Dogs and Dog Lovers

by Bryluen

Dominant Dog Aggression ? How to Prevent Your Dogs Aggression Towards Family Members

A dog owner never likes to think that their beloved canine would ever be aggressive towards other family members but it’s very common.  One of the most common dominant dog aggression behaviors is known as “Resource Guarding Aggression”.  Let’s look at how to spot it, understanding why they do it and what corrections you can make as a dog owner.

What is Resource Guarding Aggression?

Unfortunately, this is very common among dogs.  It means to have overly-possessive behavior like snarling/growling at you if you approach them when they are eating, or giving you “the eye” if you reach out to take away their toy.  In fact, it can even be something ridiculous like you trying to take away a piece of paper or tissue from them.  But for the most part, your dog is usually growling at you because of a possession that actually means something to them. 

Understanding Why They Do It

All dogs can be possessive from time to time – it’s in their nature.  You need to understand that dogs are pack animals and they’re used to a very structured environment.  In a dog-pack, each individual animal is ranked in a hierarchy of position and dominance in relation to every other dog. Each dog is aware of the rank of every other dog, and they know specifically how to act in any given situation (whether to back down, whether to push the issue, etc).

Your dog sees the members of your family environment the same as the dog-pack environment.  Your dog has ranked each member of the family, and has his/her own perception of where they rank in that environment as well.  If your dog perceives himself as higher up on the social latter than other members of your family, he’s going to act aggressively. This is because dominance and aggression are the exclusive rights of a superior-ranked animal.  (no underdog would or could ever show aggression to a higher-ranked animal) 

So if your dog was clear to the fact that you and all the members of your family are the higher ranked animal, they would never even dream of trying to prevent you from taking his food or toys, because a lower-ranking dog will always go along with what the higher-ranking dogs (you and your family) say.

What Can You As A Dog Owner Do To Correct It?

The best treatment for dominant aggressive behavior is frequent obedience work, which will give you authority over your dog. Just two fifteen-minute sessions a day will make it perfectly clear to your dog that you’re the boss. You can make this fact clear to them by rewarding them with treats and praise for obeying a command, and isolating him (putting him in “time-out”, either outside the house or in a room by themselves) for misbehavior.  If you’re not confident doing this yourself, you may wish to consider getting assistance from a qualified dog-trainer.  Read up on your canine so you can understand their communication.  This will help you understand what they are trying to say so you can get rid of any of their dominant behaviors and to communicate your own authority more effectively.  Make sure you train regularly and keep obedience sessions short and productive (no more than fifteen minutes, maybe two or three of these per day).

I sincerely hope this article was helpful to you.  If you would like to gain more knowledge on good dog training and get a FREE 6-Day Mini Dog Training Course today, please visit http://www.susans-dog-lovers-tips.blogspot.com and click on the drop down menu for your specific needs.  While you’re there, don’t forget to check out “Putter’s Doggie Tips for the Week”!  Here’s to loving your dog.

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