Contrary to what many people believe, all dogs have the potential to be aggressive. As canines, it’s part of their instinct, and if it weren’t for the fact that they’ve been domesticated, they would need it in order to survive. So, do we really need dog aggression training?
The answer to the above question is a very definite YES. Dogs, and especially the larger breeds, can cause a tremendous amount of harm to people if aggressive behavior is left unchecked. One frequently reads horror stories in the news relating to children being severely mauled, and even killed by dogs.
Signs of Aggression
Unfortunately, it’s often particular breeds which end up being labeled as aggressive dogs, but in fact, it’s not the breed which is to blame, but instead, it’s the owners of those dogs. As a responsible owner, one should be able to spot aggressive behavior, and if your dog is displaying such behavior, dog aggression training should be made a top priority.
The most undesirable form of aggressive behavior among dogs is when they show aggression towards family members. If such a dog doesn’t receive dog aggression training, the extent of their aggression will almost always get worse. In other words, if your dog growls or snaps at you now, then it’s only a matter of time before that “snap” becomes a bite, and eventually, a “full-blown” attack.
If a dog shows absolutely no signs of aggression to any family members, then that means the dog knows where its place is within the family pack. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean your dog will be willing to tolerate strangers and/or other animals.
The biggest cause of this form of aggression results from dogs not being socialized properly when they were puppies. Here again, dog aggression training can help to eliminate the problem by teaching your dog that not all strangers and animals are a threat.
Aggression Training at an Early Age
Ideally, such training should take place when a dog is still a puppy, but if that never happened; a dog can still be trained correctly irrespective of its age.
No matter what anyone tells you, all dogs are trainable; it just might require a longer training for some dogs in order to become fully trusted.
A dog protecting its food or toys is natural behavior. This is why we often see parents instructing their kids to stay away from the family dog when it eats. Even though this can be seen as being good advice, a family dog should never show aggression to any member of the family.
To a dog, the family is equivalent to a pack, and if your dog threatens your child by growling at them, it clearly sees itself as being higher up in the family hierarchy than your child.
As you can imagine, such a scenario is a recipe for disaster, and you’d be well advised to start with some dog aggression training as soon as possible.
Some dog owners feel that if they “break” their dog’s aggression, the dog will no longer be capable of guarding their property. This is nothing but a myth, in that a well-trained dog will never forget it has the potential to be aggressive, but the difference is a well-trained dog knows when aggression is acceptable and when it’s not.
Providing dog aggression training is done correctly, your dog will learn to be a well-balanced animal, and one which is a pleasure to have around.