Reactive Aggressive Puppy

One of the most difficult things to deal with is a puppy or dog that is active aggressive to other dogs.  Some people will call it “reactivity” or aggression, but it is something that must be dealt with as quickly as possible because it just will not get better on its own.

There are a host of reasons why a dog, in particular a puppy, may exhibit this behavior.  The most common reason is often a lack of socialization at an early age.  Other reasons include, dominance, desire to play with the other dog or down right aggression.  The way to manage this behavior is by teaching the dog basic obedience (away from the trigger) then asking for that obedience in the presence of the stimulus.  You can then correct for non-compliance of the obedience.

I find this a better, more fair way, to teach the dog right from wrong.  The obedience can be anything from a DOWN to SIT or FOLLOW ME….  The basic idea is, I’m asking you to do something, if you don’t do that, you will get a correction.  Barking or lunging at the other dog is not an option.  Make no mistake about it, this behavior will get a dog injured.  Whether it’s playful or not, at some point this dog will meet another dog that will not tolerate the behavior and that will cause a fight.

In this online dog training lesson you’ll follow along with me and my clients and watch the way I correct the dog for non-compliance and how I reward the dog and you’ll see how this slowly starts to make sense in the dog’s mind.  Remember, aggression / reactivity is not something that is “cured” it is something that we manage and it takes time.