Aggression in Dogs

It is never a good idea to let a problem with aggression get out of hand with your dog. Even a small dog who occasionally nips at an ankle or two shouldn’t be left to do that behavior on a regular basis. If you have lots of aggression, or even a small amount of aggression, it can lead to bigger problems down the road.

The reason is that dogs get into a habit and do what they like to do – and dogs will continue to do the same behaviors as long as they can. If a dog nips an ankle here and there, and you don’t do anything about it, he will learn that this is okay behavior and he will continue to do it. He will also learn to think that you need him to nip ankles as a way of protecting you. Simply by ignoring it or not doing anything about it, you’re telling him that it’s okay to do it, and more than that, you are telling him that he should do it. A dog who nips an ankle once or twice will continue to do so, and he won’t think anything about it. Also, nipping of ankles is a behavior that doesn’t just stop there. If a dog is nipping ankles today, next week he might be actually biting. This is the type of behavior that actually escalates, and it is behavior that you don’t want to see in your dog, period.

It is important to nip nipping in the bud as soon as you can. There are lots of ways to do this, training wise. However, the most important factor in training your dog not to nip is making sure that you are in control of your dog. This is a process that you should have gone through when your dog was a puppy, by teaching him that in the pack of your family, you are the lead dog and he is the submissive one. This is not a process that should harm the dog in any way – so don’t do it by hitting your dog or doing anything that might hurt him. Asserting dominance simply means that you are the one who is in control, and he is the one that knows it. If you are able to do this right away, you will be able to stop aggression problems like nipping before they even start.

For more information, it is vital that you consult SitStayFetch. You’ll be able to learn even more through this method, and you’ll be surprised at what your dog does, and doesn’t do!