Recognizing, Preventing, and Handling Dog Aggression

A dog is an instinctively aggressive animal. In the wild, aggression came in very handy: dogs needed aggression to hunt, to defend themselves from other animals, and to defend resources such as food, sleeping places, and their mates. Selective breeding over the centuries has minimised and refined this trait significantly, but there’s just no getting away from it: dogs are physically capable of inflicting serious harm (just look at those teeth!) because that’s how they’ve survived and evolved. And Mother Nature is pretty wily – it’s hard to counteract the power of instinct! But that doesn’t mean that we, as dog lovers and owners, are entirely helpless when it comes to handling our dogs. There’s a lot that we can do to prevent aggression from rearing its ugly head in the first instance – and even if prevention hasn’t been possible (for one reason or another), there are still steps that we can take to recognise and deal with it efficiently and effectively.

Different aggression types:

There are several different types of canine aggression, the two most common being aggression towards strangers and aggression towards family members. You may be wondering why we’re bothering categorising this stuff: after all, aggression is aggression, and we want to be rid of it NOW, not waste time with the details … right? Well … not quite. These two different types of aggression stem from very different causes, and require different types of treatment.

Aggression towards strangers:

What is it? It’s pretty easy to tell when a dog’s nervous around strange people. He’s jumpy and on the alert: either he can’t sit still and is constantly fidgeting, leaping at the smallest sound, and pacing around barking and whining; or he’s veerrrry still indeed, sitting rock-steady in one place, staring hard at the object of his suspicions (a visitor, the mailman, or someone approaching him on the street while he’s tied up outside a store.)

Why does it happen?

There’s one major reason why a dog doesn’t like strange people. It’s because he’s never had the chance to get used to them. Remember, your dog relies 100% on you to broaden horizons for him. Without being taken on lots of outings to see the world and realise for himself, through consistent and positive experiences that the unknown doesn’t necessarily equal bad news for him, how can he realistically be expected to relax in an unfamiliar situation?

What can I do about it?

The process of accustoming your dog to the world and all the strange people (and animals) that it comprises is called socialisation. This is an incredibly important aspect of your dog’s upbringing, in fact, it’s pretty hard to overemphasise just how important it is. Socialising your dog means exposing him from a young age (generally speaking, as soon as he’s had his vaccinations) to a wide variety of new experiences, new people, and new animals.

Secrets to Dog Training – Dog Training To Stop Your Dog Aggression Problems!

How does socialization prevent stranger aggression?

When you socialise your dog, you’re getting him to learn through experience that new sights and sounds are fun, not scary. It’s not enough to expose an adult dog to a crowd of unfamiliar people and tell him to: “Settle down, Rory, it’s OK” – he has to learn that it’s OK for himself. And he needs to do it from puppyhood for the lesson to sink in. The more types of people and animals he meets (babies, toddlers, teenagers, old people, men, women, people wearing uniforms, people wearing motorcycle helmets, people carrying umbrellas, etc) in a fun and relaxed context, the more at ease and happy – and safe around strangers – he’ll be in general.

How can I socialise my dog so that he doesn’t develop a fear of strangers?

Socialising your dog is pretty easy to do – it’s more of a general effort than a specific training regime. First of all, you should take him to puppy classes, a series of easy group-training classes for puppies (often performed at the local hall). In a puppy class, about ten or so puppy owners get together with a qualified trainer (often there’ll be at least two trainers present – the more there are the better, since it means you get more one-on-one time with a professional) and start teaching their puppies the basic obedience commands: sit, stay, and so on. Even though the obedience work is very helpful and is a great way to start your puppy on the road to being a trustworthy adult dog, the best part of puppy classes is really the play sessions. Several times throughout the class, the puppies are encouraged to run around off-leash and play amongst themselves. This is an ideal environment for them to learn good social skills. There’s a whole lot of unfamiliar dogs present (which teaches them how to interact with strange dogs). There are unfamiliar people present (which teaches them that new faces are nothing to be afraid of), and the environment is safe and controlled (there’s at least one certified trainer present to make sure that things don’t get out of hand). Socialisation doesn’t just stop with puppy classes, though. It’s an on-going effort throughout the life of your puppy and dog. He needs to be taken to many new places and environments. Remember not to overwhelm him: start off slow, and build up his tolerance gradually.

