Addressing Aggression In Dogs

Humans and dogs have a long history of happy co-existence. For many people, as the old saying goes, their dog is indeed their best friend. Dogs can serve many roles -family member, guardian, jogging buddy, worker and countless others.

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 step to take is to have a veterinarian you trust examine your dog, to make sure there is not a physical problem that is the cause of disruptive behavior. You should also try to control your dog's environment as much as possible, avoiding whatever tends to provoke problematic behavior.

In other words, do not tempt fate. If your dog tends to fight with other dogs, until you can get a handle on the situation, you really need to isolate your dog from other dogs. The same, of course, is true for dogs who are aggressive towards people. If necessary, use a muzzle. Be sure to warn people not to approach a potentially dangerous dog. You do not want to deal with lawsuits, or other repercussions of your dog attacking someone, whether human or another animal.

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.

When exercising or playing with your dog, do not encourage aggression. For example, if your dog tends to growl and snap at people, you should not play a rough game of tug-of-war with a leather toy. This is actually teaching the dog to bite and growl.

Another factor to consider is socialization. Dogs who are left alone for long periods, especially in uncomfortable situations (e.g. tied to a stake or tree or in a small pen) often develop behavioral problems. Dogs are social animals and are not happy being left alone for long periods. If you are away from home a lot, perhaps you can make arrangements to have someone else watch your dog for part of the time.

These are fairly basic suggestions and will often not be enough to solve the problem. The fact is, if you have an aggressive dog, or one with other serious behavioral problems, you are going to have to take some action. This means either hiring a professional dog trainer or taking some time to learn how to train your dog yourself. The first solution can be expensive, the second requires a commitment in time, as well as patience.

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.

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