Dealing with Your Dog’s Aggression

Many dog owners have to worry about their dog being too aggressive around other people. There are times that we take our dogs out to the park or to an area where there are a lot of people and we become overly cautious and afraid that it might snarl and snap on a stranger. No matter how big or small the dog is,it needs to be trained and taught how to control its aggression and know when it’s ok to let its guard down.

Below are a few tips to prevent your dog’s aggressiveness to become worst.

Preventive measures
Use a muzzle or a similar item to stop them from biting. It may not be the most friendly choice, but as a dog owner, you’re responsible for your own and other people’s safety around your dog. This is also helpful with dogs that can’t move or suffer from mobility problems like degenerative myelopathy. Make sure you have a sturdy leash the can take any pressure the dog might exert. It also has to be strong enough that you can pull the dog towards you in case it jumps on someone.

Avoid aggression triggers

A lot of things can actually cause your dog to become aggressive. Stress, noise, strangers, even having another dog or animal around can cause it to get hostile and show negative behavior. As much as possible, you don’t want to expose your dog to these stressors or you can slowly introduce them into their daily routine so that they’ll get used to it. One of the main reasons why dogs become aggressive is because they feel afraid and uncertain of their surroundings. This is very noticeable especially amongst older dogs that are adopted into new families or dogs that are taken to the clinic for testing like dogs with degenerative myelopathy. Proper handling and barding out these aggression triggers can teach your dog how to calm down by its own.

Better treatment

The best way to help a dog get over their aggression and become friendlier is to train and handle it well. Most dog owners really don’t give much attention to this and they would even just tie their dogs up in the lawn and don’t properly socialize them. Talk to an expert trainer or breeder about your dog’s aggression and don’t skip out on their health. Trainers and breeders work hand in hand with vets to help dog owners train and develop their dogs to become well socialized animals.