Aggressive Dog Behavior is Not Just a Breed Problem

With the dog population increasing in the United States every year, more and more pet owners are forced to deal with the ever-more growing problem of aggressive dog behavior. Aggressive dog behavior sends hundreds of thousands of people to the emergency room every year because of dog bites. For most families they have no clue that their dog is aggressive until he or she bites a loved one for the first time. The worst part of this situation for most dog owners isn't that one of their family members may need a few stitches. The problem is that now their beloved dog, beloved family member almost, may now need to be put down because of their aggressive behavior.

The largest group of people attacked by aggressive dogs is children under the age of twelve. Often times children are more susceptible to dog bites because of their smaller size, and not fully understanding how the mind of a dog works. Dogs cannot comprehend reasoning or rational behavior, its just not in their nature. Canines have a basic understanding of the world, if they feel threatened or scared they respond often times with violent behavior. Now this reaction most of the time isn't your dogs fault, or your child's fault. Young children and dogs really don't know any better. So as the dog owner, and adult, it is your job to set boundaries and rules for all persons of canines living in your home.

Whether you agree or not, I believe over the past 15 or so years, many dogs owners are treating their pets as a true member of the family, instead of the family pet. While I agree you should treat your dog well with love and respect, you must understand that regardless of how much you love your dog, it is in essence still a dog. Dogs cannot think like us, and never will. So while your canine is still a puppy you must guide them with proper training and boundaries. You must get it into their heads that YOU are the boss, you are the pack leader and what you say goes. Humanizing your pet is often times the root of aggressive dog behavior because your dog feels your family and him are on the same level, instead of thinking you are the leader and he is just a follower.

As a dog owner you must take the responsibility to be on the watch for signs of aggressive dog behavior.If your dog ever shows signs of aggression towards members of your family or strangers you must take charge and squash the problem right from the start. Ignoring dog aggression and hoping it goes away and disappears will only make matters worse. Dogs do not forget about their aggression like humans, they will continue to show their aggressive side when agitated unless you put your foot down on against their aggressive dog behavior. Aggression in dogs is not just a breed problem, it is a dog obedience problem.

Aggressive dog behavior is a growing problem for all dog owners world wide. But the good news about a misbehaving pooch is that the problem can be fixed in just a few simple training steps.