More About the Aggressive Dog

Aggression is part of a dog’s essential nature. However a tamed dog that is aggressive and biting is usually a fearful dog. Fearful dogs forget their training and resort to defensive and controlling behaviors that were part of its ancestor’s pack mentality.  

Growling and nipping at each other is one way that canines keep the hierarchy in a pack in its proper pecking order. This means that if your dog is growling or nipping at you, he is trying to put you in your place or expressing fear that you will harm him or take something away from him.  

 In the case of an extremely difficult alpha dog, aggression and biting can also mean that the dog sees you as infringing on his territory.   Sadly if your dog is displaying this type of aggression with you than he has also lost his confidence and trust in you.   This can only be restored with retraining and   calm, consistent authority.  Aggression may consist of several components. Almost all of them are fear-based reasons to nip and bite.  

1.                                   Self Defense. The dog may be thinking that he is defending himself from other dogs, and if he thinks he is the alpha dog then those other “dogs” might also include you and members of your family. Sometimes the dog is justified in this response especially if your family pack includes a grabby toddler or teasing children.

2.                 He might be feeling possessive of his toys or his foods.3.                 He might be terrified.   Dogs think that a “good offense is a good defense.”  

3.                 He might be in pain. If a dog is suffering from arthritis or not feeling well he may display aggression in order to warn others to back off and “don’t touch me, you make it worse!”  

Each case of aggression is different. How you deal with it depends a lot upon its cause and the type of aggression involved. There are subtle differences for instance between the four different types of aggression – fear, territorial, possessive and dominance aggression.  The minute that your dog starts displaying any type of aggression (such as biting) treat as a liability. You should begin to take immediate action to correct his behavior or quarantine him before he can harm other people or other animals. Taking prompt, swift measures to control your dog, even if it means confining or restricting him is crucial. If you let the behavior continue, you could be in for a lawsuit.  If you have a possessive dog, you may need to keep him confined in his crate when you have people over.    If you are out in public and are at all unsure of your dog’s temperament then keep him on the leash and use a muzzle if you are going somewhere that you know might provoke him to snap or bite. This includes public places such as parks and the vet office  I would recommend that you get your dog a thorough physical check up to make sure that he is not suffering from any physical problem that is causing the aggression.

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Nipping Barking in the Bud

Here are some practical ways to stop your dog from barking that might serve as temporary fixes (until your landlord stops threatening to evict you because of noise complaints because of your yappy dog.)

 1.                 Try a citronella no-bark collar. If your dog barks, the collar automatically spurts a small amount of citronella on his neck, which dogs dislike. This may cause him to associate the unpleasant stimuli with barking.  

2.                 Get an old spray bottle, fill it with water and spray him in the face every time he barks. A warning: this makes some dogs even more hysterical or they change from barking to whining.

 3.                 To prevent barking while you’re away, leave your dog inside the house and turn the television or the radio on to something soft but cheery. This way he is lulled into believing he has company (in the form of television or radio) and is not over stimulated by something he might see outside like a squirrel in a tree in the front yard. Make sure the dog is also provided with plenty of food or water.    However the absolutely BEST way to stop your dog from barking is to train him to bark on command.  To train your dog to bark and be quiet on command, try the following.    

 Try to determine what makes your dog bark in the first place. Knowing the cause will increase your chances of success when it comes to stimulating him to speak and then quieting him.  

Have your dog’s favorite treat within on hand.         Praise the dog for barking once he starts by saying, “Speak ” When the dog is quiet say, ‘Be quiet.’   Sooner or later he should be able to get the connection between what he is doing and what you are saying.  Wave the treat in front of your dog’s nose. Most dogs will instantly quiet down, because they will be mesmerized by the treat.

Lavishly praise the dog for being quiet.    

Let the dog have the treat after 3 seconds of quiet time.    

Wave another treat in front of your dog if he starts to bark again. This time, try not to let your dog have the treat until 5 seconds of quiet time have elapsed. Your dog should learn that after each successful quiet-time interval, he would be rewarded.   Don’t reward the dog if he barks.   Start from step 1 again.  

Scold your dog every time he makes a mistake. If the dog barks, even for just an instant, say ‘Be quiet,’ in a louder voice. Then reward the dog immediately after he stops barking.  10.                         Increase the quiet-time intervals by 3 seconds each time: from 3 seconds to 6 seconds to 9 seconds and so on until your dog is quiet for a long period of time.  

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