An Article from Sharda on Effectively Dealing With Aggression

[Sarah]

Tuesday, February 08, 2011



Hi and welcome everyone!

This is Sharda with another dog training newsletter for you.

For a lot of dog owners dog aggression can be a scary and a sad thing. Why?

Well, there are some dog owners who give up their dogs because they were just too aggressive and they didn’t know what to do with them.

There are also those who deal with aggressive dogs by beating them up or punishing them inappropriately which really DO NOT solve the problem and in fact is making it worse.

So, today, let’s talk about aggressive dogs and the methods that you can effectively use to overcome this certain problem.

Let’s start shall we?


DOG TRAINING – DEALING WITH DOG AGGRESSION

It is true that dogs can experience aggression that manifests itself in various ways. In fact, this is said to be one of the most widespread problems that companion pets face. After all, what could be more frightening than finding a very angry animal attacking you?

To make a tame loving dog into an aggressive monster is really quite simple. All it takes is your meanness, and the job is complete and the dog chaotic.

Naturally, in such a situation, your dog is left with no defenses except to be angry and snarling whenever he sees you. This is chiefly a reaction out of his fear and anxiety, the feeling of not being confident in his own environment. The influences on a house pet are many. This means that there are various sources from where he can pick up both positive and negative influences.

Think of the dog who growls at you when you pick up his toy or ask him to get off the sofa. When he bites you in response, he is responding to the aggression that has built up inside him.

So, to explain to such dogs that this is not the right response is an onerous task. As a pet owner, you should aim rather to prevent aggression in your pet than attempt to get rid of it once it sets in. As you know, this embraces several factors: socialization, training for confidence, manners and social structure.



DOG TRAINING - WHAT TO DO WITH AN AGGRESSIVE DOG

If your dog you as being very aggressive, send him to the vet first, if only to rule out physical causes. For instance, if your dog is in great pain or discomfort, he may demonstrate this by being very mean or irritable. But before you get into figuring his behavior out, first determine that he is physically fit.



CAUSES OF DOG AGGRESSION

The causes of aggression are many. So, it would be worthwhile for you to identify the cause of his aggression and then give him the relevant help. The next step is to give him obedience training—both to socialize him and to prevent aggression from occurring.


KINDS OF DOG AGGRESSION

Dogs express their aggression in various ways. These are:



CHAINED REACTION

This is the combination of fear and territorial dog aggression as a result of chaining a dog. New pet owners take in a dog and then chain him up for long hours a day while he watches the rest of the family go about its business from where it lies chained.

This builds up a feeling of anger and resentment in him and he expresses this by barking, jumping on those around him, particularly kids who enjoy this. They laugh at him and then go away, ignoring him once more. As time passes, he develops a territorial feeling about his space and no longer wants a game.

He feels cheated by the fact that the very family who professed to love him ignores him now and is happy to leave him in chains.

One day, when he can’t tolerate it any longer, he reaches out and bites the person closest to him. If you, as a pet owner, cannot have your dog around the house, mingling with your family, then please don’t bring him home.



POSSESSION AGGRESSION

This happens when we make the mistake of going over to our pet while he’s eating. Your dog probably interprets your presence as your coming over to take back his bowl of food—something he will never want to part with!

This feeling stems from the basic fact that dogs don’t share their things. Such a dog usually guards his possessions—whether they are his food, toys or even his master. One way of overcoming this is to attack the problem while in puppy hood.

Begin by giving him something and then taking it back. After a while, return it to him. From this he will learn that though someone may have what he wants, if he is patient, it will come back to him. To make it easier for him, teach him to respond to “give.”

So, there you are! I still have some more dog training newsletter about dog aggression in my sleeve so I do hope that you stay tuned for them.

I also hope that you learned a lot of things about dog aggression in today’s newsletter.

All the best and take care

Warmly,

[jude09]

Sharda is right with this..please please please don't give up on your dogs easily.

As Sharda said there are no bad dogs only bad dog owners.