How to Keep Your Dog From Being Aggressive

As a dog owner, it is your responsibility to ensure that your dog does not become aggressive toward people or other dogs. This is especially important if you have chosen to take on a powerful breed or if you have young children. You can prevent your dog from becoming aggressive by socializing and training your dog from a young age. You can also help your dog by establishing yourself as the pack leader, as this will encourage your dog to trust and respect you. If you are attempting to rehabilitate an aggressive dog, you can look out for signs of aggression developing, which you can then stop before the situation escalates.

Things You'll Need

  • Leash
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Instructions

    • 1

      Socialize your dog from a young age by exposing it to a wide variety of people, animals, situations and locations. The more your dog is exposed to while it is a puppy, the less likely it will become aggressive when it gets older. Practice obedience training with your puppy to enforce your role as the pack leader and to get your dog to listen to you. This can be extremely valuable in a situation where you want to be in control of your dog, such as out on a walk. Enroll your puppy in obedience training classes to teach him basic commands and to allow him to interact with lots of other dogs.

    • 2

      Exercise your dog daily to drain its pent-up energy. According to CesarsWay.com, your dog is more likely to exhibit unwanted behaviors, including aggression, if it is not getting enough exercise. Walk with your dog slightly behind you to enforce your role as pack leader. Exercising with your dog can also encourage it to trust and respect you as a leader.

    • 3

      Watch out for early warning signs of aggression in your dog's body language, such as lip-smacking, a still and focused posture, the tail raised high in the air or growling. If this occurs, immediately distract the dog from its object of focus. Do this by getting the dog to watch you or by giving a small tug on the leash. This should be just enough to get its attention. Alternatively you can turn and walk in the opposite direction or tell the dog to lie down. By getting your dog to lie down before it has the chance to become aggressive, you can also encourage it to relax and surrender to the situation.