If you want to read the original article, it’s here: Nine tips if your dog becomes aggressive.

For more on the topic, here’s a book at Amazon. Clicking on the image takes you to it:

Dog Aggression is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

I’m certainly no expert myself on how to handle aggression, so I was pleased this morning when I happened to be reading  Clickertraining: the 4 Secrets of Becoming a Supertrainer and came across an interesting example of how trainers Morten Egtvedt and Cecilie Koeste handled dog-dog aggression in Morten’s dog Kiro. (The photo is not of Kiro.)

It sounds like Morten acquired Kiro after the dog’s aggressive behavior had become entrenched… I rather imagine that someone who couldn’t cope with the dog was all to happy to give him to an expert trainer! However Morten got Kiro, the situation was that after many incidents in his puppyhood, Kiro would pretty much go nuts on leash when they approached another dog. He would bark hysterically and lunge at the dog. No way could he just greet another male dog politely.

Morten’s training method wasn’t fancy but it makes sense. When he and Kiro were out walking, as soon as another dog came into view, he began rewarding Kiro with clicks for doing anything but being aggressive. Since they would still be some ways away from the other dog, there could be time to click and treat Kiro for maybe 7 or 8 behaviors – things like looking at Morten, walking on loose leash, even looking at the other dog.

The result was that Kiro wasn’t nearly as likely to be aggressive towards the other dogs. Morton and Cecile comment, “Kiro’s center for reinforcement [in his brain] was stimulated just before he met the dog, making his ‘fuse’ a great deal longer than it would otherwise have been.” They go on to say that in many cases of dog aggression, close attention to little things like this is a significant part of solving the problems. Kiro improved greatly.

If you have a dog with aggressive actions beyond your ability to handle them, by all means find a good dog trainer. But if you have some challenges you think you can handle, Clickertraining: the 4 Secrets of Becoming a Supertrainer is a very informative ebook that gives you an overall training concept, including dog aggression. Click on the title to go to the website about it.

Dog Aggression Handled by Clicker Training is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

1. The San Francisco SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a non-profit founded in 1868) has several useful pages. Start here: http://www.sfspca.org/behavior/aggression.shtml and there are also good pages on understanding dog aggression and curbing it at home.
2. Here’s a site that was created after the people suffered from sending their dog to a “board and train” facility that didn’t work out. They have created quite a comprehensive site, good for anyone with an aggressive dog, lots of good basic information as well as many scholarly footnotes that actually are linked to places the articles can be found. I used to be a librarian, and I was impressed with how this site was put together. It’s not easy to find all the pages, though, so keep looking around. They also run a support group on Yahoo groups. I tend to be a little leery of websites with K9 in their names, as often they have a different training philosophy than mine, but in my browsing around the site, I didn’t see anything I disagreed with. http://www.k9aggression.com
3. Wikipedia is a website that is an online encyclopedia that anyone can help edit. It has a basic article with more links to other sites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_aggression They use the term “dog aggression” to mean only between dogs, but here I use it in a more general sense, to include attacks or bites on people as well.
4. Stan Rawlinson is a British dog behaviorist and trainer who uses pain-free methods. His article, Interdog and Human Aggression, is at http://www.doglistener.co.uk/aggression/interdog.shtml The title made me wonder if the article would cover humans being aggressive against dogs, but it didn’t! Interestingly, he comments that the most aggressive dogs he has encountered have been Toy Poodles or other small breeds, because owners will tolerate behavior from tiny dogs that they would not accept from larger ones.
5. This last website is not actually about this topic per se, but I found it so pertinent that I am adding it here: http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/2001/dominance.htm is an article that gives terrific background on how the “Wolves are Pack Animals — Dogs are Wolves — You Gotta be Alpha” school of thought (my description) came to be, and why it is not accurate. The article is titled The History and Misconceptions of Dominance Theory and it is by Melissa Alexander, author of the excellent clicker training book, Click for Joy! This is her website and is worth looking around.

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When I went to spell-check this article in the blog writing software I use, I accidentally hit a button I didn’t know about, which allows me to easily add links to books at Amazon. I’m sure I’ll be using it a lot. Here is Melissa Alexander’s book, admittedly not on the topic of dog aggression but it does follow from the last paragraph!

