Different people behave differently and have different needs and different minds. The same goes for dogs. Some dogs are calm and friendly by nature and will not show any aggression whatsoever while others can easily display their aggression, even when only slightly provoked.

What can you do if you get an aggressive dog or a dog that bites? There are a few options, but before you start seeking help from professionals, ask yourself: "Why does my dog bite or is overly aggressive?" If you already know the answer, then you can try training your dog to avoid this unwanted behavior. If your dog bites when someone tries to touch his toys or food, then either tell everyone in your household that they should not touch his toys or food (passive solution) or stand in front of him and firmly set your rules and show him that you are the leader and not him (active solution). If he shows aggression, take his food away for a while or his toys until he calms down. Show him that you mean business and that you will not let him treat you that way. You have to be patient and consistent at whatever you try to teach your dog.

If you have tried removing your dog's aggression yourself and it has not worked, seek professional help from a dog behaviorist or dog trainer. It is better than giving up on him and dumping him at a shelter where most likely he will get euthanized or put down because of his previous history of aggressive behavior and biting. The professional behaviorist may recommend to you to rehome the dog with someone who has more time to work with the dog and has more experience with your dog's breed. If you have small children, and the dog keeps biting them, the best solution would be to rehome the dog as small children do not understand things like adults do and may not be able to always follow our instructions regarding how to behave around the dog. I think that you will agree that rehoming is a much better solution for both you and the dog than euthanizing the dog that may still be able to live a happy life with someone else.

Even the dog that had been labeled as vicious and aggressive can find a good home with someone who understands what the dog's needs are and how to avoid being attacked by this dog. Some dogs may show aggression because they are bored and frustrated and need more exercise and mental stimulation. Some dogs may bite people because they have been traumatized in the past and are afraid of people. Some dogs may be ill or feel pain and, as a result, they will not be in the mood to be touched and may bite people who come too close to them. This is why an aggressive dog should be checked by a veterinarian before even hiring a professional dog behaviorist or trainer because if your dog is sick, they will not be able to help your dog. 

Whatever you do, consider you options and do not give up on a dog too quickly. Be patient and do whatever is in your power to help your dog overcome aggression and biting. If you are not successful after trying all of your options, consider rehoming your dog. Leaving the dog at the shelter to be euthanized is the last thing you should consider when all else has failed.

There are two groups of people, those who use electric shock collars or training collars on their dogs and swear by them and those who do not use them and think that anyone who does use shock collars is irresponsible and cruel. Both sides are correct to some extent but it all depends on how and when you use the shock collar.

Electric shock collars can be a very useful tool in training a dog if used properly. You may say, why shock the dog when there are more humane ways to train a dog and teach him what he can do and cannot do? One reason some people prefer using electric shock collars because they tried all of the other methods and were unsuccessful. Depending on the dog, some dogs can be harder to train and will not always listen on command. As a result, the owner does not have complete confidence in the dog and the most effective way they find to train their dog and have full control over him is to use a shock collar. 

Are electric shock collars painful and can they hurt my dog? Yes, they can be painful but most modern shock collars have different levels or settings so that you can adjust the level of electronic stimulation that the collar produces so that they are safe to use on any size dog. Most of them even come with a hand-held remote control so that you can train your dog from a distance. Make sure that you have read the instructions before putting a shock collar on your dog because you can hurt your dog if you do not use it properly.

After a few times of experiencing the electric stimulation, the dog will learn what he is allowed to do and what the undesirable behavior is. Afterward, you do not even have to use the electronic stimulation as many new collars can also emit sounds such as "Good" or "Bad" or specific tone for good and bad behavior. That way, when your dog does something desirable, you press the button that will make the collar say "Good" or emit the tone for good. You can then proceed to praise your dog and/or give him a treat. If your dog does something undesirable, you press the button that will make the collar say "Bad" or emit the tone for bad but will not electronically stimulate the dog. Usually after a few times of electronic stimulation, the dog will learn what he is not supposed to do and further stimulation will not be necessary.

Whatever your position is on electric shock collars, you have to understand the advantages and disadvantages of such collars. For someone who does not have a fenced yard or cannot build a fence, electric shock collars are be a great way to let your dog safely run free around your property. It will stop your dog from getting hit by a car which happens way too often. I would not use an electric shock collar as the main training tool. If the dog can be trained by a professional trainer, then shock collars are unnecessary. If you have a hard case where you tried training your dog by hiring a professional trainer and were unsuccessful, then I can understand the need for such tools.

When used properly, shock collars can be a great training aid, but they should not be your primary training method nor should they replace all of the other traditional training methods. Before considering using an electric shock collar on your dog, I would consult with a professional trainer and a veterinarian first to make sure that the method you chose to use to train your dog is the appropriate one to correct your dog's behavior.

