Dogs Aggressive With Other Dogs - What Can I Do About This?

Dog aggression is a potentially serious problem for any dog that is tempted into a fight with another dog. Many times, if you don't deal with the problem promptly the aggressive behavior will get a lot worse fast. You cannot, I repeat, you CANNOT just ignore this aggressive behavior, or deny that it's happening. My dog Simon (the Border Collie I mentioned above) was the sweetest dog in the world and would play with anything and anybody up until he was four years old; one day a neighbor dog got loose from his pen and it was h*ll on earth. trying to separate the two...the other dog started it, but it doesn't matter. When I picked Simon up from the vet four days later (he nearly died) it was a hard, fast slide from the happy-go-lucky dog that I knew to a junkyard dog that would try to climb out of his fence every time another dog was within spotting distance...and this included his playmate that he had grown up with and absolutely adored. The moral of the story: dogs agressive with other dogs is so often not a one time thing, and you MUST address the issue fast! I was almost at the point of having my lovely boy euthanized because I couldn't control him.

_

Keep in mind that I am only covering the types of aggression that are directly linked to dogs aggressive with other dogs, not dogs biting people or other animals. Typically, canine aggression toward other dogs fall under these categories:

• Dominance Aggression

• Learned Aggression

• Fear/Nervous Aggression

• Territorial Aggression

• Predatory Aggression

• Sexual Aggression

• Protective Aggression

Any of the categories that I listed might be the cause of aggression in dogs towards other dogs. Most of the time, however, dogs agressive with other dogs is caused by not enough puppy socialization, a bad experience with another dog or it could be a dominance battle. Before deciding which category fits your dog you should have him/her checked by a vet to rule out medical causes.

_

Get More Info. on PetAlive Aggression Formula for Stressed and Aggressive Pets

As with the vast majority of dog behavior issues, proper dog obedience training is most times the answer to this problem.
Dog obedience training puts you up on top of the pack as the firm but fair leader (you MUST be perceived by your dogs to be the alpha leader; no questions asked.) Once you have done some obedience training with your dog you will have voice control over him in almost any situation.

Early puppy socialization is also a must, if you get your dog as a young puppy; make sure that your puppy is exposed to other people and animals outside the home as much as possible. If your dog comes to you later as an adult dog and has been poorly socialized, then it is even more critical that you turn to some obedience training to set things right. It won't be an easy road with an older dog, but for you and your dog's sakes it must be done or you will wind up with a host of problems in a hurry.

Going along with early puppy socialization, bite inhibition training is a must at the puppy stage. It's up to you to teach him or her what is or is not appropriate or permissable to chew on and it sure doesn't include your arm! Bite inhibition training is crucial and, done correctly, will save you trouble later.

Using items such as shock collars when dealing with an aggressive dog is stupid, in my opinion; you already have an angry dog on your hands, and to add pain into the mix is like trying to put out a fire using gasoline. There are enough humane methods out there for dealing with this kind of behavior that you shouldn't even have to consider resorting to shock or prong collars.

You can also consult an animal behaviorist; I highly recommend DogProblems.com because of the wonderful job they did with my dog Simon. DogProblems.com is a website run by professional dog trainer Adam Katz; his methods are easy to understand, utilize common sense without adding "pain" methods and they work quickly. If you implement proper obedience training techniques, dogs agressive with other dogs should no longer be an issue.

Native Remedies now has a blog that is full of articles, advice, anecdotes and quality information on health for the whole family, including pets!

Natural & Herbal Remedies Blog - Advice to Relieve Anxiety, ADHD & More