Owning an aggressive dog is a big liability and an accident waiting to happen. However, as much as an aggressive dog may sound like bad news, the good news is that with appropriate behavior modification techniques, owners often can successfully rehabilitate aggressive dogs.
-
Avoidance
-
This approach may work in dogs that have just started a new aggressive behavior that has not had time to reinforce itself. With less exposure to the trigger, the dog's aggressive behavior may naturally extinguish itself.
Habituation
-
This behavior modification method does not provide rewards but works by decreasing the response to a stimulus by exposing the dog repeatedly to the stimulus. The dog learns to get used to the stimulus and eventually learns to ignore it.
Desensitization
-
Desensitization is a popular behavior modification approach where the dog is gradually exposed to what triggers its aggression. The dog learns step by step to become more tolerant, and the owner rewards it for acceptable behaviors.
Counterconditioning
-
In this case, owners can eliminate the undesirable behavior by offering the dog an alternative behavior that the dog finds favorable. For best results, owners often couple this method with desensitization.
Considerations
-
There are different types of aggression in dogs that may require different approaches. For this reason, it is highly recommended to have a dog behaviorist assess the dog and suggest the most appropriate behavior modification program.
-