Aggression towards family members:

There are two common reasons why a dog is aggressive towards members of his own human family: – He’s trying to defend something he thinks of as his from a perceived threat (you). This is known as resource guarding, and though it may sound innocuous, there’s actually a lot more going on here than your dog simply trying to keep his soother to himself. – He’s not comfortable with the treatment/handling he’s getting from you or other members of the family.

What’s resource guarding?

Resource guarding is pretty common among dogs. The term refers to overly-possessive behaviour on behalf of your dog: for instance, snarling at you if you approach him when he’s eating, or giving you “the eye” (a direct stare) if you reach your hand out to take a toy away from him. All dogs can be possessive from time to time – it’s in their natures. Sometimes they’re possessive over things with no conceivable value: inedible trash, rolls of paper or tissue, or old socks. More frequently, however, resource-guarding becomes an issue over items with a very real and understandable value: food and toys.

Why does it happen?

It all boils down to the issue of dominance. Let me take a moment to explain this concept: dogs are pack animals. This means that they’re used to a very structured environment: in a dog-pack, each individual animal is ranked in a hierarchy of position and power (or “dominance”) in relation to every other animal. Each animal is aware of the rank of every other animal, which means he knows specifically how to act in any given situation (whether to back down, whether to push the issue, whether to muscle in or not on somebody else’s turf, etc etc). To your dog, the family environment is no different to the dog-pack environment. Your dog has ranked each member of the family, and has his own perception of where he ranks in that environment as well. This is where it gets interesting: if your dog perceives himself as higher up on the social ladder than other family members, he’s going to get cheeky. If he’s really got an over-inflated sense of his own importance, he’ll start to act aggressively. Why? Because dominance and aggression are the exclusive rights of a superior-ranked animal. No underdog would ever show aggression or act dominantly to a higher-ranked animal (the consequences would be dire, and he knows that!) Resource guarding is a classic example of dominant behavior: only a higher-ranked dog (a “dominant” dog) would act aggressively in defence of resources. To put it plainly: if it was clear to your dog that he is not, in fact, the leader of the family, he’d never even dream of trying to prevent you from taking his food or toys – because a lower-ranking dog (him) will always go along with what the higher-ranking dogs (you and your family) say.

So what can I do about it?

The best treatment for dominant, aggressive behaviour is consistent, frequent obedience work, which will underline your authority over your dog. Just two fifteen-minute sessions a day will make it perfectly clear to your dog that you’re the boss, and that it pays to do what you say. You can make this fact clear to him by rewarding him (with treats and lavish praise) for obeying a command, and isolating him (putting him in “time-out”, either outside the house or in a room by himself) for misbehaviour. If you’re not entirely confident doing this yourself, you may wish to consider enlisting the assistance of a qualified dog-trainer. Brush up on your understanding of canine psychology and communication, so that you understand what he’s trying to say – this will help you to nip any dominant behaviours in the bud, and to communicate your own authority more effectively.

Train regularly:

Keep obedience sessions short and productive (no more than fifteen minutes – maybe two or three of these per day).

Why doesn’t my dog like to be handled?

All dogs have different handling thresholds. Some dogs like lots of cuddles, and are perfectly content to be hugged, kissed, and have arms slung over their shoulders (this is the ultimate “I’m the boss” gesture to a dog, which is why a lot of them won’t tolerate it.) Others – usually the ones not accustomed to a great deal of physical contact from a very young age – aren’t comfortable with too much full-body contact and will get nervous and agitated if someone persists in trying to hug them. Another common cause of handling-induced aggression is a bad grooming experience: nail-clipping and bathing are the two common culprits. When you clip a dog’s nails, it’s very easy to “quick” him – that is, cut the blood vessel that runs inside the nail. This is extremely painful to a dog, and is a sure-fire way to cause a long-lasting aversion to those clippers. Being washed is something that a great many dogs have difficulty dealing with – a lot of owners, when confronted with a wild-eyed, half-washed, upset dog, feel that in order to complete the wash they have to forcibly restrain him. This only adds to the dog’s sense of panic, and reinforces his impression of a wash as something to be avoided at all costs –and  if necessary, to defend himself from it with a display of teeth and hackles.

