For most, owning a dog is a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, there are those who end up owning an aggressive dog, making it difficult for the owner to take pride in the relationship and experience of pet ownership. Luckily, there are some fairly simple ways to reshape your relationship with your pet. It is possible to decrease aggressive activity and heal the bond between pet and owner.
Aggressive behavior occurs for many reasons and what prompts the behavior is different for each dog. When dogs live in packs they have a hierarchal system of dominance. Unfortunately, the desire for dominance and accompanying aggression often comes into play in a dog’s relationship with humans, too. Some dogs have a predisposition to show aggression and dominance, and when their behavior is rewarded just once by a human backing down, the behavior is likely to continue and escalate.
The first step to putting an end to your dog’s dominant or aggressive behavior is to find out what activity or situations tend to set the undesirable behavior in motion. Over a two or three week period observe your pet closely and make a note of what seems to rouse aggressive behavior. It’s likely after this brief period of observation that you will see a pattern or series of events that lead invariably to aggressive conduct. It’s at this point you need to determine if you risk bodily injury by continuing to own and discipline your pet. If you feel you are in danger, it’s advisable to consult your veterinarian or an animal behaviorist before proceeding.
Next, if you feel it’s safe to continue on your own, you’ll want to attempt to avoid any of the situations that seem to cause your dog to be aggressive. Of course, this may not always be an option depending on what your dog responds aggressively to. In the event that your pet does display aggressive behavior, each member of the family is to ignore the pet for the remainder of the day. The person who is most dominated by the dog should be the only one to take action in displaying dominance over the dog by reprimanding the pet verbally and placing it away from the family. The dog will soon realize that when they display certain behaviors they are reprimanded and placed away from the family, which is an undesirable response to their aggressive behavior. Over time, unresponsiveness to the aggression will usually discontinue the behavior altogether.
Also, the person in the home that is most dominated by the dog is the one who should continue to take over one hundred percent of the dogs maintenance and care. Everything from feeding, watering, walking, and grooming should be done while maintaining authority over the animal; this new system communicates to the dog that while they are loved and maintained, the human is superior to them. The same person should also take an extra five to ten minutes a day to teach the dog simple tricks, again showing dominance. In time, the dog will learn that aggressive behavior simply is not tolerated and not needed to get the love and attention they desire.
Occasionally there are dogs that do not respond to a reshaping of the relationship and hierarchal system. When dogs have been abused or housed with too many dogs for long periods of time it’s often difficult to change their aggressive behavior and a veterinarian should be consulted for help. Usually, with a dedicated owner and veterinarian even the most aggressive dog can learn to display more desirable behavior.
Be patient while reshaping the relationship you have with your now aggressive pet. Consistency is the key, do not respond in a way that will reward the aggressive behavior and in time you will have a much better rapport with your pet! Good luck and enjoy your new pleasant relationship with your dog!
