Preventing Dog Aggression

What is dog aggression?

Often someone will say to us, ‘they’re not aggressive, they just bark or lunge at things.’ That’s aggression! Any behaviour that makes somebody (or another dog) feel scared, anxious or uncomfortable is aggression. I think the meaning of the word has got lost, and people are now too scared to use it.

Most dogs, showing any sign of aggression are nervous. As a dog owner, you have a responsibility to your dog and others around you, to make them feel comfortable. Sometimes this can mean avoiding situations, (and even walks), for a while, as you do some work to help your dog feel better.

Preventing dog aggression

All dogs are different, and how easy or hard they are to train will vary. Many things affect the way a dog behaves and the way a dog responds to training. However, just like humans, all dogs need boundaries and consequences for their behaviour.

We all live by boundaries. It’s how society works. People that push the boundaries need correction and to be guided in the right way. They need to understand that living within the boundaries makes their quality of life better.

People around us who break the boundaries make our lives uncomfortable, unpleasant and sometimes dangerous. This is no different for a dog.

Your dog needs boundaries

Your dog needs boundaries. Your dog needs to know the boundaries matter. Your dog needs to understand that when they keep to the boundaries, good things happen.

Nervous/anxious dogs really struggle without boundaries.

Not having consistent boundaries in a home can make a dog nervous.

It’s very easy, when you have a dog that’s chilled, in and around the home, that doesn’t wander too far in the park, to not set boundaries, or to not be consistent with boundaries. You ask the dog to sit, they don’t but it’s not a major problem, so you don’t insist and you let it pass by. Overtime this happens more and more often.

Over time, your dog starts to lose trust in you, Nobody, is in charge. That’s scary – for your dog.

Too many decisions to make, which is the right one? Maybe barking will sort everything out. It usually does.

A dog that is unsure of something, unsure what to do in a scary situation, with no guidance, will often bark as they have no idea what else to do. They only have to do it once or twice to realise, barking actually works. The scary thing goes away.

A dog that barks at the window as they watch people and things go by, learns that barking gets rid of all the scary things or things they just don’t like.

Poor lead walking is a classic situation where boundaries slip. The dog pulls on the lead, way out in front of its owner, so when something scary comes along, the owner is offering no support or guidance, so the dog barks.

Make your dog Happy

Make your dog happy. Train your dog in a kind and effective way, teaching them what the boundaries are. How would you like them to behave. Teach your dog, when they do the things you ask, good things happen. Overtime these good things turn into a natural behaviour as your dog builds the habit in their head.

Your dog now realises that you know what you’re doing, they take notice when you give a command, and they trust you.

It can be tiring sometimes, making sure that we keep up the necessary training to support our dogs and teach them the best way to behave. But it’s well worth it in the end.

If you haven’t already trained your dog to understand the basics, or you did but it’s slipped, get back on track with your training today.

Need help? Get in touch today.