Can dog training help with aggression? The short answer is yes. Yes, dog training can help with aggression. But the longer answer is that dog training tips are a dime a dozen. A lot of them aren’t so helpful, or they contradict each other. But some tips are quite helpful.
Don’t Use “No” as a Training Term. A dog isn’t born knowing “no.” A dog doesn’t know when to obey and when not to obey. Dog training is all about consistency and using clear verbal cues to keep everyone involved.
Use a Dog Behavior System/ Chart. A dog behavior system or chart can be extremely helpful in teaching your dog how to behave. This system will help you see where there triggers are and it’s easier to avoid those triggers and do the opposite.
Don’t Use Muzzles or Leashes. Unless your dog is going to a park, a dog park, on a hike, etc., there’s no need to use a muzzle or leash. When in those situations, your dog will behave without a care in the world. Using a leash and a muzzle will only cause confusion and hinder your dog training.
Be Aggressive. Dogs have a primal instinct of aggression. If you don’t want your dog to snap at other dogs or puppies, never use a leash or a muzzle. It will only cause confusion and hinder your dog training. Always use a protective alpha dog stance and stand up straight with powerful body language.
Use Resource Guards. Your dog may be triggered by a person, place or thing. If your dog is reactive to a person, try putting a muzzle on your dog, but don’t put it on all the time and pull on the leash as hard as you can. This is a common mistake because your dog thinks this is a trigger and will immediately activate their aggressive behavior.
Use A Panic Remedy. If you’re dog is reactive to a particular event in your environment or life, it’s best to take that particular event out of the equation and make your dog feel relaxed. The best way to do that is to use a calming and soothing treatment. You can use a dog tranquilizer to calm them down or you can give them a prescription treat to calm them down. Do whatever you can to make them feel relaxed next time you’re in the same spot, if you haven’t already.
Play It Off. One of the most popular tricks used to train dogs is to play “rumsling” or “tossing.” Basically, you throw your dog’s ball and they have to run and catch it. If they don’t catch it, then you toss more treats your dog until they catch every single one. This game gets rid of all sorts of negative social situations from your dog’s experience and promotes a healthy way of living where the dog is never fearful and always positive around people and other dogs.
Resource Guarding. Many dogs suffer from what is colloquially known as “resource guarding.” This is the instinctive behavior in dogs to guard or protect their owners, their food and their property. Resource guarding can stem from fear, lack of proper training or even psychological issues and can be difficult to break in training.
Ignore Them If You Have To. One of the most effective things you can do when training reactive dogs is to ignore them when you have to. Don’t yell at them or punish them for reacting to certain events. If you’ve had them for a long time and they’ve formed this habit, ignoring them will likely be difficult to do, even if you’ve spent a lot of time training them. So just ignore them and let them do what they want to do.
Create the Red Zone. If your dog consistently pulls on the leash, tries to climb the fence or starts to bark while you’re away, it may be a sign that it’s time to create the red zone. A good trick to use in creating the red zone is to only give your dog treats during the training session that you plan on giving him. For example, if you only plan on giving him a treat every time he shows aggressive behavior, then you should only reward him with a treat every time he performs the desired behavior. This creates a consistency with your training and helps him to form good associations between good behaviors and a treat, which in turn inhibits the reinforcing behavior of pulling on the leash.
The Best Way to Train Aggressive Canines is to Use a Dog Training Collar. These are specially designed dog collars that will literally silence your dog when it starts to bark non-stop, chew on its toys, bark while you’re gone etc. so that the dog is totally distracted with its surroundings. They are also very affordable so make sure you look around and compare before buying one.
