Animals

Published on April 27th, 2011 | by Yellow Magpie

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The Problem Of The Aggressive Dog And Prevention

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Aggressive dogs can be more than a nuisance. In many cases they are a threat to the public and can cause nasty injuries. They can be so overprotective of their owners that family members can sometimes bare the brunt of their over-zealous guarding.

Dogs that are aggressive have been allowed to become dominant by their owners. To combat this problem certain techniques and strategies must be utilised together with a better understanding of how dogs’ think.

Sound Aversion

Sound aversion techniques should be employed to prevent bad behaviours. To do this it is generally a good idea to use someone that the dog is not familiar with. Every time the dog is about to do something it shouldn’t, the owner must use her or his voice to chastise the animal. Choose a sharp, quick sound and use this same sound consistently.

Horns or a can of compressed air can be used when the dog gets too unruly. These methods quickly reinforce that bad behaviour is not acceptable.

According to dog training expert, Victoria Stilwell, it is vital to encourage good behaviour in your dog also. So when your dog has ceased the negative behaviour after using sound aversion it is important to give it praise. It should be treated like a one-two strategy, discourage the dog immediately followed by praise and encouragement afterwards.

Reasserting The Owner As The Leader

Dominant dogs believe they are in charge as opposed to their owners. This is because their owners have simply allowed this to happen. It is critical that they reassert their authority over their pets.

Dominant dogs sometimes hump their owner’s legs, this is an example of where the dog is exercising dominance over its owner.

A Bed Is No Place For A Dog

Owners should never have their dog on, or in, their bed. Doing so undermines the owner’s authority and let’s the dog rule the household.

Aggressive, dominant dogs also have the unruly habit of urinating on beds. These beds are not necessarily the owner’s beds often their are the beds belonging to family members that they consider to be weak. This type of urinating is yet another act of dominance in which the dog is trying to exert control.

To prevent the dog from constantly urinating in the same spot it is necessary to use a pet deodoriser which removes all traces of the dog’s scent.

Spoilt Dogs Make Terrible Pets

Overly aggressive dogs are often spoilt by their owners. They are given access to food 24 hours a day and given sugary snacks and treats that should never form part of a canine diet.

You should only give your dog access to food twice a day and for a very short period of time. After that period has expired the food should be removed. With dogs that constantly urinate it is a good idea to use ice during the night instead of liquid water as it limits the amount of water the dog can drink at any one time.

Plenty Of Exercise = A Happy Dog

Dogs need plenty of exercise on a regular basis. The average dog should be walked twice a day while the more energetic breeds should be walked three times daily. This helps to use up energy and limits pent up aggression.

Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding of how dogs’ think and will give you tools as to how to combat these unwanted behaviours.

Recommended Reading

Check out Yellow Magpie’s other posts on Dogs: Dogs, Obese Dogs: Training Dog Owners To Have Healthy Pets and Dogs Who Continually Howl And Bark from here.

For people who care about their dog’s health, Victoria Stilwell’s book, It is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet is the ultimate bible on the subject.

Amazon.co.uk
For people living in Ireland or the United Kingdom you can access It Is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet here.

Amazon.ca
For those living in Canada you can obtain It Is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet from here.

Amazon.de
For Germany: It Is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet.

Amazon.fr
For France: It Is Me Or Your Dog: How To Have The Perfect Pet.

About the Author

Yellow Magpie

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