Click for Joy! Questions and Answers from Clicker Trainers and Their Dogs (Karen Pryor Clicker Books) by Melissa C. AlexanderRead more about this book…

Technorati Tags: dog aggression,aggressivedogs

Dog Aggression: Some Good Websites is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Any dog can bite, of course. The number of biting incidents every year is astonishingly high, and a high percentage of those bites are inflicted on children. Dog-dog aggression is also a serious problem which can flare up suddenly or build gradually. Depressing.

But there is a lot you can do if your dog shows aggression. Here are nine tips.

1. Immediately manage the situation for safety. Don’t risk injury to yourself, other people, the dog, or other pets. Use a crate if the dog is used to one or if you can train him to accept it. (See my page on crate training.) It may be quite inconvenient for you to provide the necessary level of supervision while you consider your options, but it’s essential. For example, if two dogs in your house are not getting along, you may have to keep doors closed between them. You are avoiding dog bites and more in this step.
2. Start a log. Use a notebook or a clipboard with paper, something you can keep handy with a pen there too. Much as I love writing at the computer, in this case, I don’t recommend it as your primary log, because it is too easy to think you will write something the next time you turn on the computer and then not get around to it. Better to jot down short notes daily, or more often. Note any problems and also note successes. Don’t think you will remember it all later, because it will blur over time.

3. Take your dog to your veterinarian for a check-up. Pain anywhere in the dog’s body can make the dog very irritable. There are literally dozen of causes of dog aggression that veterinary attention can find. The veterinarian may suggest temporary medications for the dog, and you can consider that. (Only a small percentage of veterinarians at present would be able to make suggestions for herbal or homeopathic remedies, but some of those who do will consult by phone. This would be best after your regular vet has seen your dog.)

4. Be sure your dog gets plenty of exercise and healthy food. This may require some significant changes in your habits — you could get a lot more exercise too! — but a tired dog is typically way less likely to misbehave. If your dog’s aggression comes out when you walk him, you can get him used to a head halter such as a Halti or Gentle Leader which gives you more control without aggravating the problems. You may need to drive him to a different area to get good walks if your neighborhood isn’t optimal. Small dogs can get a good bit of exercise if you play with them in your house or apartment. (By the way, many small dog owners let aggressiveness go unchecked that they wouldn’t allow in a larger dog. Don’t make that mistake.) Regarding the food, the usual grocery store brands are full of chemicals which can affect behavior negatively. See other pages of this website for more on the importance of healthier dog food, or search the internet.

5. Avoid situations that bring out the aggressive behavior in your dog. Research shows that your vigilance can make all the difference in the long-term outcome of a dog aggression problem. If the issue is in your home, pay attention to what resources your dog may be guarding — things like access to you, a comfortable bed, food, toys, etc. This resource guarding can be relative to another dog, or relative to a cat or a person. I once had a rescue dog who tried to guard me from my husband Kelly when Kelly would enter my home office; it took a while, but after my husband had patiently given the dog many treats in the hallway before the growling began, the dog realized that there were two nice people in the family!

6. Train your dog. Go back to the basics of sit, stay, down, if you haven’t been using them a lot lately. If you do train your dog regularly, keep it up. Train tricks like shaking hands or rolling over, if you wish. The core idea here is to help your dog to use his mind and to enhance the relationship between you, THEN over time you can get better behavior in the stressful situations. Whatever you do, be sure to use pain-free training methods; not only are they more humane, they are actually more effective too. I highly recommend clicker training in this situation — here’s one outstanding book:

Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog (Karen Pryor Clicker Book) by Emma ParsonsRead more about this book…

7. Diminish your dog’s fear. Recognize that in most cases, fear is a big part of why your dog is aggressive. Do what you can to diminish his fear. I’m thinking here of things like massage and Tellington TTouch. Since every dog has a different handling threshold, that is, a different level of acceptance of being touched at all and of being touched in particular parts of the body, don’t push beyond what the dog likes. You will also be diminishing your dog’s fear by doing things mentioned in this article, such as more exercise and avoiding stressful situations.

