Dog Training Basics

Posts Tagged ‘dog growling’

When you first bring home your sweet little puppy you never think that one day it could be a dog that is one mistake away from being sent off. It is not a single occurrence that creates aggressive dogs. Dogs are not born to automatically be mean or a threat to people. Abusiveness or poor ownership towards dogs usually leads to aggressive behavior. If you adopted your dog as an adult you will need to be particularly cautious and be sure that your dog has proper dog obedience training.

Showing your dog that you are the alpha and it is the beta is important to making housebreaking easy. Dog and puppy training are important for more things than just making sure that your dog no longer chews on your shoes. You must ensure that you do not let your dog turn into one of the multitude of aggressive dogs loose in the world. When a dog gets into dog biting or dog growling, a lot of terrible outcomes may occur. Neither one of those situations is a result from proper dog training.

The Terrible Aftermath Left From Aggressive Dogs

* May cause injuries to family, friends, or neighbors
* Emotional damage to youngsters
* Damaged personal property
* Previous situations that create lawsuits
* Being one of the many aggressive dogs that are put to sleep each year

If you truly love and care for your pet it is time that you step up and make sure that the animal you love so much does not join the ranks of aggressive dogs. You should seek outside help from a professional if you feel that you are unable to fix and control the problem on your own. With aggressive dogs, it can be wise to find a professional dog trainer who is specially trained in this area.

It’s advisable to do as much reading and research as you can on aggressive dogs. Learn that hitting a dog is not the way to train it. Violence only leads to violence, so be sure you aren’t contributing to the creation of aggressive dogs. The videos and books available might give you some success, however, in order to solve this problem, or preventing it from even starting, an expert can be invaluable.

Bringing In The Extra Help

It doesn’t matter if the trainer is free or if you have paid for their services, you must recognize that nothing is more important than understanding that you are responsible for your pet and its behavior. Owners are always held accountable for the actions of their aggressive dogs so make sure that you are never going to be faced with legal or moral consequences.

If you have a dog that has not yet experienced signs of becoming one of the many aggressive dogs out there then you have a little time. But if your dog shows any sign of aggressive play or destructiveness, you must not waste any time.

By Sandra Scott

A dog that growls at you is sending a clear message that must be heeded. People often do not understand a dog’s warning signals and do not retreat; dogs growl to make people understand the message they are trying to convey.

Usually, dogs will only display aggressive behavior when they feel that they are in danger or under threat.  Dogs will only attack when their numerous warning gestures have been ignored.

For an excellent dog training guide which will show you how to handle a growling dog, I suggest that you look at: Dog Growls.

Frequently, a dog growls to communicate his desires. This behavior is likely to be repeated once dogs realize that it gets them what they want. It is hardly a surprise that dog growling is a frequent issue because some people misguidedly think that this is an indication that their dog will safeguard them. The reality is that the dog is more likely to be protecting himself and his stuff.

Growling dogs may be considered dangerous according to some legal definitions so may need to be restricted accordingly. This could mean that he needs to be placed in a crate, kept in a separate space, or confined to the back yard.

If you give a dog what he wants after he has growled at you, he will very quickly realize that this is a great way to get what he desires. Understanding your dog’s needs is very helpful in resolving this behavior.

Just a reminder, if you are looking for a great free site to help you handle your dog’s growling behavior, you should take a look at: Growling Dogs.

The following are a few reasons for dog growling:

1. He wants you to feed him. This is an excellent opportunity to show a dog how to communicate his desires. The dog would need to behave appropriately before his food bowl would be placed in front of him.
2. He wants to eliminate. Some dog owners are delighted that their dog asks to be let outside to eliminate, however this is an unlikely expectation for an old or sick dog or a puppy. So a dog dosn’t have to worry about getting his owner’s attention to let him outside, it is much better if regular outings for elimination are scheduled.
3. He is protecting his meal. A dog may practice resource or food guarding to protect his food from a perceived threat (namely you!). Children must be told not to play with the dog’s food while he is eating. This also applies to adults; dogs must understand that humans give them food and don’t take it away. When it is safe to do so, food should be added to the dog’s bowl while he is eating.
4. Similar to food guarding, a dog may also guard a toy. When someone approaches the dog, growling is frequently the first sign that he will become aggressive if his warnings are ignored. Under these circumstances, the easiest solution is to only let the dog play with the toy in his crate.
5. He has taken something and wants to keep hold of it. You should never chase after your dog if he steals one of your possessions. Instead, you should make sure that he receives good obedience training where he will learn the joys of retrieving and will come to you on command.
6. Often a dog growls when he is afraid of being groomed or having his nails trimmed. If you plan on grooming your dog yourself, it is very important that you receive the correct training.
7. Dogs will also growl to protect themselves from abuse and suffering. Maybe a child has hit or tormented your dog when you weren’t looking so he may growl when a child approaches. Unfortunately, the dog will most likely be blamed for growling under these circumstances.
8. If a dog growls and his owner reacts by jumping backwards, this can be huge fun for the dog. He must not be permitted to become accustomed to this behavior as he is likely to show aggression when his owner doesn’t jump if he growls. This behavior must not be allowed to escalate.

