By: Kelly Marshall
Submitted: 2011-10-09 20:25:27 | Word Count: 499
Although we want our dogs to behave at all times and never want them to be aggressive towards you, other dogs or members of the family, it sometimes does happen. There are many reasons why dogs can become aggressive and if you stop it as soon as you can then hopefully it won't become a huge problem. Sometimes very aggressive dogs need to be destroyed and you wouldn't want that to happen to your dog so finding the cause of the aggression is essential.
Often dogs can be aggressive towards other dogs as it is their natural way of showing who is the greater dog. Although this is perfectly natural, if you do not control it then it can lead to greater problems. If you can control the behavior when they are a puppy then this will help in the future, although puppies are naturally curious and will want to interact with other dogs. As long as you can make sure the curious behavior remains as that then this is ok. Although it is often the natural response to pull your dog away when it tries to approach other dogs this is the wrong thing to do as it teaches your dog that being around other dogs is bad.
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You need to teach your dog through a reward system as it will often respond better with this form of training. Every time your dog has a good interaction with another dog then you should reward him with a treat. After some time he will realize this is the better behavior to have and will act sensibly around other dogs. Many people feel that certain breeds are more aggressive than others, and this is quite often not the case. All dogs have an ability to be aggressive and how you treat them and train them will determine if they choose to show this side.
Training at an early age is essential as is neutering your dog as this will help with the territorial aggression that they might show. Territorial aggression is very common and 80% of dog bites are caused due to dogs fighting over their territory. By simply neutering them this can help your dog to calm down and be better around other dogs and people. You have to learn how your dog is feeling and understanding his behavior will help you to deal with any aggressive behavior as it occurs. Dogs handle negative emotions with aggression and will often bite if they are afraid.
You need to ensure that you don't punish your dog's behavior even though it may be wrong, and correcting the behavior with rewards and praise will see better results. If you cannot control your dog's behavior then you may need to seek professional help. There are many different training courses that you and your dog can attend which will help with the problem. If you take your dog to training classes as soon as you can then you will hopefully stop any aggressive behavior occurring.
