By Annelie Becher
Aggression is an emotion which may cause severe harm to others if unchecked. An aggressive dog can be very dangerous to the environment and himself.
The best way to deal with this is by changing the energy of the dog. This can be done with Emotional Freedom Techniques and other Energy Psychology methods.
In part one of this article series you will get some insights regarding the reasons of dog aggression and learn how to stop aggressive behavior in a traditional way.
A certain amount of aggression between dogs is quite normal, here is why:
Dogs are pack animals and each has his own status within their group. In their natural environment dogs live in a strict hierarchical order with the alpha female and the alpha male leading the pack. It is only the alpha couple who produces offspring and so there is a certain amount of competitive aggression between the males since each of them wants to be top dog.
Domesticated dogs still have a need to know their place in the pecking order and some wish to increase their status so they can be more attractive for female dogs. At the same time they want other competitors out of the way to make sure it's their genes which are being passed on. This kind of territorial aggression towards other dogs may increase in the presence of a female canine.
If your dog displays severe territorial aggression towards other dogs this maybe caused by too much testosterone which is why quite a number of veterinarians suggest you have your male dog neutered. This may indeed curtail his aggressive behavior provided it was caused by hormones.
Territorial aggression is also quite common in bitches. They want the other bitch out off the way in order to have enough food for their puppies.
Whilst aggression amongst male dogs is very often a way to display strength and power, aggression between female dogs has a more serious background and purpose. A bitch will want her competitor out of the way to have enough food for her puppies so a fight between bitches may turn out to be far more serious than a fight between two males.
Are there any other reasons for a dog to be aggressive towards other dogs?
Another reason for canine aggression is fear. Your dog may have had an unpleasant or even traumatic experience with another dog and wants to make sure that this will not happen again. To him or her the best way to do this maybe a preventative attack on the other dog.
If you know that this is the case with your dog you need to make sure to protect her from further ambush by other dogs whilst at the same time protect other dogs from being ambushed by yours.
You can help your dog overcome his fear based aggression by arranging to meet some friendly, well tempered dogs he can get to know and like.
Learned aggressiveness comes when a young dog watches his senior friend attack or threaten another dog. This is one of the dangers if you decide to get a second dog when your dog is aggressive. In the end you may have doubled your problem. In pack animals aggressive behavior is catching so you need to make sure to take the aggressive dog out on his own in order not to teach the others the same bad behavior.
Aggressive behavior towards other dogs can be the consequence of the wrong form of training. This means you can accidentally train your dog to be aggressive, not only to other dogs but towards humans as well.
Since your dog learns by being rewarded for his actions the scenario to teach aggressive behavior is this:
- your dog growls or barks at another dog
- you speak to him in a soothing, soft voice
- your dog understands this as praise and displays more of the behavior
- over time your dog has learned to be aggressive because he feels rewarded by you
The point is to never praise your dog for being aggressive unless you mean to train him to be aggressive on command. Do not speak in a soft, gentle voice but tell him "NO" quite distinctly so he knows you do not want him to behave this way.
Please do not punish your dog either since he will associate the punishment with other dogs which is bound to make matters worse.
When your dog freaks out when you meet another dog on a walk hold on to his lead and walk past the other dog briskly. Take no notice of your pooches' barking and growling, just walk on as if it just was not happening. If you walk more slowly or maybe even stop chances are your dog will get worse because he has more time to do so. Walking by briskly takes his attention off the other dog, placing it on you instead. That way the threatening situation will soon be over and both of you can relax.
Guiding a dog who tends to be aggressive towards other dogs needs some commitment on your part. You have to make sure that he can not hurt others.
Keeping him on a leash in places with other dogs is very important.
If he is really aggressive you will need to muzzle him.
You might have to warn other dog owners to keep their distance and put their own dog on a lead when coming closer.
Most important of all is to be assertive and keep your authority over your dog. He must know that you are boss and that he must ask you for guidance, no matter where and no matter when.
Changing unwanted behavior is difficult for humans and animals alike. If you own an aggressive dog chances are you will will experience a number of unpleasant feelings when meeting up with other dogs. I would like to invite you to visit http://www.dogsandhappiness.com/calmyourdog for free instant access to my hands on approach tho calm your canine in stressful situations. From Annelie Becher, expert at creating positive change for animals and their people
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