While dogs can make ideal companions, a dog that bites, snaps or barks aggressively can be difficult to manage. Fortunately, we have a solution – aggressive dog behavior training in Nashville can truly work miracles and transform an aggressive dog into a well-behaved and friendly member of your family.
The Science Behind Aggression
A puppy is not born aggressive, but as they grow, there are many reasons why these sweet creatures exhibit aggressive behavior toward humans and other animals. Let’s take a look at some factors that may contribute to aggressive behavior.
Breed Characteristics: In some cases, genetics may play a role. Certain breeds have been developed for roles that require protective behavior, strong prey drives, or territorial instincts, which can sometimes be perceived as aggression. Breeds historically used for guarding, hunting, or fighting might show signs of aggression more readily. However, it’s crucial to distinguish between a dog acting on its breed instincts and genuine aggression.
Even within breeds known for their strong protective instincts or high energy levels, there’s significant individual variation in behavior. Not all dogs of a breed reputed to be aggressive will display aggressive behavior. For instance, for all the bad rap that pit bulls get, we’ve known plenty of pit bulls that were as sweet as can be, so genetics may only be a small part of the equation.
Environmental Influences: In the old debate about nature versus nurture, a lot can be said to support the idea that many dogs become aggressive not because of their breed, but because of their environment.
Early socialization and exposure to a variety of people, animals, and situations play a crucial role in shaping a dog’s behavior. Lack of socialization can lead to fear-based aggression, regardless of breed. A dog behaves aggressively if they feel threatened and if they aren’t used to meeting new people or other dogs, this can lead to aggression.
How a dog is trained and treated by its owner can significantly impact its behavior. Dogs that are poorly trained, neglected, or abused may develop aggressive behaviors as a defense mechanism.
We see this all of the time from clients who recently have adopted a rescue dog. These dogs often come with plenty of baggage from months or years of neglect or abuse, but with patience, love and intensive dog training in Nashville, we usually can fix these issues. Through the years, we have helped many dogs with serious issues, including dogs that were close to being surrendered or put down due to their behavioral issues.
Can Diet & Exercise Help?
We are asked this quite often. While proper aggressive dog behavior training and consistent reinforcement of this training is the best way to fix poor behavior, ensuring that your dog has a proper diet and plenty of exercise can help with some behavioral issues.
For instance, high-energy dogs often display destructive and unpleasant behavior if they don’t have enough exercise. A dog that doesn’t have adequate nutrition also might exhibit aggressive behavior if they are hungry or perhaps showcase aggression around their food. This is known as resource guarding and while we encourage families to properly feed and exercise their dogs, this alone will likely do little to reduce truly aggressive behavior.
That said, in some cases, aggressive behavior could be caused by an underlying health condition. These dogs do still need behavior modification dog training in Nashville, but treating any health issues also can reduce aggression and improve behavior. It’s always wise to have your dog evaluated by a veterinarian to see if any health issues might be adding to the behavioral problems.
A Professional Dog Trainer Can Help
Training a dog can be tricky, but training an aggressive dog can be extremely difficult which is why it’s best to seek professional help for any type of serious behavioral issue. This includes aggression, but also other problem behaviors such as constant barking and separation anxiety.
The internet is full of videos and articles promising to help dog owners improve behavior, but training an aggressive dog is not as easy as training a dog with an easy temperament and the stakes are much higher. Aggressive dogs can cause serious injury or even death to your family members, friends and strangers, as well as other animals. Aggression should be taken seriously and dealt with as quickly as possible.
Trust Tip Top K9 – Nashville Best Dog Trainers
At Tip Top K9, we have more than 15 years of experience with dog training, and we are the nation’s highest-rated and most-reviewed dog training service. Furthermore, we specialize in helping problem dogs. If you need intensive dog behavior training in Nashville, the team at Tip Top K9 is equal to the task.
We offer in-home dog training in Nashville, dog boot camp in Nashville and group dog training classes in Nashville. For aggressive dog behavior training in Nashville, we recommend our boot camp, as this is designed to help dogs with serious behavioral issues. Again, we’ve saved many dogs that were days away from being put down, so before you surrender your animal, give us a call!
For doggy boot camp in Nashville, your pet will live with an aggressive dog trainer for several weeks 24/7. This immersive approach allows the trainer to provide instruction at any time throughout the day or night. Generally, dogs stay with a trainer for about two to four weeks (longer if needed). We video document all of the training and we also train the dog parents, so that they can reinforce positive behavior once their dog returns home.
Of course, we don’t just help dogs with serious issues. If your dog only exhibits minor behavioral issues or you have a sweet-tempered pooch that simply needs to learn proper obedience skills, we likely will provide you with an in-home dog trainer in Nashville.
During in-home training sessions, we’ll teach your dog to sit, stay and come 100% of the time when called and we can fix jumping issues, eliminate leash pulling and stop nuisance barking. We will give dog parents some “homework,” so that they can continue to follow up and reinforce good behavior.
Once you’ve completed our in-home training program, most of our dog training packages also include group classes where you can further socialize your dog and reinforce good behavior. We also offer lifetime phone support, so if you are having any behavioral issues, be sure to give us a talk and we will provide you with some helpful advice.
Book Your First Lesson Today!
Whether you need basic dog obedience training or aggressive dog behavior training in Nashville, we charge just $1 for your first lesson. During this lesson, a professional trainer will evaluate your dog and determine whether in-home lessons or dog boot camp will be the best approach. To get started, just click on the Schedule Lesson tab on our homepage.