4 Tips for Training Aggressive Dogs

When you have a dog that is aggressive, training can become much more of a challenge. However, training is crucial in order to control your dog’s behavior and reduce the risk of someone getting hurt. When you need to work on dog training for aggressive dogs, keep the following tips in mind.

Visit a Vet

Before you begin training a dog with aggression, bring her to the veterinarian’s office for a checkup. Your vet will look for underlying medical problems that could be causing considerable discomfort and aggressive behavior. If medical problems are ruled out, consider turning to a professional for help.

Consider the Type of Aggression

There are different types of aggression that dogs can exhibit, such as aggression based on fear or aggression based on dominance. The type of aggression your dog has will determine the most effective way to handle it. An animal behaviorist can help you figure out what kind your dog has and come up with helpful ways to deal with this behavior.

Get Help From a Professional

Dog training for aggressive dogs isn’t something you might be able to do on your own, especially if your dog has severe behavioral problems. If your dog is hard to handle, look into finding a reliable dog trainer who specializes in working with aggressive dogs. This trainer can help your dog learn to obey commands while you also learn the correct way to teach your dog new commands. Keep in mind that one-on-one sessions rather than group classes are the most suitable training situation for dogs with aggression.

Don’t Punish

While you might think that it’s alright to punish bad behavior when you have an aggressive dog, the opposite is true. Punishing dogs, especially by yelling at them or hitting them, can make them more fearful and aggressive. Instead, focus on using positive training methods for your aggressive dog if you’re training her on your own. This involves rewarding her for good behavior, which helps reinforce it.

Tips for Clicker Training Dogs

Clicker training offers a highly effective way to teach dogs to obey commands. This type of training, which uses positive reinforcement, can be used to help dogs learn a wide range of commands. Keep the following tips in mind when you’re working clicker training dogs.

Use Bite-Sized Treats

Since you’ll be giving your dogs several treats during clicker training sessions, keep them small in size. Break up bits of chicken, or use smaller dog treats as rewards. To get the best results, make sure you choose treats or small pieces of food that your dog loves.

Click at the Right Time

When you’re clicker training dogs, it’s important to get the timing right. Using the clicker helps dogs learn that when they hear a verbal command, they’re expected to behave a certain way. Click while your dog is performing the correct behavior, instead of clicking after he’s done it. Reward him with a treat afterwards as positive reinforcement.

Only Click Once

Don’t use the clicker a number of times when your dog performs the desired behavior. Each time he does so during training, only click once rather than several times. If you want to show enthusiasm, such as when your dog masters a harder command, reward him with more treats instead.

Carry a Clicker Around

Clicking to reward positive behavior on the spot is an important part of clicker training dogs. Have a clicker handy in your pocket, so you can pull it out and click when your dog does something positive, such as greeting someone calmly instead of jumping.

Add a Cue

When your dog knows how to perform a behavior when he hears the clicker, you can add a cue, such as a verbal command or a hand signal. Start using these during clicker training sessions, which helps your dog learn to follow verbal commands or hand signals.

Focus on the Positive

Only click for good behavior, which will end up reducing bad behavior. Don’t use the clicker to distract your dog from doing something he shouldn’t. Instead, wait until he’s doing something good to use the clicker.

4 Commands to Teach Your Dog for Obedience Training

When you start working on obedience training for your dog, there are several different commands you can teach. Some of these are more advanced that you’ll need to wait on, but there are some basic ones that every dog should know. These are some of the most important basic commands you should work on when teaching your dog.

Sit

Teaching dogs to sit is among the most basic commands to include in obedience training. All you have to do in order to teach your dog this command is hold a treat near her nose, then slowly raise your hand. Your dog will naturally follow your hand, which will cause her head to go up and her rear to move toward the floor. When she sits, say the verbal command “sit” and reward her with a treat.

Down

This command is a basic one for dogs to learn, but it might take a little bit more work. For this one, hold a treat in your hand and put it close to your dog’s nose. Move your hand down toward the floor. When your dog follows your hand and lies down, say the “down” command and give her a treat.

Come

The “come” command helps you keep your dog safe in potentially dangerous situations. To teach your dog this command during obedience training, put her leash on and lean down toward her. Say the “come” command and tug on the leash gently. When your dog comes over to you, reward her with a treat. When your dog learns to do this on the leash, you can remove it and try the command without it.

Stay

When your dog learns to sit on command, she’ll be ready to learn the “stay” command. Have your dog sit, then hold your hand up with the palm facing out and say “stay.” Move back a few steps, and give your dog a treat if she doesn’t move. As you train her, keep moving back a few steps more. Keep in mind that your dog might take longer to learn this command.