Addressing Aggression In Dogs

People have lived alongside dogs for centuries, and this has been a mutually beneficial relationship. As the saying goes, a dog can be your best friend, or at least a great pal. A dog can be a member of the family, a valued worker or law enforcement helper, guide to the blind, protector of the home, and serve many other roles.

Unfortunately, the relationship between dog and human is not always completely smooth. Sometimes, dogs can be a problem, annoying or even frightening people or other animals. What should you do if your dog is aggressive or exhibits destructive behavior?

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.

The first thing you should do is take your dog to a trusted veterinarian. This will rule out medical causes for your dog's behavior. Once this has been addressed, you should be sure to keep your dog (as much as possible) away from situations that provoke the aggressive behavior.

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.

There are rare cases when the only choice is to give up the dog. This may be, for example, when you have a young child in your household or in those unfortunate cases when you have a truly vicious dog who is beyond help. But in most cases, behavioral problems, including aggression, can be corrected. One of the first remedies you can try is exercise. If a dog has too much unused energy, it can become aggressive.

While playing with your dog is a great thing to do, some owners unwittingly foster aggression by playing roughly, as in getting into tug-of-wars with a sock or toy. This is fine for some dogs, but if your dog is already showing signs of aggression, you don't want to increase this. Do play and exercise your dog, but don't encourage him/her to bite or growl if this is already an issue.

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.

The above are basic suggestions and will not be enough to correct a serious behavioral problem. The truth is, an aggressive dog needs some serious attention. You will have to hire a qualified dog trainer to help, or take the time to work on your dog on your own, which will take some time, patience and education.

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.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

There is a simple, affordable way to deal with the problem of aggressive dogs ;learn the most effective dog training system
Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated