Instructions
Have your dog fully checked by your vet for any potential health problems that may be causing the unwanted behaviors. Identify the situations in which your dog is inclined to react and pay attention to the body language the dog uses and how it evolves. Dogs communicate a great deal with their body language and will stiffen, starting at the hindquarters and moving toward the head. In addition, the hairs on the dog's back will rise and you may begin to see a lowering of the back end, in preparation for attack of a perceived threat. All these signs are important and provide visual cues to changes in mood.
Gently trace a circle on your dog's body with one or two fingers, picturing a clock face, starting at six, making a complete circle past the six, and ending at eight o'clock. Where you begin this therapy will be determined by where your dog will allow you to touch. For most dogs, touching the ear is a nonthreatening way to begin the process. Pay attention to your dog's body language and how it changes as you change the pace and pressure of touch. Some dogs respond better to more pressure and some have nervous systems that are so hypersensitive that they require only the gentlest touch. Work with your dog at least once daily for five to ten minutes. You should see obvious signs of relaxation in the dog.
Expand the touch therapy to include other parts of your dog, as much as it will tolerate. It may take weeks for an especially aggressive dog to allow you to touch it for even a moment but it will always let you know with body language when it's okay for you to continue.
Introduce your dog to situations which have previously elicited aggression or other unwanted behavior. Start with some distance between your dog and the stimulus and apply the touch technique to your dog's body to calm it. Over time, decrease the distance and continue to use touch therapy to elicit a calm response in place of the previous aggressive response. Don't worry if your dog has a momentary lapse back into old behaviors. Simply remove it from the situation and begin again when you are both ready.
How to Save an Aggressive Unsocialized Dog Through Touch
An aggressive or unsocialized dog can pose a serious problem. Many dogs with these behavioral issues never get the opportunity to find a home since most are humanely euthanized. Positive results, however, have been found with the use of touch therapy, by first recognizing then treating the dog's overly sensitive nervous system. Therapeutic touch, according to its practitioners, creates a unique bonding and trust experience between a human and animal and helps you slowly instill confidence in a dog with behavioral problems.