Your Dog’s Natural Instincts
Taking the time to understand why dog aggression occurs will help you prevent the problem. Dogs are naturally aggressive. In the wild aggressive behavior was essential to a dog’s survival. Through domestication and selective breeding this trait has been minimized but the instinct is still there.
Undomesticated dogs were social animals and lived in packs with a definite hierarchy. As dogs came of age they would assert themselves, within the pack, to determine their social ranking. Domesticated dogs have this same instinct. It is important to your puppy to know his ranking within your family and within the neighborhood.
Your dog has an instinctive desire to protect his pack, your family, and his territory. If your dog sees neighborhood dogs as a threat to his territory, or his social standing, he may become aggressive. The desire to protect his family will also cause your dog to act in an aggressive manner. Taking the time to help your puppy become familiar with different situations will help him understand when aggressive behavior is inappropriate.
Socializing Your Puppy
Socialization is important because it gives your puppy different experiences and also helps him learn how to get along with other dogs. A puppy’s mother is the best teacher as far as socialization and proper dog behavior is concerned. When a puppy is taken away from his mother at an early age he may not have been taught to socially interact with other dogs. When a puppy becomes part of your household it becomes your responsibility to give him supervised experiences that will continue the socialization process and help avoid dog aggression.
Your dog requires socialization in two areas. These two areas are: 1) getting along with other animals and people; and 2) understanding the requirements within your family. It is essential that your dog have opportunities to interact in all these areas. Your dog wants to be a vital part of your family. Your dog can learn to be a responsible member of your family if he is trained properly.
An excellent resource to help you in training your dog can be found at: Secrets to Training Your Dog Properly
Tension Within the Family
The way your family handles tension will affect your dog. Tension within your home will cause your dog to be tense. Your family must learn to handle tension in an appropriate manner or your dog may show aggressive behavior in trying to deal with the tension around him. Your dog will learn much from your example. It is important that overnight shipping you are calm with your dog as well as with other family members.
Needs and Wants of Your Puppy
Your new puppy has certain needs and wants within your family. He must receive plenty of attention and he must feel love and security. Your puppy will become bored when he does not get enough attention and boredom can lead to aggressive behavior. If your dog only receives attention when he exhibits aggressive behavior then the aggressive behavior is being rewarded. Negative attention is as much of a reward as positive attention if your dog is feeling bored. Giving your dog adequate attention and training him in a positive way will help prevent dog aggression.
Your dog requires regular exercise. Space and opportunities to run and play are important to a puppy who is full of youthful energy. Small apartment size dogs and older dogs need plenty of exercise as well.
A good way to provide exercise and interaction with you is through neighborhood walks. These also offer experiences for socialization under your control. Your puppy requires well regulated examples to emulate. A puppy allowed to run around freely with other neighborhood dogs will obviously learn the wrong behavior. Mature, well-behaved dogs are the best playmates for your puppy.
Leaving a dog on his own, without guidance, will lead to bad habits. With positive training your dog’s aggressive nature can be controlled. When you take the time to train your dog you can keep his attention focused on you instead of other dogs and people. Consistent training helps your dog to follow your commands no matter the situation.
Teaching your dog tricks will provide social interaction and will also help prevent boredom.
A fantastic guide for teaching your dogs tricks can be found at: Teaching Your Dog Tricks
Can Older Dog’s Habits Be Changed?
Puppies are a clean slate and open to learning. What about an older dog? An older dog’s bad habits an be corrected with constant, consistent effort. Any aggressive behavior by an older dog must be handled immediately. Your dog will not understand your response if you wait to reprimand him. He will only know that he feels bad. Consistently repeat corrective actions until your dog understands the correct response in a particular situation.
Dog Aggression is Serious
Take dog aggression seriously, it is a critical problem. Dogs who have been taught to live peacefully in our society will not have to be taken to the pound. Don’t let aggression become a problem. Take the time to train your puppy or dog.
I highly recommend this fantastic course to help you successfully train your dog, whatever his age: Dog Obedience Training
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