8. Seriously consider hiring a really good dog trainer for a series of sessions. Many dog aggression situations are going to be somewhat beyond the ability of the owner to handle alone. In choosing a dog trainer, be very careful. Ask a lot of questions. You may be shocked at the cruelty of some of the methods that are commonly used to “break” a dog. Also, you may be vulnerable emotionally to a trainer who promises you that everything will be just fine, but be wary of anyone who promises you the moon. Be sure to ask the dog trainer about their background, professional training, and philosophy. Ask for at least three references, and phone those people. One resource for starting your dog trainer search is the list at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, a group I belong to. Don’t be in a hurry to send your dog away somewhere for training or “rehab” because the aggressive behavior happens in the context of your world, and in general it’s much better to work with someone while the dog stays at home. Real improvement is almost never going to happen in just one or two sessions. When the trainer evaluates your dog, discuss with them how many sessions they recommend, knowing that it’s hard to predict. This is likely to make a dent in your wallet but can make it possible to save a dog.

9. Consider your options and commit to a plan. This last tip is one of the most important, because no matter what difficult emotions you go through –anger, sadness, frustration, denial — if you keep working with your dog, revising your plan as needed, the outlook is much brighter than if you let things slide.

Nine Tips If Your Dog Becomes Aggressive is a post from: Training Dogs Blog

Whatever form it takes, dog aggression can be heartrending to the dog’s owner and a huge challenge to deal with. What are you going to do? How much time will it take to deal with this situation? Will it cost a lot of money?

All too often, dog owners do nothing after an incident of dog aggression.

After all, otherwise the dog may be very loving, well behaved, and fun. The thought of having to give away the dog, to do some unknown number of things to address the problem, or even to euthanize your pet if the event was quite serious, is just too much to deal with. There’s a natural human tendency to let it go this time.

But if you do this, you have lost something: you’ve lost some flexibility in your management and training options. If your dog attacks again, it may cause even worse harm or be at an even more inconvenient time for you to deal with it. Merely hoping your dog won’t display aggressiveness again isn’t a very good strategy.

So… what do you do? A veterinary consultation is an excellent idea, for starters, because there are many physical conditions in a dog that can trigger violence. I remember reading once about a beloved family pet, I think it was a Golden Retriever. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she began snapping at the other dog in the family when it tried to play with her. She snarled at the people when they tried to pet her. They were beginning to come to the conclusion that she had gone crazy but they did take her to their vet. He found a hairline fracture in one of her bones. Once that was dealt with, she returned to her usual sweet self.

Another good reason to involve your veterinarian early is that if it does become necessary, tranquilizers are one of the management tools used in dealing with dog aggression. Xanax, Valium, their generic equivalents, and other drugs can be used, preferably to gain some time for you to work with a good dog trainer.

When I say a good dog trainer, that’s kind of a loaded phrase. Who you will think is good will partly depend on your own attitudes and beliefs about how to train dogs. Since you’re reading this on my website, you can just look up at the top of the screen and see my point of view. I am among the many dog trainers and owners who are finding that pain-free methods work best for all aspects of living with and training dogs. To find a trainer with this point of view, I suggest you take a look at the dog trainer search feature of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. This organization, which I belong to, advocates dog-friendly training. This does not mean that every trainer listed will be using only pain-free methods, but you can ask questions of anyone in your area. By the way, this search feature lists trainers internationally.

Something you can start right away is management: getting your dog more exercise to tire him out and supervise his contact with others. Consider his food too: last year I wrote up a detailed case study of a dog whose aggression problems went away when his food was changed. That link takes you to the first of three articles I wrote about Marley. Working with him on training helps too, and often going back to the basics is a good strategy here. How reliable is his sit-stay or down-stay? Will he hold them even when distracted?

Clearly, I have barely begun to scratch the surface of this important topic. I plan to write more about it soon…. I’m working on an article giving tips about handling your aggressive dog, as well as an article listing other informative websites on dog aggression.

Here’s a book I liked: THE DOG AGGRESSION WORKBOOK by James O’Heare. The link takes you to Dogwise, which also has other books on working with aggression in dogs. And whatever you do, keep your dog and everyone around him as safe as possible while you address these issues! Dog bites are absolutely no fun.

[tags]dog aggression, dogaggression, dog bites, dogbites, aggressive dogs, aggressivedogs[/tags]

Managing and Training Your Aggressive Dog is a post from: Training Dogs Blog