What You Need to Know About Your Dog's Aggressive Behavior

Most people think about dogs as loving and sweet creatures.  Most of the time they are.  However, there are sometimes instances of aggressive behavior.  This type of behavior can take many dog owners by surprise, and they may not know how to deal with it.  The key to handling aggressive dog behavior is understanding why it is occurring.  Generally, if you know why a behavior is occurring you can develop a plan to deal with it and to address the root of your dog's behavior problem.  

One of the most common causes of aggressive behavior in dogs is aggressive fear.  It makes sense that if a dog is concerned for its safety that it would want to defend itself.  Generally, if a dog is scared they will either try to ignore what is scaring them or they will attack it.  Aggressive fear is one of the most common reasons that children end up getting bitten when playing with a dog.  Often children are not aware of how they may be scaring a dog and may do something inadvertently to hurt the dog which can result in getting bitten.  

Dogs can also be very territorial creatures.  They like to mark their territory, and if your dog perceives someone as a threat he may feel like he needs to defend that territory.  In instances like this your dog may display aggressive behaviors which is why many people like to have dogs as guard dogs in their home.  However, you need to be careful how you foster this type of behavior in your pet.  

Your dog may also be prone to biting because they have not been properly socialized.  One of the best things that you can do is to allow your dog to play with other dogs.  When they play with other dogs your dog may nip and bite, but he will quickly learn that bites hurt and they shouldn't do that.  This play time helps to teach your dog how to properly handle his energy.  Additionally, you may want to take the time to properly socialize your dog with people.  The more time that a dog spends with different people the less likely he will be to bite strangers.  

You must also recognize that before you are able to teach your dog anything you need to have respect and trust.  Hitting your dog takes away some of that trust.  Instead, focus on the love that you have for your pet.  Be sure that you discipline your dog in a positive way instead of resorting to simply swatting him when he's done something wrong.  Violence begets violence and that is exactly what you do not want to encourage.  Instead, identify the root of your dog's aggressive behavior so that you can actively develop a plan to treat the situation so that you can alleviate the negative symptoms of the problem.