Can I “retrain” him to enjoy being handled and groomed?

In a word: yes. It’s a lot easier if you start from a young age – handle your puppy a lot, get him used to being touched and rubbed all over. Young dogs generally enjoy being handled – it’s only older ones who haven’t had a lot of physical contact throughout their lives that sometimes find physical affection difficult to accept. Practice picking up his paws and touching them with the clippers; practice taking him into the bath (or outside, under the shower tap – whatever works for you, but warm water is much more pleasant for a dog than a freezing spray of ice-water!) Augment the process throughout with lots of praise and the occasional small treat. For an older dog that may already have had several unpleasant handling/grooming experiences, things are a little more difficult. You need to undo the damage already caused by those bad experiences, which you can do by taking things very slowly – with an emphasis on keeping your dog calm. The instant he starts to show signs of stress, stop immediately and let him relax. Try to make the whole thing into a game: give him lots of praise, pats, and treats. Take things slowly. Don’t push it too far: if you get nervous, stop. Dogs show aggression for a reason: they’re warning you to back off, or else! If your dog just can’t seem to accept being groomed, no matter how much practice you put in, it’s best to hand the job over to the professionals. Your vet will clip his nails for you (make sure you tell him first that he gets aggressive when the clippers come out, so your vet can take the necessary precautions!). As far as washing and brushing goes, the dog-grooming business is a flourishing industry: for a small fee, you can get your dog washed, clipped, brushed, and whatever else you require by experienced professionals (again, make sure you tell them about your dog’s reaction to the experience first!) For more information on handling aggressive and dominant behaviors, as well as a great deal of detailed information on a host of other common dog behaviour problems, check out “Secrets to Dog Training.” It’s a complete owner’s guide to owning, rearing, and training your dog, and it deals with all aspects of dog ownership. To get the inside story on preventing and dealing with problem behaviours like aggression and dominance in your dog, “Secrets to Dog Training” is well worth a look. You can visit the “Secrets to Dog Training” site by clicking on the link below:

Secrets to Dog Training – Dog Training To Stop Your Dog Aggression Problems!

Toy Dog Toys – Free Newsletter!

Sign Up Today ….. And Get Your FREE ….. “ToyDogToys Newsletter!”

Your Dog & Destructive Chewing

The act of chewing seems to be a matter of individual preference among dogs: some seem to be born with more of a desire to chew as a pleasurable activity in itself, and some seem to have no need to chew whatsoever unless they’re driven to it out of sheer boredom.

The phrase “destructive chewing” may sound contradictive, because – by its very nature! – all chewing is destructive. Your dog has strong jaws full of sharp, pointed teeth: just about anything he/she starts to chew on is probably going to show the effects within a minute. So just to be clear here, in using the phrase “destructive chewing”, I’m referring to inappropriate chewing: the kind of chewing that’s focused on your personal possessions and household items, instead of on your dog’s own designated toys, chews and the likes.

What are the three main reasons why dogs chew:

As we said, most dogs do have a natural desire to chew for one reason or the other. It’s fun, it passes the time, and it’s a self-rewarding, self-reinforcing activity (for example, chewing on something that tastes good.)

Chewing provides a nervous, bored, or lonely dog with an outlet for their emotions. To an anxious dog, the repetitive act of chewing is soothing – it’s the doggie equivalent of comfort food.

Under-exercised dogs often use chewing as a way of burning up nervous energy and just to give themselves something to do.

How can you prevent destructive chewing:

Dogs are perfectly capable of learning not to chew your stuff – you simply must put in a little effort first, that’s all that’s required.

1. Take control of the situation: manage your personal possessions. Your first step should be to dog-proof your home. Even if you have the best-behaved dog in the world, there’s still no reason to test their self-control – after all, dogs explore the world with their mouths.

Dog-proofing your home means taking whatever you don’t want to end up in their mouth, and making it unavailable. Consider your dog’s size and agility when deciding whether something’s out of reach: how high can they jump? Can they climb, or leap onto something else to reach the object of desire? Consider reach when standing on their hind legs.

Common targets in the home include books, items of clothing, shoes, garbage, and small crunchable products like cameras, mobile phones, and remote controls.

