1. ID Tag …. 2. Transition …. 3. Housetraining …. 4. Feeding
5. Fleas & Ticks …. 6. Heartworms …. 7. Poison Control …. 8. First Aid Kit
9. Marker Training …. 10. Aggression …. 11. Resources & Recommended Reading
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If your dog starts showing aggression or bites someone in your home—or if you encounter other behavioral problems that you have not anticipated—please consult with your vet and contact New Rattitude for advice immediately. We have a wealth of information and experience. Sometimes there is a medical reason or an environmental trigger. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!
It is helpful to try objectively assessing the conditions leading to the aggression, which is essential to understand to work on resolving the issue. For example, does the behavior usually occur in a particular situation (e.g. on leash)? Is it happening only when certain people (e.g. men/children/strangers) are around? Does the dog actually bite, or just threaten? Is food or possibly other resources (toys/dog bed/kennel) involved? Does he give warning (e.g. growl or a hard stare) beforehand? What is his attitude afterwards… guilty? fearful? Ready to fight?
Nipping
Be sure to distinguish between a nip and a bite. A simple nip is a quick pinch of the teeth that doesn’t draw blood or puncture the skin. A nip can be a frisky dog’s natural way to play, a frustrated dog’s way of trying to communicate, or even an instinctive reaction from a dog’s natural urge to herd and hunt. A dog that nips simply may not have been taught that nipping humans is an unacceptable behavior.
Dogs must be trained not to nip and provided with alternative outlets for play. Training a dog not to nip takes patience and persistence. Repetition is the key to teaching them. Just like a two-year-old child, a dog needs to be told several times before he learns what it is that you want from him.
One method to teach a dog not to nip is to make a loud, high-pitched “yipe” sound whenever your dog nips you. The “yipe” sound should mimic the yelping sound a dog makes when hurt. In dog language, a “yipe” means “ouch.” Making this noise tells your dog that you are getting hurt. Do not get mad at your dog, but do stop playing with him. When the dog understands that nipping means playtime is over, he will learn to stop the nipping, although sometimes a dog will first try nipping a bit more just to see if he can get your attention before accepting that a nip does indeed mean no more play time.
Give your dog a variety of chew toys to satisfy his natural urge to chew and exercise his jaws. Offer both soft toys and hard toys, sized appropriately. Regularly providing new toys helps prevent boredom. Dogs like to play using their mouths and to play with their humans so a game of tug-of-war provides an appropriate way to do both. Take your dog for regular walks, especially in the mornings, since nipping behavior is often a symptom of boredom and pent up energy. Dogs with high energy levels need longer and more frequent walks. You can also play chase or catch with your dog to provide mental stimulation and a way to release energy.
Overprotection
An overprotective dog may show possessive aggression. This dog may think it’s his role to protect you from other humans or dogs who it thinks could be a threat. This situation develops when a dog shows signs of being protective and its human inadvertently reinforces that behavior by trying to soothe the dog when it is upset. The dog could interpret the soothing as positive feedback, which would make it more likely for him to continue or even escalate the undesirable behavior. But neither should you discipline or speak sharply to the dog, which will add to the stress or tension he is already feeling.
Instead, if your dog shows signs of undesirable aggression toward any particular person, react immediately in a calm, controlled way. Step toward the person, in front of the dog, to show him clearly that you are in charge of your situation and do not require his “assistance.” If your dog will respond to a request to sit and focus on you, redirect him to this appropriate behavior (watching you calmly) and reward when he achieves this. If you know that your dog is too hyped up to follow your direction on his own, take hold of his collar without a big fuss and calmly lead him away to confinement in a crate or another room. If you cannot grasp the collar without stressing the dog and risking a redirected bite, then ignore the dog instead and swiftly but calmly move with the other person to a safe location away from the dog, keeping yourself between the dog and the other person, and keeping an eye on the dog to ensure he does not attempt to lunge at your backs. Ignoring the dog in this way is only a temporary resort, not a solution; it is extremely important that you begin training sessions with the dog — when the environment is non-distracting — to build your relationship and teach him to respond reliably when you ask for his focus.
The person being growled at should never attempt to correct the dog but should maintain a friendly, non-threatening attitude by turning sideways to the dog, avoiding eye contact, and laughing and chatting with you in a relaxed way.
Fear Biting
Dogs who are otherwise well socialized may nevertheless react with a snap or bite when startled or scared. This is done in a moment of panic in an effort to get you to stop whatever you are doing. Usually such a bite occurs after clear signals that the dog is beyond his comfort zone. If the dog is cowering and backed up as far away as he can get, he is telling you as clearly as he knows how to stop whatever you are doing. If you disregard him and reach for him anyway, his instinct is to protect himself in the only other way he knows how. If this happens, it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s yours.
Don’t punish a fear-biter for biting. Yelling or hitting only creates more fear, increasing the problem. The way to deal with a fear-biter is to help train him to get over his fear and to learn his signals so that you do nothing to cause his fear response. If the fear is gone, the fear biting will be solved. Training a dog to get over being fearful can be a long process and requires a positive attitude, patience, and consistency. Don’t soothe or coddle a fearful dog, which reduces his confidence so lowers his sense of security. Instead, project an image of happy, relaxed self-assurance. Don’t try to convince him to not be scared; he will lose his fear when he develops confidence, and that cannot be forced. Handle him frequently, socialize him, teach him about fun, do obedience work, and most of all show him that you are not worried.
Is your dog afraid of thunder? Get down on the floor with him and stretch and yawn. Roll onto your back with your vulnerable belly exposed. Fake a sneeze. Laugh. Lie peacefully. What you’re telling your dog with your body language is “everything is fine; life is good.”
If the dog is afraid of strangers, approach the person confidently and pay no attention to your dog. Model brave behavior. Shake hands or otherwise touch the person. Chat. Laugh.
If you’re out in traffic and your dog panics, stop walking and start throwing some calming signals. If you act confident, your dog will believe you that nothing is wrong. Once you have him under control again, begin your walk, head up, easy strides. Remember that you’re the one your dog looks up to for guidance. If you are unafraid, your dog will believe that you will protect him and therefore there is nothing to worry about.
The recommended reading list in this Guide has a number of great books dealing with dog aggression issues. You can also get more information on aggressive behavior HERE.
1. ID Tag …. 2. Transition …. 3. Housetraining …. 4. Feeding
5. Fleas & Ticks …. 6. Heartworms …. 7. Poison Control …. 8. First Aid Kit
9. Marker Training …. 10. Aggression …. 11. Resources & Recommended Reading