Humans and dogs have a long history of happy co-existence. For many people, as the old saying goes, their dog is indeed their best friend. Dogs can serve many roles -family member, guardian, jogging buddy, worker and countless others.
There are times, alas, when dogs do not seem like our best friends. At times, they can be downright scary. There isn't much you can do about other people's dogs (except avoid them if they are likely to snap at you!), but what do you do if your own dog is the one causing problems?
The issue that causes the most concern among dog owners is aggression. This can occur in many forms --towards people (or certain people, such as children), other dogs, or in certain situations. Before you can address the issue, you should identify the specific ways or times that it occurs.
There are certain basic factors to consider. You should first take the dog to a veterinarian you trust, to rule out any physical causes for the aggressive behavior. Assuming that the dog has no medical problems, or that any such problems are being dealt with, you should first of all keep the animal as much as possible away from provocative situations.
If your dog poses a real threat to people or other animals, do not take any chances. Use a muzzle if necessary. You do not want to have to deal with the legal or social consequences of having your dog bite someone.
Most cases of aggression in dogs can be successfully dealt with. In rare cases, as when you have a young child at home, or if the dog is, for whatever reason, unresponsive to any kind of corrections, dog and owner must part ways. Fortunately, these situations are not the norm. The first thing you should make sure of is that your dog gets sufficient exercise. Aggressive dogs often have too much energy because they are idle.
When exercising or playing with your dog, do not encourage aggression. For example, if your dog tends to growl and snap at people, you should not play a rough game of tug-of-war with a leather toy. This is actually teaching the dog to bite and growl.
Is your dog left alone for long periods? This can cause problems in some cases, as dogs are sociable animals. Make sure your dog has room to run (not tied to a stake or tree for example). Preferably, if you have to be parted from your dog for long periods, try to arrange it so someone else is around for part of the time.
These are fairly basic suggestions and will often not be enough to solve the problem. The fact is, if you have an aggressive dog, or one with other serious behavioral problems, you are going to have to take some action. This means either hiring a professional dog trainer or taking some time to learn how to train your dog yourself. The first solution can be expensive, the second requires a commitment in time, as well as patience.
You can't simply ignore the issue of an aggressive dog. Most dogs, the vast majority, are trainable and are potentially wonderful companions. Some dogs, however, require some extra guidance and attention on the way to this goal.
