How To Stop Your Dogs Aggression Towards Strangers

If you have a dog that growls or acts aggressively towards strangers, it's not too late to do something about it. But first, you should understand why your dog's acting this way.

Aggression in dogs is a natural part of who they are. It came in handy when their ancestors lived in the wild. Wild dogs needed aggression to hunt, and to defend themselves and their resources - their food, their mate, and their home or territory.

Fortunately, selective breeding over the centuries has minimized and refined this trait significantly. Even so, it's important to understand that by nature, all dogs are physically capable of inflicting serious harm. One look at those teeth and you know this is true!

The good thing is, there is a lot we can do as dog owners to prevent this aggression from surfacing. And if it does surface - for whatever reason - there are things you can do to deal with it.

Although aggression in dogs comes in different forms, aggression towards strangers is one that is quite common. This type of aggression is stems from nervousness. If he becomes nervous around strangers, his instinct is to protect himself (and you) from the percieved threat.

Dogs that are nervous around strangers are pretty easy to spot. When someone unfamiliar approaches (a visitor, delivery person, or someone walking down the street) they will usually act one of two ways... Either they will sit completely still, staring hard at the new person, or they'll become agitated. They'll be fidgety, pace back and forth and bark or whine.

The reason a dog acts agressively towards strangers is because he hasn't been exposed to a wide variety of people and places. As a dog owner, it's your job to be sure he learns that strangers aren't a threat. He relies on you to take him on outings where he can meet new people and learn about the world around him.

This process is called socialization, and it's one of the most important parts of owning a dog. It should be started when he's a puppy - as soon as he's had his vaccinations - and continue throughout his life. This lets your dog become accustomed to the world around him. Giving him more and more new experiences is vital to raising a dog that's relaxed and stable in new situations. This means exposing him to a wide variety of new experiences, new people, and new animals.

It's not fair to take a dog that's not use to strangers and expect him to act friendly and relaxed in a crowd of new people. You can't just say, "Relax, Duece - it's okay." Your dog has to learn this on his own. That's why socialization is so important. When you expose him to all types of people, he learns that different people are okay. He should have a chance to be around babies, toddlers, teenagers and old people. You should also expose him to people carrying odd objects like umbrellas and briefcases, or people in uniform.

By starting as a puppy, these new experiences become "common place" to your dog. He learns that new people are friendly and fun which makes him more relaxed and at ease when he encounters strangers in the future.

A fun way to start socializing your new puppy is to sign him up for puppy preschool. These puppy classes are usually held at vet centers or some other indoor, controlled environment. It's a series of classes created specifically for puppies and their owners.

Puppy classes usually have 10-12 new puppies enrolled. It's taught by a qualified dog trainer and one or two assistants. Having more than one instructor is best - it gives you and your puppy more one-on-one time with one of the trainers. Puppy classes usually include information on puppy development and sometimes go into the basic obedience commands like sit and come.

It's fun to learn how to teach your puppy to "come" but the biggest benefit of joining a puppy class is the socialization. Until you've finished your puppy shots, many vets will discourage you from taking your puppy out in public. The main concern is parvo, which is highly contagous and very dangerous to puppies. Puppy classes provide a safe environment to start socializing your puppy at an earlier age. There are usually several "play sessions" per class to let the puppies run around and play together off-leash. This group play helps them learn how to interact with other dogs. It also gives them a chance to meet new people and start learning that they don't have to be afraid of strangers.

Yes, puppy classes are the perfect way to start socializing your new dog. But the job doesn't stop there. You'll want to continue taking him to new places so he can experience meeting new people in an unfamiliar environment. Just don't overwhelm him... start off slow, and you'll watch your new puppy blossom into a friendly and confident dog who is always happy to meet someone new!