Few dogs just wake up one morning and decide to turn on their owners. Unless the dog is genetically defective, the build-up to aggression is much slower, and thus more difficult for the indulgent or uneducated owner to detect. But there are things you can avoid.
Don’t play tug-of-war games with your puppy with any object. There is a new strain of thought in some training circles that says that such games are OK, and that dogs are naturally somewhat aggressive. I don’t buy the argument. Dogs live in a specific culture— ours. They must not use their mouths on anything except their food and their toys. Making exceptions only results in double messages and a lack of boundaries, which the dog senses are changeable. Do not encourage any growling. over-barking, tug-of-war games or violent roughhousing no matter how much the pup seems to enjoy it. no matter how much the breeder may tell you that such activities are “normal” to that given breed. You are simply increasing the chances that you will wind up with a biter.
Socialize your puppy or secondhand dog to the extreme. I repeat, socialize the your dog to the extreme. The statement isn’t really that far off —for living with an aggressive dog is very difficult, and early socialization and exposure are the keys to avoiding such a state. Get your pup out to shopping malls, plazas, train or bus stops and other people-congested places early on. Park the dog in a sit. Keep some upward tension on the leash to hold the dog in the sit position, and when greeters approach (as they will, if you park yourselves long enough) loosen up on the leash and allow interaction between parties. Don’t keep the leash tight—this telegraphs anxiety right down the leash into the insecure dog’s cranium. If the dog jumps on the person, correct it. If the dog retreats, scoot it around from behind you and issue the sit-stay command with a strong flash of your hand in front of the dog’s face. Allowing early retreats can produce a “fear biter” later on. And, if the young pup should growl or exhibit any aggression, send the dog to the stars with a firm swat under the chin. Blunt? Not at all. This is where it all starts, this is where canine aggression is born—and all too often the owner is the midwife. This is where it needs to be aborted. Your pup must know from the beginning that growling at, lunging at, snarling at or barking at anyone or anything without your express permission is unacceptable behavior.
Resolve from puppyhood on that whatever (short of physical abuse) someone else might do to your pooch does not justify any aggression on its part. If you make this a house rule, and an absolute dictum, you will not be psychologically swayed when a weird guest or set of circumstances seem to trigger Alfred to be aggressive. Instead, without even trying to figure out what is “bothering” poor Alfred, you will go into immediate corrective action. Alfred will learn to keep his aggression to himself, where it belongs. Most of all, examine your own motivations in getting a dog. If the dog was procured simply to provide a “service” for you such as protection, you might unintentionally have created an atmosphere that encourages overprotection. This is an old, well-known scenario among professionals in dogs. Usually the script features a placater-type “soft” owner who is scared of crime, a given neighborhood or life itself, and procures a large dog of a protection-oriented breed. However, if the original motivation was a desire for companionship rather than protection, the relationship would be off to a better start. In no other behavior problem do the psychological undercurrents in the owner’s mind turn the tide of events as they do in problems of canine aggression. Your motivations, needs, desires and expectations as an owner plus your determination or lack of determination to seek out early training are pivotal here. If you don’t want a grouch, train early and train hard.
