Stop Other Dog Aggression

Prevention is always better than cure, so the sooner you begin training the better. If you have a puppy the best way to prevent other dog aggression is to correctly socialize your puppy.

By that I mean that you puppy should meet other dogs under controlled conditions where both your puppy and the dogs they meet are well controlled. This way your puppy will learn that meeting other dogs is a positive experience.

If you have an older dog that is aggressive towards other dogs, you will first need to establish control over your pet when other dogs are not around. If you dog does not respond to commands such as “sit” or “heel” with out the distraction of other dogs, you cannot expect that they will obey your commands when under the pressure of a difficult situation.

The first step in stopping other dog aggression is to teach you dog to obey simple commands quickly, when directed by you. Then once you have established this pattern of command and obedience, it is time to begin introducing other dogs.

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This is best done in a neutral environment. where your dog does not feel threatened and with only one other dog that is well trained and not aggressive. Both dogs should be on a leashes and under the control of the handlers.

Some people like to use a head halter to help command obedience. As the other dog and handler come into sight  of your dog and slowly approach firmly give the command to “sit” as soon as you see your dog begin to react.

When the dog responds reward the dog for their obedience as you did when initially teaching the commands. As long as your dog remains seated, calm and focused on you, the other dog continues to pass by.

This is where a head halter can be very useful, as when you pull up and forward the dogs head is atomically turned towards you and your dog is made to retreat to the sitting position.

As soon as you see that you have your dogs attention and they are settled reward your dog by releasing the tension on the head collar. If the dog remains calm and focused on you then and only then give a food or other reward.

Practice commanding your dogs attention and obedience until the other dog can walk by and your dog remains calm..

It is very important you also remain calm during the training as you dog can sense how you are feeling and will react with fear if you are nervous about the meeting with the other dog.

If you are calm and confident you dog will understand that the other dog is not a threat and respond better to your commands.

You will need to learn to understand the the cause of your dogs aggression towards other dogs. The most common triggers are fear or territorial, however in some cases it is triggered by your dogs drive for dominance.

If your dog has territorial aggression do not allow prolonged display of aggressive behavior such as barking, lunging at doors etc or fence running. Teach your dog a “quiet” command for barking.

Retraining territorial aggressive behavior should begin in the front hall or near the front of you house. Have your dog on a leash with or with out a head halter as required.

Have another dog under the control of its handler brought to the edge of your property while you keep you dog under control using the sit and quiet commands.

Slowly over a few training sessions move the contact closer until the other dog can pass by without your dog reacting.

In between training sessions it is important to interrupt any display of other dog territorial aggression as soon as you can.

Dogs with fear or territorial aggression will respond dramatically to constant and persistent training and over time may be able to greet other dogs without any aggressive behavior.

However dogs with a strong dominance drive may not respond as quickly and may only progress to where they can walk calmly by other dogs with out initiating a fight.

Stopping other dog aggression is your responsibility as a pet owner and a matter of consistent and persistent training.

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