how to calm an aggressive dog

How To Calm An Aggressive Dog Today

In Training & Behavior Aids by Chief Chihuahua

If you want to run a successful dog walking business you’re going to need to know how to calm an aggressive dog.  Inevitably you’re going to run into some aggressive dogs that could cause harm to you, other people, or the dogs under your care. By knowing how to deal with aggressive dogs you’ll become both a better dog walker and a better dog owner. You will be able also to educate your clients and other people on how to handle their own dogs, if they display signs of aggression.

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about how to calm an aggressive dog. You’ll learn how to identify aggression in dogs, as well as what causes aggression and how to correct it.

Dog Aggression By Breed

Any dog can become aggressive. However, some dogs are more susceptible to aggressive behavior than others because of their breeding. Dog breeding is an intentional mating of dogs especially chosen for producing specific qualities to meet human objectives. Breeders with a knowledge of canine genetics understand the type of characteristics they are after. Some dogs are bred for enhanced alertness and focus, others for stamina and physical prowess, for more acute smell or hearing abilities, others still are bred for aesthetics and indoor companionship.

Obviously, animals originally bred for hunting or war will naturally display quite different behavior than those bred for docility and domestic use. Therefore, it is important to understand what a certain dog breed was bred for. The following breeds may be considered more aggressive than others. This list is based on the results of the temperament test performed by the American Temperament Test Society. Dog breeds that scored lowest on the test display tendencies toward more overcautious, easily panicked and ultimately aggressive attitudes.

  1. Chihuahua
  2. Dachshund
  3. Chow Chow
  4. Doberman Pinscher
  5. Dalmatian
  6. Rottweiler
  7. Jack Russell Terrier
  8. German Shepherd
  9. American Staffordshire/ Pit Bull Terrier
  10. Siberian Husky

As you can see, just because you are much more powerful than some of these breeds it doesn’t mean that you won’t need to worry about how to calm an aggressive dog. Many smaller dogs suffer from what is known as “small dog syndrome.” These dogs try to make up for their lack of size with a bigger attitude. It’s a self-preservation instinct.

It’s also important to note that properly training and socializing any dog can make an enormous difference in calming their aggressivity. But with some breeds it is imperative that you work at it in anticipation of their natural tendencies toward aggression. Most dogs, no matter the breed, can be calm and friendly. It’s generally only when a dog is mistreated, confused, distressed, in pain or not properly trained that it becomes aggressive.

How Do You Know A Dog Is Being Aggressive?

Before you can understand how to calm an aggressive dog you need to learn what the warning signs of aggressive behavior are.

When most people think of aggression in dogs, they think of a dog attacking people or other animals. However, this is the last stage of aggressive behavior. There are plenty of warning signs leading up to an attack that will generally indicate that a dog is being aggressive.

Here are some clear dog behaviors that signal imminent aggression. You should become keen in spotting them the moment they start, so you can diffuse the situation:

  • Unusual stillness and rigidity
  • Bristled hairs, twitching ears, tail wagging left instead of right
  • Guttural threatening barks
  • Sudden lunging or charging at other people or dogs
  • Mouthing or nipping (this can be a sign of both excitement or aggression)
  • Muzzle punch (punching people or dogs with their nose)
  • Growling
  • Display of teeth
  • Snarling (growling and showing teeth at the same time)
  • Snapping (making biting motions towards other people or dogs)

If you see a dog starting to display any of the above behaviors, then an actual bite or attack could be looming. If a dog exhibits these types of behaviors on a regular basis then it could have aggressive tendencies that need direct intervention.

Causes Of Aggression In Dogs

To calm an aggressive dog, you must first understand why it is being aggressive. There are several reasons why one dog might be more aggressive than another. Some dogs are just born more aggressive while others have gone through experiences that have caused them to learn to respond to certain situations exclusively with aggression.

It’s important to understand when dealing with some aggressive dogs that often their aggression is due to things out of your control. Here are the most common causes of aggression in dogs:

  • Genetics: As mentioned before, some breeds of dogs are more predisposed to aggressive behavior than others. Though with proper care all dogs can be brought up to be friendly, it’s imperative not to deny the genetic factor in choosing to engage with a dog bred for fearlessness.
  • Illness: Some illnesses can cause dogs to become more aggressive. If you have a normally calm dog who suddenly starts to exhibit aggressive behavior, you should take it to the veterinarian. It’s possible that some internal discomfort is causing it to become hostile.
  • Abuse or Mistreatment: If a dog has been abused or mistreated it could become traumatized, leading to its distrust of not only all people but some people especially, namely those that it misassociates with its abuse. This can lead the dog to become aggressive.
  • Fear/Anxiety: If dogs are put into situations that cause fear or anxiety they can often become aggressive as a survival impulse.

By determining the root cause of the aggression, you’ll be better able to understand how to calm an aggressive dog.

Types Of Aggression In Dogs

One of the first steps of learning how to calm an aggressive dog is to identify what is triggering your dog’s aggression. Dogs can become aggressive when put into any number of situations. Look at the following video to identify typical triggers and the dog body signals that accompany them:

Listed below are the distinct types of aggression in dogs:

  • Territorial Aggression: This can be triggered by strangers coming onto a dog’s property.
  • Protective Aggression: Dogs may become aggressive when they feel a family member is in danger.
  • Possessive Aggression: Some dogs will guard their possession against others and may become aggressive when someone tries to take them.
  • Fear Aggression: When some dogs are scared, cornered or trapped they may become aggressive for survival reasons.
  • Social Aggression: Some dogs may feel they are of higher status than other family members and may attack those they feel are lower in the hierarchy.
  • Frustration-Elicited Aggression: If a dog is excited about something but is held back by their owner or someone else, it may become hostile out of frustration.
  • Pain-Elicited Aggression: Some dogs become aggressive when in pain.
  • Sex-Related Aggression: Dogs that haven’t been spayed or neutered may aggressively compete with other dogs for mates.
  • Predatory Aggression: In the wild, dogs are predators. Some domesticated dogs still exhibit aggressive predatory behavior when triggered.

