You Must Stop Dog Aggression

It is natural to feel scared when your treasured pet turns aggressive. It may seem funny when your puppy shows aggression towards another puppy, but this can be a serious problem if it continues until you become desperate to stop dog aggression in your dearly loved pet.

It is important to think about the cause why this is occurring. Has your dog been well socialized? He seldom leaves the home or the backyard and even though he may have another dog as a mate and is fine with them, when he is out and sees another dog he becomes aggressive. So how do you stop dog aggression like this?

Step One
It is an important first step to have your puppy well socialised with people and other dogs. Find a Vet Clinic in your area that holds puppy classes and book in to a class so that your puppy becomes socialized. Take a 3 month course with your local dog obedience group once your puppy is 3 months old. Your dog will not only learn some basic skills, but will also be better socialized with other people and dogs, while paying attention to your directions.

If you want to stop dog aggression, you can’t just start, then stop this activity. I was obedience training my Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and was also using the clicker training method with the young dog Cooper. However, I stopped going to dog obedience
and did all my clicker training at home, as he got better at it. Twelve months later if he even saw another dog at the Vet he would bark madly (not really aggressively, but nevertheless it was a real nuisance), so I took him back to dog obedience for a short period to socialise him again. Ever few months I would take him back to dog obedience.

Why You Get Dog Aggression and How to Stop It
To stop dog aggression you will probably need to neuter a male dog. Male hormones play havoc in a dog and will make him more aggressive. If your dog is guarding you, your property or his territory he is likely to be aggressive.

You should de-sex your dog (unless you want to show him or breed from him) once he begins to be aggressive towards other dogs. Likewise, if your dog is being protective, you want him to be this way, but you also want him to obey you and you need to be able to stop dog aggression if necessary.

Having a well trained dog is the solution. Act like the alpha being, the controller, the leader; once your dog recognises this, he will follow and obey you. Even a soft growl is a form of aggression and must be stopped immediately. Don’t depend on the verbal command of ‘No’ to have any effect in an aggressive situation. However a growl with your teeth bared could get a good response and stop dog aggression, if it is done in the early days of him exhibiting aggressive tendencies. However, you should not have eye contact with a dog if it is acting very aggressively and therefore should not try growling yourself.

Stop Dog Aggression Tips
It could also be a good plan to use a muzzle or one of the special leads and mouth restrainers that are obtainable. These special training products are not cruel and will stop the dog from biting. Try some of these tools and when you are positive your dog is reliable when on a lead, then you can remove them; it is a good way to stop dog aggression.

Try distracting your dog with food to stop dog aggression; this can work well, especially if he has been trained using food rewards. Give a directive to get his attention; once he is looking at you let him see (and he will also smell) the food. The moment you get his attention, give him his food reward. Give another directive straight away and throw the food on the ground so he has to hunt for it. He will begin to concentrate on you more than the other dog once he has the food reward. Repeat this process a few times until he has his mind entirely on you and the reward. To understand better there is a book covering how to stop dog aggression to help you.

I believe that aggression tendencies will disappear in most dogs, if you show strong leadership qualities as soon as you notice any sign of aggression. But you could have great difficulties with the breeds of dogs that are ‘hard wired’ to be aggressive e.g. Rottweilers, Dobermans and Pit Bull Terriers. Don’t put off getting a professional trainer to help you if you cannot manage yourself.