Dog Training and Tricks on
Successful Ways to Stop Dog Aggression

There are some breeds of dogs ‘hard wired’ to be aggressive and in most cases you will want to stop dog aggression that can come from these breeds. It is very important that when you purchase a particular breed that you research the background of the breed first to see if aggression is one of their characteristics. Most people buy these breeds because they want an aggressive dog. But if you are reading this, I would assume that you do not want your dog to be aggressive and are looking for dog training and tricks to help you.

There are many reasons (other than ‘hard wiring’) that a dog might become aggressive toward other dogs.  To stop dog aggression you must be aware of what these reasons could be. Some dogs get nervous or fearful around other dogs, particularly if the other dog is a lot larger or if the dog is surrounded with a number of other dogs. 

You need to assess if your dog is striving to be the dominant dog.  In other cases your dog may become aggressive to defend his territory. His territory may be his yard or a car if he is left in it. If your dog is not socialized with other dogs from puppy age, he may also be aggressive just by being confronted by other dogs. Your dog may also be protective of you, or may be displaying sexual aggression.  This dog training and tricks website can help you overcome the problem.

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Dog Training and Tricks -  Tips on How to Stop Dog Aggression

One way to stop dog aggression is to make sure that your puppy meets other animals. They can go to puppy training school which many vet clinics run. Others are taken to shows where dogs abound.

But I would not advise going to an animal free roam park. These can be fraught with danger. If a dog (or a group of dogs) suddenly converges on you puppy it can be scared so much that it never recovers and could remain scared and aggressive to other dogs for life. However there are some good day care centres for dogs and it could be worthwhile checking out your nearest one. 

Puppies should be encouraged to play with other dogs that are mature and well behaved and there is no threat to the puppies. This way they learn correct dog behavior from the older animals.  You may be able to stop dog aggression before it ever becomes a problem as the puppy learns that other dogs are not to be feared and that he does not have to fight, defend his territory or protect his owner from these other animals.

If a dog starts to become aggressive, another way to stop dog aggression is to take action immediately that it happens. The dog should never be allowed to get away with any type of aggression, even if you do not think it is dangerous at the time.

I owned an Akita Inu, which can be an aggressive dog (it was originally used in Japan to bring down bear, but was also used to babysit the children when the parents were in the rice paddies).  She was a beautiful, intelligent dog and very easy to train. However one night I was sitting on the floor and she was dozing beside me. I leant across her to pick something up when she gave a soft growl.

Now, that was nothing very aggressive. However, I knew that if she got away with that, it could escalate into something more dangerous at another time in another place. So I leaned across her again and put some weight on her, at the same time scolding her and growling. She didn’t like it, but she accepted it. And I never had her growl at another person.  A head collar or muzzle can also be used while the dog is in training to stop dog aggression, but is not the solution to the problem in the long run.

The best way to stop dog aggression is through strict dog training and tricks. The dog has to know that the trainer is in charge and the dog must focus on them. By paying attention to the trainer the dog is less likely to focus on the other animal.  The owner should give another command to the dog, such as ‘heel’ when there is another dog around. But probably the commands of 'down' or 'sit' are not a good idea as this puts the dog in a position where it can be attacked. Your dog knows this and is not likely to obey!

It is also important that the owner controls his anxious feelings and behavior too, so that the dog does not take a nervous cue from the owner.  This can particularly help to stop dog aggression since the dog is very a tune to the feelings of the owner.

In Australia we had our worst national tragedy with bushfires in 2009. My house was on the fringe of the fire and I had to get essentials packed for my invalid Mum and hubby. While I was rushing around organizing everything in case we had to flee, my young Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was also running around barking non stop. I realised it was my anxiousness that was causing this. So I took a deep breath, talked calmer, moved more slowly and took the time to pat his every now and then. He was still on edge, but stopped the barking.

Another good way to stop dog aggression is to train the dog to focus, and then distract him by offering a treat when there is another dog around.  The treat can be thrown to the ground and the dog can be told to find it, thus distracting the dog from the other dog and stop dog aggression before it starts.

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