were not given this type of attention as puppies have a tougher time adjusting to being touched. With your older dog’s aversion to clippers, start by taking hold of one of his paws and touching gently with the clippers. Demonstrate for him that clippers don’t necessarily mean pain. Since he’s likely to have already had some less than positive grooming experiences, you need to teach him to keep calm because he doesn’t have to worry that something is going to hurt him.
For the mature dog that doesn’t like bathing, you should practice the bathing process with him making it an enjoyable experience for him. Place him in the warm bathtub if that’s possible. If you have to take him outdoors, don’t do it when it’s too cool for a comfortable bath. He won’t learn to tolerate a bath by being sprayed with icy-cold water. While you’re conducting the water bath, give him lots of praise, hugs, and even occasional treats to show him that you’re pleased with his behavior. A key factor in these practice sessions is to allow your dog his freedom if he begins to feel uncomfortable and stressed out. Keep the entire process fun and enjoyable for your dog. Don’t force him too far or too rapidly, and if he gets agitated, stop what you’re doing right away.
There’s a reason that dogs exhibit aggression. They’re warning you that you need to stop what you’re doing or face the consequences. If you try practicing the grooming methods outlined above and your dog still can’t stand 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 becomes an aggressive dog during clipping times so that your vet will take precautions because of the possibility of aggressive behavior. Dog grooming services are popular resources 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.
Posted under dog training
This post was written by admin on July 25, 2009
