Dog Aggression: Three Tips for Dealing with It
Rosana Hart
No matter where you live, you may run into dog aggression, and it may be caused by your dog. Sometimes it is between two dogs, whether neighbors or dogs in the same household. Sometimes it involves a dog attacking or biting a human, all too often a child. This article will give you three things you can do if you are dealing with an aggressive dog in your family. It will also provide you with a link to a resource that has much more information on this stressful situation.
The first thing to do if you have an aggressive dog is to manage his living arrangements. You need to create a situation where everyone is protected from further harm: you, your family, the dog, and any other people or dogs who come in contact with your dog.
Crating your dog is an excellent way to increase safety. However, if he doesn't like being crated or simply isn't used to it, you will have to take it slowly, step by step, using food treats or toys -- a Kong is excellent. Only leave him in the crate for amounts of time that he accepts willingly, or he may injure himself or the crate in his attempt to escape. Do not put him in the crate for long hours, unless he is used to sleeping in it overnight, for example.
If you are not using a crate, consider enclosing the dog in some part of your home, whether a dog kennel in your yard or a less-used room in your house. This is a good plan in addition to a crate, as well. If your problem is between two dogs you own, at least at first you will want to have them well separated. One door between them may be okay, but two doors makes it much easier for you to get around.
Second, get your dog to your veterinarian for a thorough check-up. Many times, the cause of aggression in a dog is pain. Veterinarians can find many possible causes that you might never think of, such as dental pain. If this is the case, once the pain is gone, the dog will be a much happier camper and the aggression may go away completely.
Third, keep some sort of written record of the aggressive incidents. This is specially helpful later, because it is natural for us to forget whether the dog bit Mary before or after it growled at Bob, especially when the topic is plenty stressful. A handy notebook, or even just some paper, is recommended for this little project. These notes will be used as you begin to consider your longer-term options for dealing with the situation.
After getting this far, you have really just begun. What you do next will have a huge effect on your dog's future. Interesting, research has proven that when dog owners are pro-active in dealing with aggression problems, the dog is much more likely to be manageable long term. And that's good news if you love the dog!
About the Author:
Visit Rosana Hart's longer page on aggressive dogs, Nine Tips If Your Dog Becomes Aggressive. You can also visit the section on her site on dog aggression for more.
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