Aggression is a basic response in dogs.
Long before they became our companions, they were responsible for hunting, protecting their territory and caring for their pack.
Aggression is a normal response that is sometimes expressed inappropriately.
Reducing aggression in dogs is a two step process.
You have to train them so that they know what you want and you have to socialize them to other dogs, people and animals.
Socialization The best way to curb aggression is to socialize your dog when he is a puppy.
Have a gathering and invite people and dog friendly dogs.
Let your puppy meet and greet as many people as possible, praising him and giving him treats while they interact with him and handle him.
Give him lots of chances to play with other dogs.
This will get him used to being around others and they will teach him proper dog manners, including bite inhibition, which will make your life easier.
Counter-Conditioning If you have an adult dog that has aggression issues, throwing a puppy party won't work.
You will have to begin a counter-conditioning plan.
In counter-conditioning, you set up the environment so that your dog will have new, positive experiences.
For example, if he is aggressive toward other dogs you will enlist the help of a friend and her dog friendly dog.
Begin by putting a muzzle on your dog for safety.
Meet up with your friend at a neutral location, but don't have your aggressive dog meet the other dog right away.
Instead, keep them a good distance apart.
In this stage you are looking for the behavior threshold, which is the distance at which your dog begins to react.
The goal of counter-conditioning is to reward your dog for calm behavior outside that line while gradually moving closer to the other dog.
By rewarding him in the other dog's presence you build positive associations toward the other dog, with the eventual result being that he will get along with - or at least tolerate - that dog, and, hopefully, others that he meets.
This usually takes a while but has a high success rate when you stick with it.
Training Dog obedience training can help reduce aggression in dogs.
Begin with a No Free Lunch policy (also called a Nothing in Life is Free policy), that requires him to do something good for the treats and attention he gets.
This helps strengthen your status as the pack leader and helps solve any attitude issues he has, such as dominance aggression.
Work daily on obedience training.
This solidifies your standing as top dog while also increasing his vocabulary so you can communicate better with him.
Training also increases a dog's confidence which can help fear aggressive dogs.
The interaction with you - and corresponding increase in his respect for you - also helps because he learns to trust you more.
Manage the Environment If your dog has aggression issues, make sure you manage his environment the best you can.
Avoid situations that provoke him, introducing him to them only as part of your counter-conditioning plan when you've set things up for him to succeed.
Exercise Provide as much exercise as you can for your dog.
Many times aggression is an expression of frustration.
A dog that's cooped up all the time, never goes for a walk and never meets other dogs is more likely to have problems when he finally gets out.
Daily walks are part of being a good pack leader.
These steps will help solve dog aggression and its causes.
Because it's instinctual, you can't eliminate it completely.
But you can significantly reduce dog aggression in your home, aggression toward other dogs, aggression toward strangers and aggression toward other animals.