You can reduce and prevent aggression in dogs of all breeds and all ages.
If you have a puppy, or a dog under one year old:
- Socialize your dog to a wide variety of people: different ages, sexes, and body sizes.
- Socialize your dog to a wide variety of friendly dogs.
- Teach your dog to bite softly.
- Attend puppy kindergarten that uses reward methods for training and allows puppy play time.
- Handle your dog all over to get her used to being touched.
- Start as early as possible; the best age for socialization is between three and twelve weeks old.
- Practice food bowl exercises to reduce food aggression.
- Practice object exchanges to reduce possession aggression.
- Be careful to avoid negative experiences that can cause a puppy to develop aggressive behaviors.
If you have an adult dog:
- Maintain socialization to a wide variety of people.
- Maintain socialization to a wide variety of friendly dogs.
- Insist your dog takes treats gently.
- Watch your dog carefully at play with people.
- Watch your dog carefully at play with other dogs.
- Handle your dog all over to get her used to being touched.
- Know your dog’s personality and warning signs.
- Allow your dog to have free, off leash play time with other dogs.
- Avoid encounters where one dog is on leash and the other dog is off leash.
Most importantly… Get your dog spayed or neutered; neutered males are far less likely to stir up trouble than un-neutered males.
You don’t have to be a dog owner to help reduce and prevent dog aggression. Encourage family and friends to select dogs that are friendly to everyone — not just a “one man dog”. Don’t support breeders who offer that sort of potentially aggressive dog. Take care approaching strange dogs; teach your children how to act appropriately around animals. Let a dog come to you and sniff, rather than approaching an unfamiliar dog.