It can be difficult to know if your dog is aggressive if you’ve only had one dog or if your dog has always been a bit feisty. Since dog aggression has such a notorious reputation, it makes sense you want to know if your dog is considered aggressive. The good news is that you can take this “Is my dog aggressive” quiz to find out.
Is My Dog Aggressive Quiz
By answering the following question in the “Is my dog aggressive quiz”, you will be able to figure out if your suspicions are correct or if your pup is just a bit more active than others.
What to Do with the Is My Dog Aggressive Quiz
Now that you’ve answered the questions about your dog’s aggressive behavior and have the answer to the is my dog aggressive quiz, what will you do with it?
Many dog owners move on to researching ways to improve their dog’s aggressive behavior if they receive the answer that their dog is aggressive. Of course, those who find out their dog isn’t considered aggressive simply move on in life knowing they don’t have an aggressive dog.
If you’re in the former group of people, there are a few things you can do to help the situation of owning an aggressive dog.
Identify the Problem Behaviors
Since you took the is my dog aggressive quiz, you already had an idea that you’re dealing with dog aggression. This came from some of the problem behaviors you’ve noticed your dog doing.
Write your dog’s behavior on a piece of paper. Consider asking your family if they have any to add or if they believe any of the behaviors you have on your list are normal.
Normal behavior is anything that doesn’t threaten the safety of someone. This includes family members, guests who come to the home, and people out in public.
Learn How to Train Your Dog
Behavior modification through obedience training is a great way to reduce behavior problems. The key is to catch your pup in the act of doing something wrong, and then stop it somehow. This may include distracting your dog or physically moving your dog away from certain stimuli.
NEVER hit, hurt, or otherwise punish your dog. All this will do is increase aggression in reactive dogs. Always use positive reinforcement with obedience training.
When your dog does something positive, reward and praise him/her. When you’re dog does something bad, distract it and make it clear what he/she was doing was wrong. That may mean taking whatever it is away or continuing to dissuade your dog from approaching certain stimuli.
Food Guarding Training
An example is food guarding even when not eating it. Let’s say your dog is lying beside the food bowl and growls whenever someone walks by. It’s important not to ignore this behavior.
Instead, pick up the food bowl any time your dog growls. You may need to ask a family member to help by putting a leash on your dog so he/she doesn’t lunge when the food bowl is removed.
The other option is to distract your dog with a treat. When your dog is away from the food bowl, pick it up. Repeat putting the food bowl down and picking it up any time your dog growls or exhibits aggressive dog body language.
Learn More: Stop a Dog Growling Over Food
Interdog Aggression
If your pup needs to behave better around other dogs, especially male dogs, ask to borrow a friend’s dog. A large dog works best with this type of training, as most of the time, problems arise with large dogs.
With someone helping you, have each dog on a leash and let them see each other. If they make eye contact, that’s even better. If your dog tries to lunge at the other dog, stop the lunge and say, “NO”. Try it again and again.
As your dog understands that lunging or engaging in other aggressive behavior is not appropriate, move closer to the other dog. Do the same thing if there’s any dog body language that signals aggressive behavior.
Sidenote: It’s best to do this exercise with young puppies to prevent puppy aggression. It’s also easy to control young puppies vs. big dogs. Spread the word to any puppy owners you may know.
Learn More: Reintroducing Dogs After a Fight
Consult a Dog Trainer or Animal Behaviorist
Most dog trainers have training in animal behavior, which is what is needed to train reactive dogs. If you’re not sure, ask about the experience the trainer has in behavior modification.
The best thing you can do is work with the dog trainer to improve your dog’s behavior. The trainer can help you and your dog understand what to do to replace abnormal behavior with normal behavior.
Important Information for Aggressive Dog Owners
- Adult dogs are aggressive for a reason. Knowing what that reason is can help you tackle the problem quickly and easily. If you’re not sure what causes the aggression, try temperament testing, which means presenting certain stimuli to see how your dog reacts.
- Family dogs that are aggressive are a threat to children and guests. Be very careful if you have children in your home. Keep the family dog away from younger family members and guests until you seek the necessary training from a professional.
- Look for the warning signs of aggression such as growling, change in dog body language, and barking.
Aggressive Dogs Aren’t Bad Dogs
Just because you have an aggressive dog, it doesn’t mean you have a bad dog. You just have a dog that needs to learn how to behave differently in stressful situations.
Want to take some more quizzes?
Should I Give My Dog Away Quiz
Does My Dog Have A Mental Disorder Quiz
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