It should go without saying that all food needs to be put securely away: don’t leave snacks on low tables (or even counter-tops – you’d be surprised how acrobatic a dog can be when there’s food at stake!) Put all food into containers or cupboards. Rinse your dirty plates clean of any food scraps before leaving them by the sink.

2. It’s important to prevent your dog from learning the joys of illegal chewing. The more times a mouthful of a forbidden substance is successfully nabbed– a chair-leg, a sock, a running shoe – the more readily those items wil be targetted in future. If you can prevent her from chewing your stuff in the first place, it’s a lot easier for them to understand what you expect of them. Practically speaking, this means confining your pooch in a dog-proofed area until you’re confident thathouse rules are understood.

3. Clarify the boundaries between her stuff (OK to chew) and your stuff (not OK to chew) to help avoid failure. Don’t offer your dog cast-off clothes, shoes, or towels to chew and play with: realistically, you can’t possibly expect your dog to be able to tell the difference between your current shoes and the one she’s got in her mouth that you gave her five minutes ago.

4. Provide lots of tasty alternatives to your stuff. If the environment is relatively barren of attractive, appropriate chewing objects, you can hardly blame your dog for targeting your possessions. Remember, most dogs need to chew; adolescents (under three years), or puppies (under one year), needs will be even more pronounced. Go on a dog toy and chew shopping spree, then provide two or three to play with at any one time. Rotating the available toys every few days will keep things new and interesting.

5. Spend lots of time in active supervision. Yes, it might be easier for you to just keep her penned up in her crate, run, or the garden – but that’s boring and horrible for your best friend, and hardly much fun for you either (if you wanted a pet that you didn’t need to interact with, you’d have got a goldfish, right?) If your dog or puppy is being forced to spend all their time boxed up in the dog-proof zone, they won’t be able to learn what you expect of them: they need the opportunity to explore the boundaries of your expectations, to be able to understand what is appropriate and what is not.

6. When you catch them chewing something inappropriate, interrupt with a loud noise: clap your hands or make an “Ah-oh-ooooh!” noise. Then, immediately provide a tasty and dog-appropriate alternative (a rawhide bone or other chew toy); as soon as you give it, offer lavish praise. There is no better way to get your dog to understand that chewing “their” toys equals praise from you, but everything else equals trouble.

Maintain a productive attitude:

Above all, remember to keep your expectations realistic. You’re not perfect, and neither is your dog: there’s likely to be at least one incident where a cherished item is damaged due to “being there” and out of natural curiosity.

Particularly in the early stages of your relationship, remember that your dog or puppy is still learning the ropes: it’ll take a while before they are completely reliable (and even then, if left alone for too long or has feelings of neglect, they may choose your stuff over their own to occupy their time and jaws with.) Remember to give them time to learn the rules, and plenty of ‘you-time’ to help learn them faster – and don’t forget to take precautions and keep things out of reach until the chewing rules are understood!

For more information on dog training techniques and how to deal with problem dog behaviour (like chewing), check out “Secrets to Dog Training.” It’s the complete manual for dog ownership and is designed to fast-track your dog’s learning.

You can visit the “Secrets to Dog Training” website by clicking on the link below:
Dog Obedience Chewing – Obedience

Yours Sincerely,

James & Mags

http://toydogtoys.wordpress.com/

Secrets to Dog Training – Stop your Dog’s Behavior Problems!

What Is It?

Secrets to Dog Training presents an unusually detailed and thorough look at how to both prevent and deal with the more common problem behaviors exhibited by dogs. As the owner of a moderately troublesome mutt myself, I’ve spent a fair amount of time searching the Net for reliable resources on this topic, and I have to say that the level of knowledge and detail contained within the pages of this compendium is unusually exacting for an online book.

Secrets to Dog Training – Dog Training To Stop Your Dog Behavioral Problems!

Not only that, but – again, unusually for this medium – the information at hand is actually (gasp!) reliable. Yes, that’s right – this one’s a whole new kettle of fish. Written by a seasoned dog trainer, you can relax in the knowledge that all the tips and advice included are tried and true, and come from Stevens’ real-life experiences as a professional dog trainer. There is also a straight-talking, easy to follow 30-minute downloadable video which provides real-life examples of doggy bad behavior along with solutions and remedies to change them.

