7 Tips To Correct Aggression Employing Dog Behavior Modification

Your training needs to establish you and your family as the “alpha” status in the pack. That resigns your dog to the base of the pack pecking order. Once the family demonstrates leadership over the dog, questions correlated to power may oftentimes be settled. This is why the communality and dog behavior modification are awfully necessary.

7 Techniques for Dog Behavior Modification

1. Give goodies. Stress to yourself that your canine can have whatever he wishes if he is groomed to work for it. Decidedly, it is imperative to reward any exemplary, unplanned dog behavior modification. Keep on your toes! Dogs will shock you!

2. Curb the food store. Since food is such a prized commodity, it is imperative to make your dog realize you oversee this valuable resource.

3. Conserve nuzzling. Rubbing, and the acceptance that goes with it, is a dynamic reward for most dogs and as such should be distributed in the same way as food.

4. Restrict kudos. Approval may be another highly appreciated treasure for which alpha canines must be required to work. Appreciating a dog constantly decreases the implication of this otherwise much valued recognition.

5. Utilize toys as rewards. The provision of toys is a privilege for which dominant dogs have to work.

6. Restrict games. Games are amusing, and as such, must be restricted. You have to introduce all activities and you determine when they are done.

7. Let your pet gain liberty. Liberty is one of life’s privileges and with freedom comes the desire for social obligation and respect.

Dog behavior modification is key when dogs use aggression to assert bad behavior. Keep in mind that YOU ARE THE BOSS…YOU CONTROL what happens.

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!

Training for Aggressive Dogs Case Study

Mike and his family enjoy having Otto, their yellow Labrador, around their home. But they sometimes encounter problems when the kids would play in the backyard with the dog. Otto would repeatedly knock them down and when Mike would join in to play with them the dog would try to mount on him. At times if Mike scolds at his children to reprimand them, Otto would get distressed and start growling. Mike tried spanking Otto or tapping him on his nose, but nothing seemed to be curbing Otto’s aggression.

Unfortunately, Mike chose to give up on Otto’s behavior. But at a dinner party, Mike found himself talking his frustration over Otto’s aggressive behavior with a neighbor. His neighbor recommended a dog trainer. He was also told that the trainer would visit them in their house to work with Mike and his family to be part of the crucial training for aggressive dogs like Otto.

When the trainer visited Bruce’s house he observed as Bruce and the kids huddled and talked to Bruce about what behaviors Matt was exhibiting. The trainer suggested that the family stop allowing Matt to assert that he was the Alpha Dog, and that Bruce would need to establish himself as the leader of Matt’s pack. The trainer further explained that dog’s have a pack mentality wherein one dog has dominance over everyone. Matt’s behavior was a way of him presenting he was in charge.

Gab followed the trainer’s advice and started taking control over everything. The trainer explained to him and strongly impressed that Teru should wait for permission to use any toy or even to eat. Teru needs to recognize that Gab and his family were in control. Gab put up Teru’s toys and refrains from letting him jump on the couch or bed unless he sat first.

When Otto wants to play or go out the backyard, Mike will begin training him to sit in front of the toy box or doorway. For when he sat on command, Mike would let him play with a toy or open the door for him. If Otto would not follow, Mike would not give Otto what he wanted. Mike also instructed his kids how to do the same thing. At first Otto would not respond, but realized that he was not getting what he wanted, so he would follow to commands.

The trainer also discouraged Mike from playing tug-of-war with Otto. Even though this was one of Mike’s favorite games to play with Otto, he observed that Otto’s behavior worsened after a game of tug-of-war. The trainer cited that these kinds of games are instinctual ways for dogs to assert dominance in the pack. He suggested games of fetch and using other active toys to excite Otto.

A few months later, Teru’s aggression dissipated. Time and time again, Teru would try to reassert himself as the alpha dog, but the family now knows not to give in to any of his demands. Teru had truly improved and had matured for he no longer knocks down the kids when they would play, and he certainly stopped mounting on Gab. Gab even teaches Teru other tricks that he never thought he was capable of learning.

The key to Gab’s success with Teru was that the family had to establish dominance over Teru. After Teru realized his spot in the hierarchy, he was better-behaved and the aggression subsided.

Reasons for Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

Although we have already seen the symptoms of dog aggression such as bared teeth, growling and biting, we still do not understand the reasons for aggressive behavior in dogs. The first step in understanding is also knowing the primary reasons for this behavior. A cheerful dog means it is well-bred, and so we have to understand the nature and reason of this violent behavior for your dog’s welfare.

Dominance Aggression

The need to establish supremacy is one of the reasons for a dog’s aggression. Dogs are pack animals with a strict hierarchy and it is their nature to seek dominance in a certain pack. Dogs normally assume that people are part of their pack so they take the alpha dog post.

Territorial Aggression

A dog’s territorial nature is also to be blamed for its aggression aside from dominance. Dogs are territorial so anything that they feel they own, they will protect. When dogs feel that someone is claiming anything that they own, or threatening any of their property or family, they will exhibit violent behavior. This kind of behavior although typical of dogs is still not acceptable to and compatible with human lifestyle.

Fright Aggression

Fear is another reason for aggression amongst dogs. There are few definite signals that a dog afraid and those signs are to be taken with caution because fear is one of the most neglected reasons for aggression in dogs. A frightened dog will normally lash out because it feels threatened. Your dog will normally show signs like growling, ears pulled back, and its tail between its legs. When a dog lashes out because it is terrified, the behavior most of the time is mistaken for direct aggressiveness rather than a reaction to the stimulus.

Predatory Nature

Most animals are predatory in nature including dogs. While other dogs are afraid, most dogs love to hunt, chase and prey on smaller dogs, animals and even kids.

Redirected Aggression

Some dogs instead of lashing out at the attacker will attack other dogs and not the actual cause of their fear or anger. Redirected aggression is another reason that is sometimes hard to comprehend because there is no definite way to tell where the aggression comes from. Sometimes you would see dogs in the yard and an individual suddenly appears out of nowhere. The dogs instead of attacking the trespasser would attack each other instead.

Medical Reasons for Aggression

Lastly, there might be medical reasons for aggressive behavior in dogs that have been diagnosed. Although most dogs can be trained to not be aggressive if its something behavioral, on few occasions, there is an underlying medical condition that needs to be treated. Moreover, some females are very violent when they are pregnant or nursing, same as maternal protectiveness is very common in many nursing females, and aggressive behavior can be restrained through good training as early as they are still a puppy.

In most cases, the severity of aggressive behavior can be reduced but not completely eliminated. The first step to prevent dog aggression is to be aware of and to understand the reasons for these types of behavior so that it can be controlled and prevented in the future. There are training methods to treat and restrain different types of aggression. Knowing what triggers aggressive behavior can determine what training method is most effective.