Dogs are aggressive by nature. During the caveman days, dogs needed this aggression to defend themselves and their territory, whether it was their food, their bedroom, or their mate. Since then they have become domesticated and more refined, but the aggressive instinct remains and will always be a part of a dog.

As a dog owner, you can prevent aggressive dog behavior from showing up and becoming a habit by recognizing it and dealing with it. To begin with, you must learn to read the signs.

When a dog becomes aggressive, he may exhibit any of these: he becomes nervous and restless, begins to bark at the slightest sound, has his ears forward, raises his neck, pulls on the leash, or he may stay very still and dont move. as he stared at the object of his suspicion.

Animal therapists say that there are many different types of aggressive behavior in dogs. Two of the most common are: aggression towards strangers and aggression towards family members.

A dog often becomes aggressive towards strangers because he is not used to them. And since he hasn’t, he can’t relax. This usually happens when a dog has not been trained to be around people or other animals.

The solution? Get your dog used to socializing. Expose him to new people, new situations, and new animals. If your dog is used to socializing, he will soon learn that new experiences are not necessarily scary and will therefore relax. This is important, especially when the dog is young. Take him to a puppy school, go for a walk around the neighborhood with him. Go to a dog-friendly mall. Take him for a car ride!

Sometimes a dog may exhibit dog-aggressive behavior towards members of his own family, for a variety of reasons. One is that he is trying to defend something that he believes belongs to him, from you. This is called resource protection and usually occurs with food or toys. Or maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable with the way he is treated at home. He even he may have had a bad handling experience, like getting hurt while getting his nails cut. Bathing is another thing that some dogs hate.

Try to see it from their point of view. Dogs are pack animals, and in a pack there is always the issue of hierarchy and dominance. Just as a dog would classify himself in a pack, he classifies himself with you and family members. If a dog believes that he ranks high enough among you, or even higher than all of you, he will not hesitate to be dominant.

So how do we deal with this? Put him in his place by teaching him to be obedient. Reprimand him for the dog’s bad behavior and then reward him when he has done well. He will eventually figure out who the boss is and that he pays to follow you. Give him obedience training often and make it a pleasurable experience for him by giving him praise and treats. Before long he will learn who the real authority is and the dog’s aggression will be tamed.

If you want to learn more about how to handle aggressive and dominant dog behavior, read the SitStayFetch book. This guide covers all aspects of dog ownership, including canine aggression. Get a copy now. Click here for free dog training lessons [http://www.expressdogtraining.com].