Three Typical Mistakes Made When Training Aggressive Dogs And How It’s Possible For You To Prevent Them

Dogs can make excellent pets.  Typically they get along with people well, and they can also learn to accept and coexist with other pets but this isn’t always the case.  There are lots of mistakes that folk make that can end up in aggressive behavior in dogs. 

Below I’ve listed some of the best and commonest mistakes folks make when dealing with an aggressive dog. 

1. Discipline vs. Punishment: Never treat aggressive behavior with aggressive behavior.  Shall we say Jr.  And Rover is playing outside.  You spot that Jr. is putting some dust into Rover’s food bowl, and you also see that Rover is growling and showing his teeth. 

Your first reaction is to move Jr. to a safer location and then smack Rover on the rump while announcing “bad dog”.  The results of this mistake are now you’ve got a dog that’s puzzled about his behavior.  Also, your dog may be uncomfortable around you or terrified of you, which may cause other issues. 

2. Keeping other people and dogs away from your dog:  Socialization is significant for dogs.  They have a sort of power structure or pecking order which dictates their attitude towards other dogs and folk.  If they’re never around other people or dogs, they can be confused about where they fit in, and act fearful or aggressive in social eventualities. 

Normally dogs mature sexually somewhere between the ages of 6 to 14 months.  In this period of time proper socialization is critical.  It is at this time when your dog will begin to develop his understanding of social order. 

3.  Ignoring the signs or symptoms of aggressive behavior.  Often folks, especially new dog owners, find it extraordinarily lovable when a new puppy dog lets out his first bark, or nips a little during play.  If these behaviors continue into maturity they can become a real problem.  These issues must be addressed as fast as they are noticed. 

Fastidiously watch your dog when he is interacting with other people or dogs to find out how he would react.  If he is jumping up or mounting people he is not trying to be friendly.  He’s basically trying to create his dominance over the newbie’s to his territory.

For answers to other questions about dog nipping, go to the following dog barking at night