How To Stop Your Dog’s Aggression Towards Strangers

Aggression in dogs is scary. Having a dog that acts aggressively towards strangers is a big problem. There are some things you can do to help correct the problem, but first you should understand why your dog is acting this way.

Dogs are instinctively aggressive by nature. Aggression came in handy when they lived in the wild – dogs needed aggression to hunt, to defend themselves from other animals, and to defend resources like their food, their den, and their mate.

While selective breeding over the last few centuries has definitely minimized this natural trait, all dogs are still capable of causing serious injury.

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.

Its pretty easy to tell when a dogs nervous around strange people. He’ll be jumpy and on the alert. You’ll see this in one of two ways… either he can’t sit still (constantly fidgeting, jumping at the smallest sound, and pacing around barking and whining) or he’s completely still, sitting in one place, staring hard at the person he’s suspicious of. This could be anyone – a visitor, the mailman, or someone approaching him on the street.

A dog who acts this way around strangers hasn’t been exposed to new people very often. The only way he’ll learn that strangers aren’t a bad thing is through experience. He relies completely on you to broaden his horizons – to take him to different places where he can meet new people. Until that happens, he’ll be unsure of new people… which is what leads to stranger aggression.

This is what we call “socialization” – and it’s an important part of raising a healthy, stable dog. The best time to start is when he’s a puppy, but it should continue throughout your dog’s life. Giving him a lot of new experiences helps him become comfortable in new situations. It gives him confidence. The only way this happens is by taking him out in the world and exposing him to new people, places and things.

It’s not enough to expose an adult dog to a crowd of new, unfamiliar people and just say, “Settle down, Roxy, it’s OK”… your dog has to learn that it’s okay on his own. That’s what socializing does… it lets your dog learn this by exposing him to all types of people and animals: from babies and toddlers to teens and elderly, from people in uniform to people carrying umbrellas or riding bikes.

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.

The typical puppy class has about a dozen puppies and owners. They are run by a qualified dog trainer who is usually joined by one or two assistants. By having more than one instructor, you and your puppy will have more one-on-one time with one of the trainers. During class, you will learn about your puppy’s developmental stages and even some basic obedience commands.

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.

Just remember… socializing at puppy school is just the start. To raise a friendly, confident dog you need to continue exposing him to new experiences. You’ll want to take him to as many new places as possible – just don’t overwhelm him. Start off slow, and you’ll see his confidence grow. By consistently socializing your dog, he’ll grow up knowing that new people and new places are good things. He’ll have nothing to fear, especially strangers!