Whether your dog is a puppy or older, it should be a priority to curb any aggressive behavior they display so that it doesn’t get worse. Dogs can be aggressive for a number of reasons, whether it is territorial, protective, or fear-based. Discovering the cause of the aggression is the key to ending it.
Causes
Aggression can appear in many different forms and it is important to understand why your dog is aggressive before taking the steps to correct it.
Some more common forms of aggression include:
Territorial: Territorial aggression occurs most often when people or other animals approach a dog’s property, such as coming into the house or going near a certain area that the dog feels he must defend. While some dogs are praised for their territorial behavior to keep intruders away, it can develop into a serious problem. It usually occurs in adult dogs rather than puppies.
Protective: This behavior comes from dogs that feel the need to defend their family members from strangers. Again, this behavior is sometimes encouraged but can develop to the point of extreme aggression and should be corrected. Puppies rarely display this behavior and it is more likely to develop as puppies mature into adults.
Fear: Fear is one of the strongest emotions and a scared dog can be very dangerous. Aggression from fear is triggered by the “fight-or-flight” response and it is wise to never turn your back on a fear aggressive dog. Both puppies and adults can have fear aggression.
Social: Dogs are very social creatures and their wild ancestors had a way of establishing hierarchy in their packs by displaying aggression to intimidate lower members of the totem pole. Dogs with social aggression have this innate desire to establish this hierarchy and can turn aggressive to dogs that they feel threaten their status.
Once you have figured out what type of fear your dog has, you must expose your dog to the triggers of this fear gradually in order to teach them the correct response to such situations. For instance, if your dog has social aggression, practice with another do you know well and walk with your dog on a leash, passing by the dog and praising your dog when he doesn’t pay attention to the other dog. If your dog has fear aggression, you must only expose the dog to the stimuli that is making them scared unless you are in total control of the situation. By exposing your dog gradually and rewarding them when they remain calm, you will teach your dog to not be fearful.
It is important to keep in mind that your dog is very attuned to what your body language is saying. If you are frightened or nervous, your dog will pick up on this and become tense as well. Make sure you are calm when you start your sessions and remain calm.
Always end your sessions on a positive note and do not expect to make huge strides in one session. Training the aggression out of your dog will take time. Additionally, you should always reward your dog for any behavior, whether it is in the form of encouragement or treats (or both).