What are your thoughts on this? Add your comment below.

How many times have you walked with your dog and he started pulling you after seeing another dog or animal like a rabbit? This is very common and is a result of poor control and training. Your dog needs to be trained while he is still a puppy that pulling on the leash is not acceptable behavior and will not be tolerated. Why do dogs pull anyways? One reason is that they just walk faster than us and want to let us know that our pace is too slow for them. Another reason is that they get excited after seeing another dog or animal and want to quickly get to them to play or in some cases their hunting instinct kicks in and they want to chase the 'prey'. 

There are different ways of training your dog not to pull and correcting this behaviour. One way is to use a front-clip harness or head halter which will give you more control over your dog while walking and also stop the choking that the choke collar creates. Choke collars may work for some dogs, while not for others so first test it on your dog to see the results. A front-clip harness or head halter can be used as a way to correct an already established pulling behavior and assist in training. However, these tools do not have to become your permanent solution. There are many other ways to train your dog not to pull and establish this as the norm. How can it be done? Let us start with the basics.

First, train your dog indoors where there are the least amount of distractions. Start off the training without a leash. Your goal is to teach your dog to follow you. This training works best when done on a young dog, but can work for adult dogs as well. Place an object in your hand or palm and try to get your dog’s attention by asking the dog to touch it with its nose (giver the command to “touch”). Make sure that your hand is down by your side. Walk a few steps and then stop. Let the dog touch the object but make sure he is not in front of you. If the dog walks in front of you, start walking again in a different direction and stop. Once the dog touches the object and is not in front of you, give him a treat or reward and praise your dog so that it becomes a game for him and not something that is laborious work. Do this until the dog understands that he needs to follow you.

If your dog does not understand the command to touch an object, then this other method may work better for you. Place a clicker in your right hand, treat in the left, and walk for a while (still indoors to avoid distractions). Once you stop, click and then drop the treat on the floor next to your left foot and tell the dog take the treat. If the dog tries to get in front of you or get past your left knee before you had the chance to click, turn around and walk in another direction and then stop, click, and drop the treat. You should also turn around if the dog goes to the right or tries to face you. Repeat this click and treat method 10-15 times and if you see the dog starts jumping on you or gets too excited, take a break. The worst time to teach your dog something is when he is excited. Once your dog keeps slowing down next to you on your the left-hand side and looks up each time waiting for you to click and give him a treat, you know that you can reduce the number of repetitions and that your dog knows to stay by your left side.

Once your dog knows how to stay by your left side, you can raise the bar. This time walk even further, around different objects (furniture), zigzag, speed up, slow down, stop and keep the treats on the opposite side of your body from the dog until you are ready to give him one. This will ensure that the dog is not just following your treats in your hand, but that you are rewarding voluntary behaviour. If the dog does not slow down each time by your left side, stop the training and leave for a while and ignore the dog. You have to repeat this training until the dogs sticks to you like glue. If you have a fenced yard, play the same game now outdoors when your dog is most interested and still without the leash. When your dog follows you on command, you can proceed with the next step.

Put on the leash that is 4 to 6 feet long and do not use any retractable leashes. Do this indoors and start with walking only a few steps in the beginning. Play the same “follow me” game that you played before but make sure that you are not using the leash to direct your dog. Do not yank the leash! You can have the leash attached to you at the waist, rather than holding it, to avoid accidental yanking from you. There should be some slack in the leash at all times. If the dog starts pulling repeatedly, take off the leash, and walk away ignoring the dog. Then come back at another time and try again. Once the dog is following you without caring about the leash and you feel confident that he follows you on cue, take him on the road. Walk a few steps only before rewarding. You need to start slow and then gradually increase the distance before giving praise or reward.

Keep giving treats every time the leash is loose and praise him. A loose leash should automatically follow a reward. Practice this technique and once it has become a habit, phase out the treats and just give praise unless you want to have to carry a bag of treats each time you walk with your dog. I thought so. If your dog starts pulling, do not walk a step further until he puts some slack back into the leash. If he is stubborn and still keeps pulling, turn around and go the other way. He will know that pulling will not get him where he wants to go. If there are other members in your family that walk the dog, they should also follow your methods and be consistent with what you have been teaching your dog.

There you have it. The method that I just explained is an effective way to stop your dog from pulling on the leash. It requires a lot of patience, persistence, and practice but does not require any expensive tools and is a permanent behavioral correction and not just a temporary fix. Whatever training approach you choose to implement, it has to be consistent and reward for the correct behavior.