To learn more about what to do when dogs growl at you, I suggest that you look at the best selling dog training guide, Secrets to Dog Training.

Now that you have brought your new dog home it is time to start the housebreaking. One that can only lead to confusion for the dog later on is giving your new dog a little time to get to know the family and the house before laying down the law. Truthfully, you cannot expect a dog who has been allowed to have full run of the house to suddenly accept new rules and adapt quickly to housebreaking.

It Is Never Too Late

If you have already allowed your dog to run free without rules you can still correct the situation. It is never too late to start dog training your puppy, unlike the common belief out there. Whether your puppy is young or old you can still include housebreaking into his/her daily routine. Whether your problem is dog chewing, dog biting or dog growling, you need to focus on the unwanted behavior that is your highest concern. After housebreaking them on the first behavior, then you can move on to the next.

In order to make sure that your pet never becomes one of those aggressive dogs you always hear about on the news, you have to start housebreaking as soon as possible. If the largest problem that you have at this time is potty training, then make that your first item to work on.

Tips for Housebreaking Your Dog

* Restrict food and water to the appropriate meal times
* In the event that you are utilizing pee pads, choose a single spot and make sure to place the pads only there
* You should praise your pet when it displays good behavior
* Don’t hit the dog if he misses the pee pad
* After fifteen or twenty minutes of giving the puppy something to eat or drink, it needs to be taken to the pee pad

A lot of people leave water and food out for their dog all day long. Puppies should not be expected to hold their bladder the way that older dogs can. Even if they really wanted to, younger puppies just are not able to hold their bladder until they become a bit older. This will cause more accidents in the house that are not the fault of the puppy. So leaving food and water out all of the time is counterproductive to your goals in housebreaking.

If the puppy goes to the bathroom in some other place in the house, the pee pad should be put there. At this stage, housebreaking is just acclimating the puppy to the pad with respect to going to the bathroom. Once your pet is used to this, you may progress the housebreaking by moving the ‘pee pad’ a small distance every day until it is eventually located where you want it.

Even though housebreaking can take a long time, it is very important. You certainly do not want your puppy or dog going to the bathroom everywhere. You also want to make the housebreaking process as easy as possible for your dog so it does not become discouraged. House puppy training is very important.  If you need help doing this, you should seek it. Just know that housebreaking takes time, no matter who is in charge of doing it.

Growling is to be expected for a puppy or dog, particularly if you are playing tug of war with him. However, it’s also a sign of aggression and can be a sign the dog may attack – so be careful!

You should know if the growling is appropriate or inappropriate. If your puppy or dog is at a meal or playing with a toy and growls as you get near, that isn’t behavior you should allow. Your dog is showing all the signs of dominance over you.

If the growling just starts out of the blue, it’s time for a visit to the vet to to ascertain if there is a medical cause.

Growling can be a signal that your dog is trying to position himself as the alpha dog or pack leader. So, the next thing you need to make sure of is that you position yourself as the alpha dog in your house. This is the foundation of solving many dog behavior problems.

To become the pack leader, the NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) method should be taken up. This approach means that you ask your dog to do something before you give him anything. With this approach, you can’t permit your dog to demand attention from you. If you allow him to demand attention, you have lost dominance. Just ignore him when he pushes you for attention. You should choose when to offer him attention. If he presses you even more you must not give in or everything is lost.

With NILIF everyone who comes into contact with your dog needs to be consistent and persistent.

So, for example, you ask your dog to sit quietly before you set his meal down or before take him out for a walk. Don’t allow your dog to offer a behavior before you ask for it – that doesn’t count.

Make sure that when leaving the house, you walk through the door first. You can let your dog see you eating a small snack like a biscuit before you put down his food since the alpha dog eats first. You only need to repeat this for two weeks to set  yourself as the leader of the pack.

Everyone in the family needs to engage in this NILIF activity to set them higher in the hierarchy than your puppy or dog.

The alpha dog makes his bed on higher ground, so do not permit your dog to rest on your bed if you want to be more dominant.

You should do regular training in obedience with your puppy or dog. Every training session should be short and fun. This will start you on the path to a better behaved dog.

Read more about stopping your dog growling and other aggressive dog behavior.