Probably most of us are afraid of aggressive dogs, even if those are our own pet. However, there are ways to cope with an aggressive dog.
When the dog is yours you have to worry not only about yourself but about all the potential people, dogs, cats, etc. that your dog could bite or attack.
It’s one thing if you own a Poodle. You can more or less control such a dog on your own. However, it’s a totally different situation when you have a full grown German Shepherd. What should you do to ensure your dog is in a calm state of mind? The latest thing is behavior management.
A less agressive dog. (petful.com)
Tell-tale signs of a potentially aggressive dog
The dog does not have to check all of the boxes of a potential aggressive nature. Usually, the more a dog likes to stand out the more aggressive a dog may tend to be. If the dog is challenging the pack order, even if the pack consists of you and the dog, this is a sign of potential aggression. It shows the state of mind the dog is – “I’m the alpha dog”.
Puffing out as much as possible
He carries himself with what resembles a sort of arrogance to the untrained human eye. Ears are in an attentive mode, and the dog tries to make himself look bigger. Submissive dogs, on the other hand, behave in a contrary manner. They maintain their body position low, shoulders and tails down, making themselves smaller. To the untrained human eye, it seems that the submissive dog is simply sad. The posture of those submissive dogs is telling everyone around them that they do not want to challenge anyone.
A fear of thunder and aggressiveness
A sedative or safe space for the dog helps reduce the stress from thunder. It isn’t really eliminated all altogether, rather, we manage the dog’s reaction. The same goes with the aggressiveness.
The following are a few ways people manage dog behavior:
- Feeding the dog in a crate
- Using a Gentle Leader Head Collar or Easy Walk Harness to make walking a dog easier
- Reduce contacts with strangers
- No car rides for dogs that get scared
- Anti-stress balls – give the dog some chewing toys
Aggressiveness is in their genome
Well, most of them (we are looking at you, the Dachshund!) are naturally somewhat aggressive. It’s only natural, that their natural defense mechanism is to fight when they’re endangered. Often, when a dog acts submissive we mistake that for sadness. And when the dog acts superior we mistake it for happiness. The trick is to detect these early signs of potential aggressiveness and alleviate them. In the end – you’ll never be 100% sure the dog will not lunge at someone unexpectedly, but you can dramatically reduce the chances of this happening.
