FEAR AGGRESSION DOG BEHAVIOR REMEDY
FEAR AGGRESSION DOG BEHAVIOR - REMEDY
By Tess Thompson
Understanding the reasons behind dog aggression almost always help in using the right techniques to train or re-train your dog. Aggressive dog behavior is caused mainly by the dominating trait that most dogs have. This specifically pertains to the domination of territory or the pack. In many cases dog aggression can also be triggered by inter-male rivalry or fear of a specific object or person.
Under-socializing during the early training stage may drive some dogs to behave aggressively when someone approaches their home as they may fear a takeover. Aggression by bitches to protect their litter too is actually driven by fear for the safety of her offspring.
Dogs can be socially trained to hide or escape to cover up their fears. However, when they find themselves in a situation from which they cannot extricate themselves, they are liable to resort to aggression. For example, if you force your dog to interact with people or other dogs or a face a situation he is not ready for, it may result in aggressive behavior that may include dog biting .
Punishing a fearful dog is not recommended as it may increase the fear and lead to further aggression. The best strategy to remove fearful aggression in a dog is to desensitize him through a systematic and gradual exposure to the fear factor. Desensitization is carried out in conjunction with other training techniques like counter conditioning to speed up the desensitizing procedure.
The first step in treating aggression caused by fear is to identify the fears and phobias of your dog and the specific objects, people or action that causes it. Some dogs are fearful of a specific person or situation due to a prior experience. If during your absence some children have hurt your dog, he is liable to be afraid of children in general and may respond aggressively every time he sees children.
Some steps that are recommended for amending fear induced aggression include:
Try feeding your dog in your lap for sometime to boost his confidence. Handle him with care and talk to him all the while.
Initially let a mild fearful stimulus, a person for example, stand still at a distance. Train your dog to obey your ‘sit-and-watch-me’ command and let him be in the relaxed and down-stay position for some time. Reward your dog if he remains calm.
If the dog refuses to remain calm, walk him slowly towards the person, all the time rewarding him with praise and a treat. Alternately, the person can be asked to drop a treat for the dog.
If your dog fears loud noises like a firecracker, record the sound and play before him at low volume. Increase the volume level gradually as you see him tolerating each level.
Counter conditioning expedites desensitization. For example, if your dog is afraid of a situation, try to reward him with a treat the moment that situation occurs. The fear stimulus is thus converted into a pleasant experience. Gradually, the treat can be removed as the signs of fear disappear.
Once your dog has learnt to remain calm in face of prior or recurrent fear triggers, slowly and steadily he is liable to accept them as routine and shed his fear of persons, animals and situations.
References:
http://petplace.com/dogs/medical-causes-of-aggression-in-dogs/page1.aspx
http://petplace.com/dogs/aggression-in-dogs/page1.aspx
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