Aggressive dog behavior is one of the most serious problems a dog owner can face with their dogs.
This behavior can be displayed as aggressiveness towards other dogs, unfamiliar people, small children or other stimulants. These aggressive actions such as growling, ferocious barking or trying to bite others can be a nightmare for the owners to deal with.
In some states, there are laws that can charge the dog’s owners for damages, such as a dog bite or even require the dog to be put down for biting a person. (source)
Why Are Dogs Aggressive
Most dogs are not born aggressive, most of the time, there is usually something which has happened to them which made them become aggressive towards people or dogs.
One of the main reasons dogs are aggressive is usually due to their space being invaded, especially if they are extremely territorial. If someone (or another dog) walks into their home they may feel like they need to protect it and start barking and trying to scare the intruder away.
Another main contributor to aggression can be fear or surprise. When dogs become afraid, some dogs will hide and others will growl trying to intimidate whatever they are afraid of.
Learning what is triggering your dogs aggression can help you manage your dog and predict circumstances where your dog may become more aggressive.
Training For Aggressive Dog Behaviors
Depending on the type of aggressive behaviors your dog is displaying is going determine how you will need to work with them.
Obedience Training Course
Some behaviors can be easily corrected by going through an obedience training course. These depending on the type of dog you have and the severity of their aggression.
In Person
You can usually find these classes at your local pet stores or community parks. Most will always be running puppy training courses and some will have more advanced dog training courses as well.
Online
If your dog is misbehaving and cannot be around other dogs, another great option is to find a course online which will guide you through training your dog.
Our favorite online dog training course is Adrienne Farricelli’s program as she has specific courses geared towards helping you stop your dog’s aggressive behavior.
Click here to learn more about her Brain Training For Dogs Program.
Hire A Professional Trainer
On the other hand, if the behaviors are creating a dangerous environment for you or others, you will likely need outside help from a professional trainer.
There are many specialists who you can find to help you train your dog to be less aggressive in all situations. You can either do a google search or ask your vet for recommendations near you.
In some cases, trainers may come to your home to assess the behavior or they may have you leave your dog with them for a few days or weeks to train them.
With any outside training program, you must ask about how they train and understand their methods to make sure they will not negatively impact your dog.
Hiring a specialist can be costly but have an aggressive dog can be far more expensive in the long run.
The best time to start training your dog is right now! Do not let the bad behaviors continue any longer as they may become more and more difficult to train or if untrained, your dog could cause harm to you or others.