How To Stop Dog Aggression

As humans can get very aggressive, dogs also have a tendency to have the same attitude. Dogs may also exhibit aggression through barking, biting, running, destroying property and not following orders. Dogs could be aggressive due to many factors and the most common one of all is fear.

When a dog is fearful, he blocks everything in his environment and focus on his own situation. His only plan to overcome any kind of fear-provoking situation is through leashing out his anger and his protest. He can run away, bark at people and what’s worse is that he could hurt people in the process.

Aggression affects not just his own judgment but can also affect the safety and wellbeing of your family members too.

So how can you stop dog aggression? How do transform a scared and aggressive dog into a more confident pet?

• Show your dog that you are the pack leader – develop your inner pack leader instincts by being calm and composed to channel this positive behavior to your dog. A leader helps the pack go through different situations in life. Do no shout, hit or punish your dog but instead, use a reward system that will help him learn how to become more confident and less fearful and aggressive.

• Take him out for a walk and show him confidence despite fearful situations – show your dog the best approach when faced with a difficult situation. This can be best exhibited during walks since you are exposing your dog to new and unexpected situations.

Usually, aggressive dogs bark and yank on their leashes when the feel fearful. A loud noise like a passing car or a horn could instantly make him aggressive. And of course, meeting a bigger dog is another situation and this is unavoidable during your walks.

Start by instilling discipline as soon as you place the leash on his collar. Never open the door and give the signal to go out unless he is calm and submissive.

Stop the walk by pausing as soon as he yanks on the leash or barks at other people and other dogs.

Tell him to sit and be firm about it. Hold the leash like you mean business by keeping a short distance from the collar to your hand.

Walk along the same path each day to develop his confidence on the situations that he has control on. You can walk in another street or path when he is ready.

• Wait till he is calm and submissive before a walk or play – just like waiting for your dog to calm down before walking outside, you can instill this behavior also before playing or any activity with your dog. Tell him to sit to help him calm down before you play, feed him, give him a treat and do all other kinds of behavior.

• Show how to be confident with other dogs – aggression is also evident in your dog’s behavior against other dogs. Usually it starts with a seemingly playful attitude until it turns into biting and fighting. When this happens, intervene quickly. Know the signs that an aggressive behavior is about to happen and tell your dog to stop.

If your dog is in his leash, yank it and give a forceful sound or command to stop the fight. Don’t pick your dog and run away but instead correct the behavior upfront.

• Activities for your dog – dogs must unleash their pent up energy to be able to reduce aggression as well. This is true especially for active dogs that need constant activity every day. You should therefore spend ample time exercising your dog and keeping him preoccupied. He will less likely become aggressive if he is able to engage in an energetic activity with you.