When you’re looking to train your dog properly, you may wonder “Can you train an aggressive dog?” Aggressive behavior is among the most common behaviors dogs display and can often lead to issues with you, other people, and even in the dog’s own family. Because many owners feel like their aggressive dog is “bad” or “aggressive”, they fail to see that just because a dog is aggressive, that doesn’t mean it’s always going to be that way. You should learn about the causes of aggressive dog behavior so that you can decide whether or not it’s time to consider a professional dog training class for your dog.
It’s also the number one cause of dogs being surrendered to or reclaimed by animal shelters. So many owners assume that since their dog acts badly, it must be “broken” or “fixed”. Unfortunately, there are no magical techniques that work on every dog, or that will “fix” aggressive dog training. No matter what anyone tells you, dogs don’t learn “bad” behavior from the same place humans do. If anything, aggressive dogs may learn aggressive dog training tricks, but they won’t necessarily be changed.
Many owners mistakenly believe they can teach dogs to sit with the clicker. The truth is, this method does NOT work. It can be very easy for a dog to just stop listening to the click, simply because it doesn’t bother them enough. In addition, dogs don’t learn any better when they are rewarded with treats and praise instead of praise and attention. A simple reward of hugs and petting can be much more effective than the occasional “click” or “treat”.
Treats and praise can actually have a negative effect on training because they provide a sense of incentive for bad behavior. It’s much better to focus your attention on neutral or positive behaviors, then on rewarding bad behavior. While you can use treats to teach dogs the right way to behave, remember dogs learn best when there is nothing particular happening to them. They have to WANT to behave in order to learn, not just when they’re rewarded. Rewards are a form of negative reinforcement and should be avoided at all costs.
There are some great neutral dogs that really do hate to be touched. If your dog is one of these types, it’s best not to apply any sort of force to stop their aggressive behavior. You can spend hours trying to persuade them to “come”, when in reality they’d already done it long before you’d even get started. Even the most patient, well-meaning puppy owner can only do so much in a short period of time. Patience is very important here.
Another problem with overly aggressive dogs is that they often respond negatively to simple things like physical touching or the “come” command. This can easily be remedied with classical conditioning. Classical conditioning involves the training of a dog using positive reinforcement to get it to understand and anticipate the behavior you want it to perform. You simply repeat the behavior to the dog until it stops, then give it a treat (or another type of reward) the next time it performs the same behavior. Classical conditioning has proven successful with many kinds of behavior, not just aggressive behavior. In fact, dogs respond extremely well to this form of training!
Some dogs have personality flaws that mean they act out when they feel threatened. You can easily recognize these types of dogs by looking for signs such as growling, barking, and showing other signs of arousal. These dogs need to be trained, because their actions often reflect fear and intimidation. You can train these dogs successfully if you can figure out what sets off their aggression. Fortunately, there are a few tips that will help.
When training these dogs, remember to keep your distance, use a gentle voice, and make sure the dog knows it’s only you in its world. Some dogs can sense when they’re threatened so they’ll lunge at you as soon as you touch them. If you’re worried about lunging back, try a subtle pressure point on their chest or belly to show them who’s boss. These tips should help teach any dog the boundaries, it needs to know. With some consistent training, lunging at your opponents won’t be quite as threatening anymore!
