Ah, Aggression in dogs, we get it! When your dog seems to attack and lung at everything they can see, regardless of how far away it might be, you really have a hard time understanding your dog’s behavior. Why does my dog become aggressive? Why is my dog aggressive toward men and not women? How come my dog is OK with some dogs, but, not others? Common questions for dog trainers.

Making the Life of a Dog Better,

We love to train aggressive dogs because the majority of these cases are based on reducing fear, frustration and anger. This is accomplish with a better understanding of your dog and how to work with your dog to make it through previously dangerous encounters. If it is found that the aggression is neutral, it can even be used as a sport or skill. Motley’s Dog Training methods and philosophy.

Understanding Why Your Dog is Aggressive

The reason your dog is aggressive is because they were born with the genetic potential to be aggressive or anxious. Learning, experience, and the method of changing behavior either make this potential to be an aggressive dog useful or dangerous. Military Working Dogs, Police Dogs or Protection Dogs all think aggression is a sport, it is entertaining to them. This is rare. Needing to go to anger management classes for dogs or having social anxiety are examples cognitive conditions called mood disorders and yes, dog aggression is often caused by a mood disorder. Dogs can suffer from the same psychological conditions that people do and the same treatments used for us work for them too.

“Oh, my dog is just excited.” “My dog just wants to play.” Improper training in common social interactions and a lack of emotional management often leads to dog on dog aggression. The most common cause of dogs aggression toward people is simply poor training, education and expectations of your dog.

It is super important that if your dog has a history of violence you make managing and training your dog for social events a habit.

Bad Habits, Good Habits Yes this is Conditioning

Here is what many do not consider. What you do every day changes your brain chemistry, similar to drugs. We call these behavior patterns or habits. We have all got them.

All of us, your dog included, have behavioral patterns, many of which we do not even think about or consider. This is because we have accidentally conditioned ourselves.

Our behavior also effects our dogs behavior. A good article in Your Dog Advisor talks about how your dog can tell if you are sad.

Do Dogs Know When You are Sad? Can Dogs Sense Sadness? Here’s What We Know

Last Updated : July 1, 2022 Published June 3, 2022

by Kelly Smeby

Are Good Habits, Really Good?

There are good ones and bad ones, but, it is the motivation and intent that matters the most. As you may know, a feature of anxiety is often forming habits that seems positive but are actually designed to avoid or distract from anxiety provoking stimuli. Extreme examples can be seen in Canine OCD or the human equivalent.

What is Your Dog’s Motivation?

Now, you have a dog. Guess what, the dogs have two primary objectives. The first objective is to figure you out, and the second is to get what they want. So, while you are wondering around the house trying to accomplish all the stuff life troughs at us all, your dog is working on figuring out how to get what they want from you.

The Day to Day stuff Matters

All of this is colored by your dog’s personality or disposition, my dog is friendly, my dog is aggressive my dog is fearful. This descriptor is part of what we call baseline behavior. Your dog is a lot like a toddler, so, you have to teach them how to behave while you are performing your daily rituals. Difficulties with this process will be related to your dog’s baseline behavior. Friendly dogs, beg, lick, jump up on you, aggressive dog may bite, bark or grow. Fearful dogs, well, you get it. This process becomes more challenging when we consider your dog’s drive and threshold patterns.

Get To know Your Dog

To properly teach any animal, you have got to master and manipulate these behaviors. It is also a fact that, even with-in breeds, no two dogs are the same. Similarly, no two dogs have the same strengths and weaknesses. For best results, your trainer has got to understand the dog and alter their training to benefit that beast. Many, regardless of years of experience, have never really understood what we just discussed so, prong collars, ecollars and other uses of force are deployed.

The majority of the additional brain we have that our dogs lack is for the purposes of impulse control, higher thinking and figuring out abstract ideas. This means that you can help your dog simply by improving the functions that they are weak in. Exposure therapy is the final stage, not the first, remember we need time and practice for our behavior to change the brain. Dog training collars, if they are necessary, they are also the last tool, not the first. Same thinking.

My Dog is Aggressive, what do I do right now!

Contact us. We will set up your first session. While you are waiting for your session, work on the following two things that are very important in changing the world for you and your dog.

Here is a good article to read if you are having problems with your dog being aggressive.

What Is Aggression? Dog Reactivity vs. Dog Aggression

By Erin Rakosky, DVM

Aug 19, 2020 | 4 Minutes

Our Teams Say it Best!

What will your dog story be?

I recommend Motley Dog training, Motley is great to work with, you don’t feel like just another client. He takes the time to get to know you and your situation. I thought I had an aggressive dog, no-it was me, and Motley explained why my GSD was acting the way he was. He took the time to work with me and my dog, so we could achieve my goal of calmer and obedient dog. We still have work to do, but at least it is going in a positive direction, and I am so happy about it.
Motley is upfront, honest and patient, and he wants you to succeed-you can’t ask for more than that
Thank you!

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