Tips On Dog Aggression Training

Aggression in a dog is something, which an owner should not tolerate and should be dealt with as soon as the problem arises.  However, in order for an owner to find the right kind of dog aggression training they should be using to control this problem they need to understand the kinds of aggression that dogs suffer from.

In this article, we take a look at just what these are.  It is important to remember that a dog may not only show just one type of aggression in fact they could show several.

1.  Dominance – This kind of aggression will occur in a dog who thinks that they are in fact the alpha member (leader of the pack) and will use this as a way of asserting their dominance over the others in the pack (you and your family).  Most commonly, you will find that male dogs and certain dog breeds are likely to suffer from this kind of aggressive behavior more.  But in order for you to control the situation, you need to quickly and fairly establish that you and your family are the leaders in the group and they are at the bottom of the pack hierarchy.

2.  Fear – A dog who suffers from this kind of aggression will generally find even the slightest noise can trigger an episode.  In most cases such dogs will generally only growl, bark, bare their teeth or snap at the thing, which they are afraid or unsure of.  However, should a owner choose to ignore the warning signs that their dog is suffering from this form of aggression it could lead to much more serious problems in the future.  If left uncontrolled such dogs could end up causing injury to others as they may retaliate to the situation by biting what they feel is a threat to them.

3.  Territorial/Over Protective – When a dog suffers from this kind of aggressive behavior if left and the owner chooses to ignore the problem they will become a danger to all those around them and not just to those they see as strangers or predators.  This kind of problem will not be one that is a problem for the owner at home, but will also be one that will become a problem when the dog is away from it as well.  

4.  Possessive – This type of behavior can turn a loving pet into a real monster and will occur without any prior warning.  Normally this kind of behavior occurs in a dog whose owner has allowed them to have their own way and is over something that they consider to be theirs.  Such things that may trigger this kind of aggression in a dog is if when playing with them you choose to take away what they have or if you approach them as they eat their food.  The only way to prevent this behavior becoming any worse is to immediately react to the situation as soon as you notice it happening.

5.  Punishment – This kind of aggressive behavior occurs more often in those animals where punishment has been used excessively by their owners.  Although initially when being punished the dog may not respond aggressively towards their owner, if over time the punishments become more severe then the chances of the dog responding in such a way is greatly increased.

Above we looked at some of the kinds of aggressive behavior that a dog, no matter what age, breed or sex they are can have.  However, in order for an owner to know what the right kind of dog aggression training they should be using to control the problem they first need to identify what type of aggressive behavior it is.  The internet is a good place to find advice and information on all types of aggressive dog behavior.