If you have an aggressive dog, pay attention to what situation triggers the aggressive behavior. By identifying what situations cause your dog to become aggressive, you’ll be better equipped to treat it by deescalating the situation.

How To Calm An Aggressive Dog By Dealing With Inter-Party Dog Aggression

Another insight on learning how to calm an aggressive dog is correctly identifying who or what your dog is aggressive towards to determine whether it is the dog or the object of aggression that is the problem to start with.


Inter-dog aggression, for instance, occurs specifically when a dog is aggressive towards other dogs. This could be other dogs in their household or dogs that they meet for the first time. Some aggression towards strange dogs can be normal, but if it becomes a common occurrence it becomes also something you need to correct immediately, lest the dog become a threat to passive animals.

Non-neutered males generally have the most issues with inter-dog aggression. It will usually start to present itself when the dog reaches sexual maturity.

As to dog aggression towards people, it can be a genuine problem. Despite size, dogs can inflict serious harm on people if provoked to do so. If you notice your dog regularly exhibiting some sign of aggression as listed above when interacting with people, you should take caution and begin immediate correction of this behavior before any harm comes to a person.

If someone is injured by a dog in your care, you may be the one held legally responsible for the damages and the dog may require destruction. So, prevent this risk by knowing your dog’s temperament in the context of specific situations and either remove the dog or the threat to the dog. You may need to train the dog in an enclosed area before it is safe to take outdoors.  The following video provides sound insight into how to begin correcting a fear-aggressive dog needing socialization.

Dog Aggression Correction

By now you should be able to identify the root cause of your dog’s aggression and the triggers that cause your dog to act aggressively. Now it’s time to learn how to calm an aggressive dog.

Whenever you’re confronting a consistently aggressive dog under your control, your first step should be to take your dog to a vet to ensure there is nothing medically wrong with it. The aggression may be caused by an illness, pain or other medical problem, so you’ll want to rule that out first.

Assuming your dog is in perfect health, then the next step is to start correcting the aggressive behavior using dog psychology. Dog are as smart as toddlers. They’re quick learners and are not easily fooled. They’re able to understand well over 100 words and distinguish voice tonality.

Desensitization techniques are a very effective way on how to calm an aggressive dog. The goal of to expose your dog to the item or situation that triggers the aggressive behavior in a safe and less intense way and then, over time and through repetition, convince the dog that its aggressive behavior is either unnecessary or unacceptable.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say your dog become aggressive around unfamiliar people. Make sure your dog is secured on the leash and then introduce him to someone new. Start with the person far enough away so that the dog will notice them but not feel the need to react.

When your dog notices the person use the “come” command to get your dog to return to you and reward it with a treat. Have the person move closer and let your dog go until it notices the person again. Use the “come” command again and reward the dog with a retreat.

Repeat this process over time, gradually bringing the trigger closer and closer. If you see your dog becoming anxious or aggressive, stop and take a break. Don’t rush the process. It may take days or even weeks for your dog to become totally comfortable with the trigger. This is a positive reinforcement technique. Conversely, you can use jalapeño spray.

Dogs gain a picture of the world around them through an acute sense of smell as opposed to us humans who gain it chiefly through visual stimulation. Use this to desensitize. Simply mix jalapeño pepper juice in a bottle of water and spray the mixture to get the point across. Don’t spray it at the dog but around it every time it starts acting up. Dogs despise peppers because they burn. If you want to try a milder compound, then know that dogs also dislike the smell of citrus. Therefore, squeeze orange, grapefruit or lemon peels as around the dog when it begins to become aggressive and command severely “No!” This is negative reinforcement.

Dogs’ social intelligence is quite unassuming. They compare what is happening in the immediate present with what happened to them in similar situations in the past and derive their conclusions from there. If in the here-and-now they begin associating as uncomfortable to become aggressive against something that was even less uncomfortable in the past, then they will remember the here-and-now and will stop being aggressive to avoid present discomfort. They will do the same for more pleasure. So, change their present to ensure they remember it tomorrow. There is hope for training a dog not to be aggressive.

Getting Professional Help

Nevertheless, aggressive dogs can be dangerous. Even if you know how to calm and aggressive dog, you may want to contact a qualified behavioral specialist for a situation that has clearly grown out of your control. This is an especially promising idea if your dog is overly aggressive or if your attempts to calm the dog haven’t worked.

Behavior specialists are experts at getting to the root of your dog’s aggression and resolving it. They will put together a customized plan specifically for your dog to help correct the aggressive behavior.

How To Calm An Aggressive Dog: Conclusion

Understanding how to calm an aggressive dog is a multi-stage process, but it is doable.

By taking the time to understand why your dog’s breed, the triggers of its aggressive behavior, and slowly getting your dog more comfortable with its memories, it is possible to control dog aggression.

The important thing is to be patient. Dog aggression isn’t cured overnight. And if all else fails, don’t be afraid to seek professional help.

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