Can Dogs Really Be Trained Not to Be Aggressive?
Written by Lauren Tsao, MS, CDBC, CPDT-KA
Owning an aggressive dog can be a life-changing experience. A dog owner can quickly go from being the central hub for their entire family at Thanksgiving to never having anyone enter their home because they fear what their dog might do. Oftentimes, when a dog exhibits aggression, dog owners start to think euthanasia might be their only option after training technique after training technique fails.
Before making this difficult and painful choice, it is important to gather information from a professional dog behavior consultant (we are quite different from dog trainers!) about your dog's behavior. We see many dogs in a year with similar behavior to your own dog, so with our experience, we can weed out what might be truly abnormal behavior from pretty typical aggression cases with a clear path forward.
What Can Actually Be Done To Help My Aggressive Dog?
The short answer is that it depends on the situation and root cause of the aggression. However, for most dogs, there is hope for at least some behavior change when an experienced professional dog behavior consultant is assisting you with your dog. Once the root cause is ascertained, we can develop a behavior modification and training plan using positive reinforcement-based methods to help change the dog's behavior. However, it must be noted that not all aggressive dogs can be helped. For example, if a dog is genetically predisposed to being aggressive or there is an untreatable medical condition present, then the aggression may not change to the point that the owner can safely live with the dog.
Dog owners should be aware that once a dog has displayed a behavior like biting, it is within the dog’s behavior repertoire and that the behavior could repeat again even after years of not appearing and even with the best trainer helping you. So, precautions should be taken, especially for your dog has bitten.
Why Do Dogs Become Aggressive?
Dogs can become aggressive for many reasons. It could be fear-based, due to prior trauma or neglect, or even genetics. But in most cases, there are things that can be done to help mitigate the aggression and make your dog more comfortable around people and other animals.
How Can An Aggressive Dog Be Trained?
One of the most important things you can do as an owner is to correctly socialize your puppy from a young age. This means exposing them to as many different people, animals, and situations as possible in a positive way so they learn that these things are not something to be afraid of. If you do not socialize your puppy properly, they may grow up to be fearful of anything that they were not exposed to as a puppy which could lead to aggression later on down the road. However, keep in mind once a puppy’s critical socialization period is closed (after 16 weeks of age), socialization is no longer a good option for dogs showing aggression because you are likely exposing your dog to their trigger repeatedly and allowing them to practice the aggressive behaviors.
Another important factor in training an aggressive dog is understanding what might trigger their aggression. Once you know what sets off their aggressive behaviors, you can begin to work on counter-conditioning and desensitization exercises with the help of a certified dog behavior consultant or professional dog trainer experienced with aggression cases. These exercises help your dog associate good things (like treats or favorite toys) with whatever it is that makes them uncomfortable or anxious (like other dogs or strangers). Over time, with enough repetitions of this exercise, your dog will begin to feel more comfortable and less anxious in these situations which should lead to less aggressive behaviors overall.
For most dogs exhibiting aggression, there is hope for at least some behavior change when an experienced professional dog behavior consultant assists you with your dog. The key is to catch the aggression early and work on it consistently. The longer the aggression goes unchecked, the harder it will be to change.
Training an aggressive dog is possible in most cases but it will take time, patience, and consistency on your part. If you are struggling with an aggressive dog and are considering euthanasia, please reach out to a certified professional dog behavior consultant or dog trainer experienced in aggression cases first as there may be hope for change.
You can reach out to me, a certified dog behavior consultant and certified professional dog trainer in Jackson, MS for help in person or virtually anywhere in the world by clicking here. Understanding why your dog is aggressive and taking steps to increase both your and your dog’s quality of life are crucial in having a happy and healthy relationship with your furry friend.
