Dogs are pretty much a part of our everyday life. They’re good for security and for fun too. A dog can be the best animal thing you ever wanted. They can be very obedient and can be good servants. We’ve even seen movies of dogs being sent on errands, or maybe you even do that with yours too. Even Simon Cowell’s America’s Got Talent TV show often showcases contestants who do certain astonishing acrobatic performances with their dogs. The dogs can be perfect excitement.
However, they can cause some trouble from time to time, and here are some great tips you could use to deal with them and keep your dog from attacking people or other dogs:
Learn How Dogs Communicate
Dogs are known to express themselves through barking. That’s the only way they speak or air their grievances or their happiness. While the barking can be mild with only their owners around, it can turn into a real scary sound-making event when there are strangers around.
This is primarily a way of warning you that an unknown fellow is around even when he’s just by your side –as if you didn’t know. But there are cases when the dog takes the barking business a little to the extreme and even attempts to attack your visitors or other strangers including servicemen and/or delivery guys.
This is a problem as many states have laws in place against keeping violent dogs. Some facts noted at https://finzfirm.com/ point out that if it ever gets to that, a legal professional is needed to help you out. An attorney has experience in this matter and will stand by your side when an injured fellow files charges against you or claims huge settlements.
Know The State And Nature Of Your Dog
When your pet is aggressive to strangers, it is doing so most times to give a clear definition of its territory. It’s just like you’d use a security guard to ward off strangers from your orchard. The dog’s territory in this case includes you, and the home with its environs. Dogs with this protective and defining instinct will not be any friendlier once you’re far away at work or elsewhere. Their nature is a more dominant self-confident position with the readiness to lunge at strangers while barking deeply and maintaining eye contact.
Dogs can also get into attacking mode when they become fearful of a stranger. They feel the strangers are a threat to the territory and could bring some form of harm along. Their instinct tells them they must repel such a presence at all costs. They bark and possibly bite. A dog with fearful tendencies can be recognized by watching its body language. It will first take a submissive position and tuck its tail. It could pretend to have taken its attention off the stranger when all of a sudden it would lash out at them catching everyone off guard.
The health of your dog should also be known. They could be suffering severe endocrine secretions and other painful medical conditions that could be fuelling their aggressive stance.
Socialize Your Dog
One sure way of preventing or reducing aggression of your dogs is to socialize them especially when they’re still younger. Bring them to get used to strangers while helping them to differentiate between strangers to be wary of –in the case of burglars– and strangers to be gentle with. Expose the dog to a variety of real-life situations to prepare it accordingly; markets, sidewalks, parks, and even the sports fields if you’re allowed in.
When dealing with aggression on an older dog, the only way out is long-term rehab-like training especially if it has bitten or attacked someone before. Use an experienced dog trainer who will desensitize it to the sight of strangers and help you reestablish the leadership of your dog. This is necessary if you’re going to be able to control your dog to give a calmer response in the presence of strangers.
Train Your Dog
Train your dog well to keep its aggression levels lower. During training, avoid the use of long head alters when trying to change a dog’s direction of attention or establishing your authority. The collar should also be a well-fitted one and not a type that can easily come off with the slightest charge of rage. Some established dog training techniques include:
- Establish Leadership Method
- The Desensitizing Method
- The Alternate Behavior Method
To sum, training your dog will give you the peace of mind you need. You run the risk of heightened high blood pressure when your dog is of an unpredictable nature. You will always be overly conscious and restless hoping always that it hasn’t already broken away from the wooden cage.