What’s Covered?

There’s a pretty impressive range of information packed into this guide. It’s not just the problem behaviors that are covered: the book starts off with new-owner advice (how to choose a puppy/dog, the best places to get one from, breed information, puppy/dog-proofing your home, the first vet visit, housetraining, etc) and then moves on to the more advanced stuff: behavioral problems (such as aggression, dominance, chewing, digging, excessive barking, separation anxiety, to name a few), intermediate-level obedience commands, health-related dog problems (allergies, cat/dog coexistence, fleas, heatstroke, and so on), and advanced commands and tricks.

The 30-minute downloadable video gives a great insight into a dog’s quest to be the alpha dog and how you can prevent this. Its quick steps to stop bad behaviors such as housebreaking right through to leash pulling are so simple you can start trying them out on your dog straight away.




Particularly Good Parts:

In addition to the contents listed above, there’s also a pretty impressive section on dog whispering, which – in case you haven’t heard of it already – is a method of dog training based on a philosophy of clear communication and mutual respect. It’s been popularized in recent years by Cesar Millan (“The Dog Whisperer”), and is becoming increasingly well-known as an alternative and humane method for disciplining and training your dog. Secrets to Dog Training has dedicated an entire section to dog whispering: Daniel Stevens explains the background of the technique, how to utilize voice and body language to your best advantage, and how to use the technique to calmly, assertively, and effectively correct and train your dog. Step-by-set instructions are included for the common commands (sit, down, come, stay, quiet, etc).

It makes for some pretty interesting reading – and, after trying out the basics on my own recalcitrant pooch, I was amazed at how effective the techniques suggested are. Highly recommended!

I Love Freebies (Who Doesn’t?)

There’s just something about getting something for nothing. And, although my magpie-like acquisitiveness may have led me into less-than-productive purchases in the past, in this particular case I’m happy to report that Secrets to Dog Training hasn’t let me down: the freebies included with this book are not only numerous, they’re actually useful(wow!)

The book itself costs $39.95. For this price, you get a complete and detailed manual on training your dog, preventing and handling behavioral problems, and a whole bunch of general-knowledge tips and advice.

You also get a handful of practical freebies: four bonus books, dealing respectively with advanced housetraining how-to’s and troubleshooting (including both the crate- and paper-training methods); a detailed study on resolving canine aggression; how to effectively groom your dog (including information on coat care for specific breeds, dental care, and nail-clipping how-to’s); and finally, how to begin training your dog for security work.

As mentioned earlier, there is a bonus 30-minute downloadable video which takes a no-fuss approach to practical solutions for dog obedience issues.

Another particularly useful freebie: a personalized consultation with a member of the Kingdom of Pets team. If you’ve got an issue with your dog that you’d like some individual attention on, you can flick them a quick email and receive a personalized, thorough reply packed with expert advice and practical tips.

Secrets to Dog Training: A Thumbnail Sketch:

Altogether, I’m pretty impressed with this package. I’ve owned dogs on and off my whole life, starting from when I was ten – I would have thought that I was better-prepared than most to handle the quirks and caprices of my canine friends.

But since reading this book, I think my pre-Secrets to Dog Training self was (embarrassingly) perhaps a trifle more complacent than knowledgeable – I’ve learned more since reading this manual than I’ve picked up in a near-lifetime’s worth of contact with dogs (do you know how to stop your dog from tugging on the leash, without using a check-chain? Well, I do – but until I got my hands on a copy of this book, I certainly didn’t!)

Several of the training techniques present a refreshingly common-sense, down-to-earth approach to dog training; others require a little more effort (take dog whispering as an example) but yield some pretty dramatic results. I liked the way that more than one training technique is detailed, to allow the reader to pick and choose the techniques that best suit themselves and their individual dogs.

I have no qualms in recommending this package to anyone who owns, or is thinking about owning, a dog. You don’t need to have a “problem pet” for the manual to be of assistance: there’s information included that’ll be useful to any and all dog owners.

In a nutshell: highly recommended.

Secrets to Dog Training – Dog Training To Stop Your Dog Behavioral Problems!