Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

There are different of reasons that could cause the aggressiveness in dogs. It could be due to the dominance issue arises between your dog and you. Another possible reason might be the bad experience it was experiencing during puppy time such as bullying by other dogs. It is extremely important to identify the root cause of this negative behavior as soon as possible to avoid any dangerous situation that might arises if it is not properly managed. 

The Source of Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

Aggressiveness in dogs starts roughly when they are in the age of 6 weeks. It is the most important time to develop a puppy’s characters. Therefore, it is necessary for the puppy to socialize with other dogs and receive proper training that prevents it from biting other people without any reasons. The training and socializing periods usually last until its age reach 14 weeks but can be extended beyond that if the results are not satisfactory.  

Besides the needs to socialize for other dogs, it is also a must for the puppy to socialize with other people as well by the time it reaches age 14 weeks. This is important to prevent the puppy from acting aggressively towards people when it grows older.

There are a lot of possible causes for triggering the aggressiveness in dogs. By natural, the genetics is the one of the confirmed factors that causes a dog to be aggressive. The level of aggressiveness in dog is very dependent on the species it is from. Some dog species are more aggressive than others. However, those dogs that receive proper and constant training would become less aggressive over time.

Another important cause that responsible for the aggressiveness in dogs is their living condition. For example, a dog who lives with a harsh owner, unloving environment, no socialization or has been bullied by another dog might increases its aggressiveness over time.

A dog often showing off its aggressiveness due to the fact that it wants to test the dominance a certain situation, person or other dogs. Therefore, as a dog owner, you need to let your dog knows that you are its master when it is still at puppy stage and maintain the authority throughout any ages of the dog so that it does not get the chance to take control of the household. 

Stopping and Controlling Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

If the dog is still acting aggressively after 14 months of age despite of the proper and constant training has been given, then you need to address the problem as soon as possible. First thing you need to make sure that you have established yourself as leader over it and do not reward your dog whenever it shows aggressive behaviors.

You then need to train your dog to respond based on your commands and have self control. You should also show leadership by example. Do not let your dog to take dominance in your home, else it would be showing more aggressive behavior towards other people.

If the dog is showing a sign of defensive-aggressive, it might attack at person out of fear. The reason for this type of behavior is mainly due to its lack of socializing. Therefore, you might need consider to bring the dog for socializing training which can help it slowly get used to social atmosphere.  

Aggressiveness in dogs is a big trouble that many dog owners are facing. The good news is this negative behavior in dogs is very possible to be controlled. If you think you are unable to change the dog’s aggressiveness, you might seek help from a dog professional before it starts hurting people.