3 Tips When Your Dog is Aggressive

Feb 18, 2009 in Dog Behavior

There are many ways to find out if your dog is aggressive. Typical obvious signs include excessive barking, destructive behavior and attempts to attack humans and animals. When these signs show, you may have a serious problem in your hands. What can you do when your dog becomes aggressive?

Stay Calm

This may seem like obvious advice. Some owners however may end up trying to manage their dogs behavior with force or loud shouting. This may only threaten your dog even more, resulting in even more aggressive behavior. The best first step is not to confront your dog head on. At the same time though, you have to remain firm and unafraid. Otherwise, your dog might think that you are giving in and that it is more dominant than you.

Evaluate the Level of Aggression

Your dog may be a mere barker. In this case, you may be able to handle times when your dog is aggressive on your own. You may have a more severe problem though if your dog acts on its aggressive urges and puts others in danger. In this case, you may have to bring your dog to a professional trainer so it can be conditioned in a safe and appropriate manner.

Train Your Dog

When a dog is aggressive in a less severe manner, you may be able to train it yourself. If you do not have experience in dog training however, it would be best if you used good dog training material to help you out. There are a couple of do-it-yourself manuals that will help you determine the right techniques for training mild to moderate aggression in dogs.

Click here for a more detailed guide on what to do if your dog is aggressive.