Every dog has what is called a ‘guardian instinct’ which means that they have a built in instinct to bark at strangers both in and outside of the house, bark at a mailman passing its territory, or bark at anybody when protecting their toys or their dish of food. So do not panic if your puppy does this occasionally. It’s totally normal for a puppy. With proper training these behavioral problems can become controlled.

Extreme cases of aggression are dogs that bite. And even those dogs that have bitten before can be rehabilitated through proper training. A dog may bite someone or something because of several reasons. A dog’s aggression may be related to its need to dominate or its desire to guard people or objects. It could also be as simple as fear which causes a dog to bite.

Today we are going to talk about three types of dog aggression that you just might have to deal with; dominance, fear, and territorial. All of these actions are normal in puppies to some degree. However, they need to be controlled before your puppy grows into a truly aggressive dog.

First let’s talk about dominant dog aggression. If you have a puppy that likes to steal your stuff for fun (like clothing), or barks just to get your attention, then you have no choice but to deal with this aggression and take control of this behavior long before she becomes an adult.

To train your dog to fix its dominant aggression you can do several things. One is to have ’stare down’ competitions with your dog (only if you initiate them) until your puppy breaks the stare first. Also, regulate it’s feeding to only twice per day and do not practice giving your dog treats or rewards until these aggression problems are gone.

Dog aggression can also happen when a dog is afraid and feels cornered. If your puppy hides under the table when you have company or leans against you in a new environment out of fear, you need to begin socializing him immediately. Take him to the park, attend puppy obedience classes, and go for daily walks to get your puppy used to strange things or you may end up with a dog that attacks anyone who approaches him out of fear.

Next we have what is called ‘territorial dog aggression’. A dog displays territorial aggression by barking at strangers whom approach the home in which the live in. If you have people constantly coming in and out then a puppy thinks that she has driven them away, which reinforces aggression. And ironically enough, if you yell at the dog for barking when someone is visiting your house then they take this yelling not as a bad thing, but a good thing. The dog actually perceives this yelling as support or backup for their own aggression towards another person leaving the house.

To prevent this type of behavioral problem here are a few tips for you. You should assert yourself by keeping the puppy clear from furniture. Also, make the dog’s associations with visitors to your house positive by giving them a treat. Peanut butter is great for this. When you have guests arrive at your house then have the guests offer the puppy a treat as well. But make sure that the puppy is settled down first. Last but not least, try to put a halt to all yelling and do not do any physical corrections. All it does is add even more negative energy to their tense situations.

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