Appropriate, frequent, and regularly scheduled exercise sessions, providing appropriate outlets for normal behaviors, along with an early start to training can go a long way to preventing most unruly behaviors. Waiting to train your puppy until it is 6 months of age can often let these disobedient behaviors take hold.
Is training an aggressive dog possible? Yes. Aggression in dogs, whether it be toward a dog's owner or other dogs, is a serious behavior that should be adjusted with the help of a professional dog trainer.
The dog-dog relationship will not be improved if you scold, punish or hold down a dog as punishment; in fact you may make it worse by punishing the dog for signaling and communicating their aggressive intentions. Good communication between the dogs is actually helpful to avoid serious fights.
A behavior modification program will generally include avoidance of triggers, teaching new responses, positive reinforcement for desirable behaviors, control with a head halter and leash, training exercises for response substitution and desensitization for the dog's significant triggers (see Behavior Consultations – ...
You need an incentive to encourage your dog to come back - a really tasty treat or a fun game with a toy. Show your dog the toy or food. Run away a couple of paces then call your dog's name and say "come" in a friendly, exciting tone - getting down low can also encourage them to come back.
Interrupt and Redirect
Gently get their attention and show them what you want them to do. This works particularly well for puppies who are just starting to learn what works and what doesn't. For example, if your puppy is testing the chewability of the coffee table, offer them a toy instead.
If they are not in any kind of danger from the behavior or behaviors (for instance, eating something bad from the garbage), ignore the behavior and reward when the behavior stops. The key to helping prevent negative, attention-seeking behaviors from your dog is by giving him plenty of love, attention and playtime.
“Calming points are primarily located on your pet's head,” says Dr. Barrack. Start at the top of your dog's nose, where there's an acupressure point associated with calming and healing, says Dr. Barrack.
Physical Contact. There is probably nothing more soothing to an anxious dog than its owner's touch. Try to identify the signs of anxiety in your dog and nip them in the bud as early as possible by picking them up, cuddling on the couch, or giving them a good long petting session.
Generally, puppies start to calm down when they reach emotional maturity — around 1 year old. However, some dog breeds take longer to reach adulthood and emotional maturity. In those cases, puppies may not mellow out until they hit 18 months to 3 years old.
However, experts have explained why you shouldn't shout at your dog, and that shouting can actually do more harm then good when trying to teach your pup to be well behaved. In fact, not only is it likely to make them naughtier, it can even lead to even stress and depression.
If an owner rewards the behavior, purposely or accidentally, the undesirable behavior will continue to linger. Even if the owner ignores her dogs 10 times, but screams “no” once, the behavior won't go away. To truly extinguish a behavior, it must be ignored each and every time.
Whether it's hitting, tapping, or bopping a dog on the nose as means of discipline, this aversive technique still falls short of the success found with using reward-based or positive training. Contemporary experts urge against all uses of physical discipline.
Methods such as alpha rolls and physical corrections (via the leash and a choke chain or by smacking the dog on the nose or by shaking their scruffs) were often recommended as a way for humans to establish dominance over their dogs.
Fearfulness, Pain, Age, and Sex May All Play a Role in Dog Aggression. Researchers in Helsinki studied more than 9,000 dogs to uncover the most common factors shared by those displaying aggressive behaviors, such as growling, barking, snapping, and biting.
As with humans, exercise can be a great stress reducer. Physical activities like walking or playing fetch help both you and your dog release tension. It is also good to provide your dog with a safe place in the home where he can escape anxious situations. Everybody enjoys a calm place to retreat.