There Isn’t a Mean Bone is His Body

Aggressive dogs can come in every size. But, the bigger the dog, the better its manners need to be. A common type of potentially violent behavior is dominance aggression. This is a dog that may suddenly bite when it believes that its food is going to be taken away or moved off its favorite sleeping spot.

Aggressive dogs can come in every size.

Our pets, like ourselves, are a bag of chemical reactions. At times, they don’t perform according to expectations. Neuroscience has shown that the same chemical pathways that we use to learn are also involved in behavior. Medications can be used to modify these pathways. Some of the common anti-anxiety medications used in people, have had great success in retraining aggressive dogs to become good members of the family.

We have all heard of ‘pack order’ in the canine world. Owners mistakenly often attempt to place themselves in the ‘alpha’ position by using the puppy training method of ‘dominant down.’ The pet owner would firmly press the youngster down to the ground and pin it there for a short period. Dominance aggression is not a situation where the ‘alpha’ role is in question. The pet is uncertain and is acting out its insecurities. Control measures can be very injurious to a pet’s psychological development.

Early training by a qualified dog trainer is a great idea for all dogs.

Early training by a qualified dog trainer is a great idea, even if you have owned dogs for years. Starting a pup in ‘doggy kindergarten’ once it has had all of its vaccines helps to socialize the pet and let it realize that it is not the only dog in town. Getting all members of the family involved in the training is also very important. Just as with bringing up human children, there must be consistency in the house. Puppies need to be ‘kids’. They need to run, jump, play and roughhouse but they also need to realize that there are rules. You can do yourself and you pup a favor by teaching it the basics of ‘no, sit, stay, and down.’ Training does not need to be expensive. Check with your veterinarian and local parks and recreation department for referrals.