Taming a Mean Dog to be Nice
- Author: Jeffrey Simmons
- Posted: 2024-08-15
Generally speaking, the average domesticated dog is very docile. While it is true that a lot of dogs are trained to be mean and aggressive, for fighting purposes and often defense purposes, it's actually in a dog's nature to be docile and obedient. Unfortunately, a lot of people get their dogs from pounds, from rescue shelters, and from situations where the dog might be a little aggressive and actually fights and bites other dogs and people. The general wisdom here is that such an aggressive dog is just a bad seed that needs to be put down. However, if you witness these sorts of behaviors brewing in your dog, you can do a few different things to curb them from that aggressive behavior before they go too far and harm someone or another dog.
This is a very hands-on sort of plan that you must decide to take with your dog. But for dog owners who are paying attention to how their dogs act (and react), they will be able to spot the signs that their dog is becoming more aggressive. They can tell if their dog is showing signs that he or she may start biting people or fighting other dogs. These things don't just happen randomly at the drop of a hat. Your dog is going to show signs like growling and snarling, obsessively barking, and being set on edge with their hair standing up on their back. These are all signs of the aggression to come.
Luckily, there are things that you can do that will help curb your dog away from these sorts of behaviors. As long as you're willing to be hands-on here and deter your dog from these behaviors, you can stop them before they become violent and act out.
Socialize Your Dog More
If you notice these sorts of tendencies in your dog, then the first step is to socialize them. Start here by actually allowing your dog around more people. Start with people first, preferably other adults who know how to handle a dog. Have your dog get used to people. The dog doesn't need to accept food from them or listen to their commands, but it will help out tremendously for your dog to learn that those other people are not a threat. He or she might even get some good petting time out of it and really warm up to people and learn to appreciate them. This helps to curb that aggressiveness that's built up over time.
Allow Other Dogs to Come Around
After your dog learns to socialize around other people, you can start taking them to see other dogs. A lot of animal experts claim that if you have a dog that seems to want to act aggressively, then it's a good idea to take them around larger dogs. The thinking here is that with dogs being bred from wolves, those alpha traits might kick in and your dog will recognize and learn to be docile around a larger animal. This is a great way to get them to warm up. Puppies also work too. Grown dogs typically recognize that puppies are no threat to them and so they will not be aggressive with them. Instead, nurturing instincts take over. This could be a great way to normalize your dog being around other dogs without trying to protect any sort of territory.
Reward Your Dog for Good Behavior
If you were to train your dog to sit on command, you would reward your dog with treats for learning how to do this. The same with any type of command. Professional dog trainers also have a similar system, at least insofar as they tie the docile commands of a dog into that rewards system. This is something that can certainly work at home for you and your pet. If you're going to give your dog a treat for learning how to shake and give their paw, then they should also get a treat for commands like "heel" and "calm," and other sorts of commands you may have that let your dog know that it's time to stop acting aggressively. A rewards system is definitely something that works well with most dogs.
By and large, the things that are working to make your dog aggressive can be worked out before it's too late. Socializing and normalizing polite, docile interaction is a great way to keep your dog from being overly aggressive.
