Aggression Defined: Behavior that is meant to intimidate or injure an animal of the same species or of a competing species but is not predatory.  

All bark, no bite?
Behavior is not static, it changes over time. There is no such thing as a dog that is "all bark, and no bite." Recognizing and treating early warning signs is the best way to prevent dogs from establishing a bite record. 

Why do dogs become aggressive? 

Reason #1: Learned Aggression 
The majority of aggression stems from stress, anxiety or fear. A poorly socialized dog will frequently become anxious or fearful around unfamiliar people or dogs that they perceive to be threatening. Dogs frequently learn that growling and barking is an effective way to make scary people or scary dogs "go away." If these warning signs are ignored the dog may attempt to communicate in a less subtle manner, by delivering a bite.

Reason #2: Genetic Predisposition to Aggression
Some dogs are programmed to actively control their environment. Herding breeds will attempt to control a stressful environment by using their body and/or their teeth. Other dogs become aggressive because they are hard-wired to "guard" resources that they deem to be valuable (food, toys, socially significant space, people).


Reason #3: Combination of Learned Behavior and Genetics
Owner directed aggression can result when dogs are trained with force. Some dogs are programmed to match force with force, and will not roll over and "submit" when a person addresses the dog in an aggressive manner. These dogs will bare their teeth or bite in anticipation of being verbally or physically reprimanded.

Reason #4: Pain
Physical pain (chronic or acute) can bring out aggressive behavior in the most placid dogs. Consulting a veterinarian for a thorough physical exam is an important first step in treating aggressive behavior. Condition your dog to feel comfortable wearing a muzzle so that you can safely care for your dog if and when they are in a state of discomfort.

If you have questions or comments regarding aggression, leave a comment below. Following article will discuss how to modify aggressive behavior in dogs. 


Written by Alyssa Lapinel, Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Owner and head trainer at Legends Dog Training, based in San Diego, California; specializing in behavior modification for fear, anxiety and aggression. 

Successful training requires three critical elements. If you are struggling to train your dog, reassess your training plan and ask which of these three elements is lacking.

#1 Motivation. Motivate your dog to WANT to learn. Choose your reinforcement, wisely. Top trainers pull out all the stops. They are likely to use tennis balls or tug toys for dogs with high toy drive. For dogs that are highly food driven they use boiled chicken, liver treats or anything that is moist, meaty and carries a strong aroma. If your dog has low drive and you would like an article about how to build drive, leave a comment below.

#2 Timing. Dogs have a very small window of opportunity where they are pairing cause with effect. Research studies have shown that window to be somewhere between 1 and 1.5 seconds. This means that to be a good trainer, you have to have good timing. When your puppy goes pee in the yard, you should be standing 5 feet away, reinforcement in hand. Waiting to reward the puppy until he comes trotting back into the house will not teach your dog to potty in the yard. In fact, doing this does nothing more than train your dog to walk outside, and walk back in 10 seconds later.

#3 Consistency. Dogs thrive when given routine schedules and clearly defined boundaries. Sit down with your family and come up with a list of house rules for your dog or puppy. These rules are especially important for the first 6-12 months that a dog is in a new home. I'm curious to know which rule you think is most beneficial to raising a dog, leave a comment below.

My Dog House Rules:

• Play structured games of tug, fetch, or hide and seek Q: Why are these games better than the rest? A: These games reinforce your dog for coming to you, finding you, bringing and dropping valued items to you. 
• Avoid rough housing Q: What's wrong with rough housing? A: This is mostly a problem for dogs that are extremely excitable and have not yet learned how to inhibit their play. Rough housing reinforces dogs for mouthing and jumping.
• Train dog to wait before walking through doorway to go for a walk or jumping out of car. This is a potentially life saving habit, that will teach dogs to practice impulse control in and around busy streets.
  
• Have dog sleep on dog bed, instead of on couch or human bed. Q: Is this necessary for every dog? A: No, but it is especially beneficial for dogs prone to separation anxiety, and for dogs that are not 100% house trained.
• Ignore dogs for 10 minutes prior to departure, and for 10 minutes after you return home. Q: Why is this important? A: This minimizes the contrast between alone time and together time and is useful for dogs prone to separation anxiety or that jump excessively during greetings.
• Teach your dog to eat on a schedule. This means that dogs learn to eat breakfast and dinner at set times. Q: Why is this recommended? A: Because it helps to monitor your dog's health. If your dog is on a set schedule it is immediately obvious when your dog loses his or her appetite. You lose this indicator if you are free feeding your dog or if they have developed the habit of grazing on their food throughout the day.

Written by Alyssa Lapinel, Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist. Alyssa is the owner and head trainer of Legends Dog Training in San Diego, California.

For more information about customized training for your dog, go to the "contact us" tab  atwww.legendsdogtraining.com and fill out the behavior assessment form.

Keep it simple. English is a foreign language to your dog. Here are a five rules to help bridge the communication gap. 

Rule #1: Don't repeat cues. You think: your dog didn't hear you the first time. Your dog thinks: you sound like the adults in the Charlie Brown cartoons, "whah whah whah whah" (see video below). Pair a single verbal cue with a physical prompt or hand signal that shows your dog what it is that you want him or her to do. 

Rule #2: Dogs are more visual than they are auditory. Using verbal cues when your dog is under a high level of stress or arousal will long-term diminish the significance of your verbal cues. For example, if your dog begins barking at the neighbor's dog it is more effective to body block (visually block his line of sight) and lead him in the opposite direction, than it is to shout "quiet" or "no bark." If anything your dog is likely to interpret loud, repetitive commands as you joining in with the barking.

Rule#3: One word, one meaning. Don't confuse your dog by using one word to mean two different behaviors. If "down" means put your belly to the ground, you should use another word, like "off," to mean jump off the couch. If you say "down" when your dog is on the couch you are basically telling him "get comfortable." If you want your dog to sit, say "sit." It's confusing for a dog to hear the words "sit-down" - which taken literally should mean sit first, then proceed to down position.

Rule #4: Generalize cues. If dad trained the dog to sit, lie down, stay, come, leave-it, high five, spin in a circle and play dead on the carpet in the family room, that's a great start. Now the dogs needs help learning how to generalize all of these behaviors to: 1. other family members 2. to other surfaces 3. to other environments 4. to a large variety of distractions.

Rule #5: It's a two way street. We spend a lot of time trying to teach our dogs to listen to our every command, but we fail to take the time to listen to their attempts to communicate with us. Become an expert in canine body language. Respect your dogs attempt to communicate. Know when to remove your dog from an environment that may be causing undue stress, anxiety or frustration. 

Written by Alyssa Lapinel, Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist. Alyssa is the owner and head trainer of Legends Dog Training in San Diego, California.

For more information about customized training for your dog, go to the "contact us" tab  at www.legendsdogtraining.com and fill out the behavior assessment form.