The idea of having multiple dogs at home sounds fun. With time, it gets easier to handle them simultaneously. However, it comes with its challenges. A lot of times, dogs tend to be very aggressive towards each other which indicates that your dogs have poor communication skills.
If you experience similar behavioral patterns among your dogs, it’s high time you should work on their conditioning. You can start rewarding them with treats if they will maintain good behavior towards one another.
Before diving deep into the methods to tame your dog’s aggression, you need to know some common situations that may cause aggression between dogs. Here is the list of common triggers for an aggressive dog.
• A dog with a leash attached to his neck
• A kennel of dogs walking freely
• A dog that can potentially cause you harm
• A guard dog that takes care of the household items
• Another aggressive dog that lives under the same roof
• A dog that barks behind a fence
• A dog without a leash coming closer to your dog
• A dog in heat followed by dominant male dogs behind her
Here is a list of possible signs that indicate that your dog is being aggressive towards other dogs.
• Standing tall upon seeing another dog
• Staring intensely in the eyes of a dog
• Biting the nearby dog
• Snarling towards other dogs
• Moving the tail high from side to side
• Excessive barking in front of another dog
• Growling and snapping on the sight of a dog
• Holding ears erect
If you wish to create more peace among your dogs, we have curated a list of ways to make your dogs act friendly towards each other. Here is a list of tips and techniques you can use to get your dog to get along with other dogs and stop being aggressive to each other.
The trend of putting a slip lead or collar around the dogs is no longer. However, you can make use of such tools to train your dog. It can help stop the dog from moving ahead if he engages in a fight with another dog. Also, it can prevent him from getting aggressive upon contact with the other dog. You can also use a wire or silicone muzzle to stop him from biting other dogs.
First of all, you should train your dog to respond with obedience to your commands. Start with basic commands such as sit, down, wait, watch me, stay, growl, drop it, lie down, and heel. Also, be sure that your dog learns how to hold his position for some time. It helps when you take your dog out for a walk every day. It will also create a more positive experience while spending quality time with your dog. By doing so, you will have a hold of some aggressive behaviors that your dog may exhibit during certain situations. For example, when your dog comes in contact with the rest of your dogs, you can command your dog to go in a certain direction or change his position to prevent him from getting a glimpse of your other dogs. In case you notice that the other dog is starting a fight, you should try to work on the other dog’s behavior else, your dog may cease to follow your commands.
A lot of times, an aggressive dog may require some extra time and effort to mend his old ways. For example, it may take a month or two for your dog to come to terms with another dog’s existence. In the meantime, you should make a necessary effort to create a healthy distance between the two dogs. Your best bet is to put a new nook to some other wall where the two dogs can’t see each other for months. In an ideal scenario, the two nooks should be on two different floors or wings of the house.
You can make use of multiple techniques at a time to ensure that your dogs stay far from each other.
Another effective way to control your dog’s negative responses is to reward him with treats. Be sure to include his favorite food or toys as a treat and avoid using the same treats for other training sessions. As the two dogs come in contact, your dog will recall the treat that you may reward for maintaining good behavior.
You should try different behavior therapy techniques to fix your dog’s response towards other dogs. For example, if you sense that your dog behaves aggressively because he gets frightened of other dogs, you should try to work on his fears. Flooding is an effective method that can help your dog face his fears and make peace with other dogs. He will understand that the rest of the dogs do not pose a threat to him in any way. Once he has learned to be around other dogs without fidgeting or fighting, he will desensitize towards the presence of other dogs. Be sure that your other dogs won’t react aggressively towards your dog undergoing therapy. Also, find a neutral area where you could try this technique on your dog and put a muzzle on your aggressive dog to prevent any fight between them.
If you have realized that your dog presented a good demeanor earlier towards other dogs and his behavior has changed with time, you should take this matter very seriously. The reason behind your dog acting aggressively towards other dogs may have something to do with his medical condition. Some underlying diseases may cause a sudden shift in behavior. Look out for possible symptoms such as snapping, growling, or biting. There is a chance that your dog may have undergone some injury that causes excessive discomfort or annoyance. You should take him to a suitable veterinarian who could diagnose the issue.
In case you have noticed that your dog gets extremely stressed out upon seeing another dog, you should opt for other ways to change his behavior. If the situation goes out of hand, consider professional therapy for your dogs. Also, you can try different dog training groups that specialize in training aggressive dogs to expedite the process.
by Maria A Davidson || You can’t buy love, but you can rescue it™ .
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