Current Articles

You know aggressive dogs can be quite frightening. They can scare little children and adults too. There are some breeds that are more likely to be aggressive but even so there is usually an underlying cause for aggression in dogs and finding out why your dog is aggressive can assist you in your training efforts. A dog that is calm in most circumstances will be an easier dog to own.

Aggressive behavior can be caused because your dog wants to establish dominance. Dogs are pack animals and there is always an alpha dog within the pack. Your dog may want to establish himself as the alpha dog. However, you need to be the alpha dog so let your dog know that you are the leader of this pack. He may still act aggressively towards other animals or other dog’s as there is a hierarchy to the pack. This may be one reason why your dog acts aggressively.

Dogs can also act aggressively because they are protecting their territory. Your dog considers certain things to be “his” including you, your home and your family. While this can often be a good thing in certain situations it can cause problems with visitors or neighbors if it gets out of control. If you dog is excessively aggressive in protecting his territory his behavior may need to be curbed.

Fear can cause a dog to act out aggressively. Something happens that frightens him and he does the only thing he knows how to do which is to begin growling, pull his ears back, tuck his tail between his legs and act fierce. This is just a protective mechanism that is often misunderstood as being direct aggression but the truth is that something triggered the fear, which in turn started the aggressive behavior.

Sometimes the aggressive behavior is misdirected. Something happens that triggers an aggressive reaction, such as a dominance or territorial issue but the dog is unable to take out his aggression on the target. He therefore will act aggressively where he is. He may start taking out his aggression on another dog or pet for no plausible reason yet something instigated his behavior. He was just not able to act on the real issue that sparked his aggression.

Sometimes aggression is caused by a biological or medical reason. For example, we all understand that a mother dog may become aggressive in an attempt to protect her litter. Less understood though is that sometimes aggression can be caused by a medical reason. That is why it is important to take your dog to the vet for a thorough examination to rule out any medical issues.

Most dogs will be calmer and have a better temperament if they are spayed or neutered. This will also make your training efforts easier and more efficient not to mention the fact that there are too many unwanted and unloved dogs out there. If you are not in the dog-breeding profession it is just the responsible thing to do to get your dog spayed or neutered.

Your training exercises to curb aggression will be more efficient if you take into consideration the causes why your dog is being aggressive. Understanding the causes for your dog’s aggressive tendencies can help you to tailor your training efforts to his needs.

The best secrets for training your favorite dog also discover what dog training video I used to train my dog in a few minutes a day. Visit http://universitydog.com for a free dog training course.