How To Stop Dog Aggression for Everyday People: The Ultimate Guide

Dog aggression is complex and nuanced, but by the end of this video you'll have a thorough understanding of why it happens, how it happens, and the best ways to address it.

We shed light on the misconceptions about aggressive behavior in dogs, emphasizing that a thoughtful, systematic approach, rather than one-off solutions, are needed to manage this issue effectively.

We explore the many factors that can lead to aggression in dogs, including the crucial role of fear and anxiety. Using key concepts like the Ladder of Aggression, we demonstrate how to recognize and react to signs of aggression early, potentially avoiding any serious incidents. We examine the importance of a dog's predatory instincts and how these behaviors can sometimes be misinterpreted as aggression.

We emphasize the significance of understanding your dog's body language to get valuable insights into their emotional state and potential triggers for aggressive behavior. We introduce the concepts of redirection and replacement, strategies to help guide your dog away from aggressive behaviors towards more positive ones.

We explain the risks of inappropriate reactions to aggression, and provide insights on practical management strategies such as the use of muzzles, desensitization, and counter-conditioning. The essential role of veterinary professionals in managing aggression is also highlighted, as is the importance of consistency and patience.

By the end of this video, you will have a deeper understanding of why your dog might display aggressive behavior and how to address the root causes effectively. This is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to create a safer and more harmonious environment for their dogs.

Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to our channel for more dog behavior insights and professional guidance. Your support helps us continue our mission to provide credible, science-based knowledge about dog behavior and training.

***RESOURCES FOR 1-ON-1 VIRTUAL HELP WITH AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR***

⭐️ Calm Canine Academy (use code ZAK10 for a discount on virtual services!):

⭐️ Noble Woof Dog Training:

⭐️ Hillary and The Speckled Hearts Project:

⭐️ Gia and Thinking Canine:

For more daily dog training tips and videos FOLLOW US!

Is there another social network you’d like to see us on? Tell us in the comments! ⬇️



☝️👀👂 If you prefer to LISTEN instead of read... I narrated both of my audiobooks for you guys myself!!! If you listen to the audio versions be sure to let me know what you think! 🎙😜 You can find audio (and Kindle) versions at the links above as well.

Thank you so much for watching this video! If you have any feedback, requests for future content, or just want to tell us about your dog… We’ll see you in the comments!! 🤗 - Zak and Bree (and Inertia… and Veronica! 🐾)

[zakgeorge]

Does your dog ever behave aggressively?

If you need help with aggression, here are links for some incredible trainers who can help you virtually, anywhere in the world!

⭐️ Calm Canine Academy (use code ZAK10 for a discount on virtual services!):

⭐️ Noble Woof Dog Training:

⭐️ Hillary and The Speckled Hearts Project:

⭐️ Gia and Thinking Canine:




Thanks so much for watching this video! Subscribe for FREE dog training help on every topic you can think of!! If you have something specific you want help with right now, let us know in the comments! 🤗

[righteousrebellion]

I would like to see you take one of these large truly agressive dogs (like one in a shelter that most wont go near) and turn them around on your channel for everyone to see. It's one thing to talk but another thing to do it. I would really like to see it.

[tysont]

Now I'm a little troubled, I have learned many things from you on how to train puppy's. You have called out many other trainers on methods used to deal with aggressive behavior. I won't name names. However when you post a video it's no more than a commentary. I would love to see your methods in action to see if your methods are credible. Because I have seen other methods work. I would love to see you take a dog that is on the verge of being put down and use your methods to correct and save that dog.

[joyfulkservices]

I was hoping you'd be working some dogs with aggressive behaviour when I clicked this, instead of just talking...Maybe you can show and share your work sometime?

[Kate-dfem]

When I clicked on this video I thought you would show the methods (working with a dog that has severe human agression) instead of just talking. Also, I noticed the only strategy you suggested is avoiding the situation when the dog behaves agressively. But that doesnt fix the issue of agression, it just avoids it. What about situations that cannot be avoided (like when a dog is agressive towards an owner)?

[primeamericank]

If you avoid every "trigger" how does the dog learn to overcome those fears? We have to be the dogs guide and our dogs have to trust that we wont put them through anything they can't handle. But just like children dogs need new environments and they have to sometimes be coaxed into overcoming those fears. Once they do, they have it in their memory bank and understand that they are going to be ok.

[TheEstevenw]

I had a woman's dog come up to me and start barking loudly, non-stop, she insisted it was just being friendly, "See it's tail is wagging". I told her it was aggressive behaviour, she kept insisting it was just being friendly. I finally yelled at her "If someone started yelling at you wouldn't you think that's aggressive!" Haven't seen her at the dog park since. Couldn't believe she wouldn't call her dog off.

[willow]

Thank you so much, I’m only 14 and a few months ago I took a dog from my friend because she was unable to take care of it. The dog has gone from three months old to eight, and tends to be out of control around other people and dogs. But she is a sweetheart with people she knows, the fact is she is a German shepherd pit bull mix, she has high energy is destructive because of that. I tried to socialize her but my road is to dangerous and my parents wouldn’t take me out to places to desensitize her to people and such. Due to your videos I have been able to figure out how to help her out with these things. Thank you

[armandhammer]

Zak shows a little dog resource guarding, his personal border collie, him getting dragged by a dog and a dog in a crate. 🤣👌

[americanmade-]

I wanna see Zak take on a large, aggressive dog. If he knows the right techniques and knows they work, why doesn't he do this?

[dont.mind.me]

Hey Zak, instead of bashing balanced trainers and their methods, why don’t you do a series (like Moira’s) where you take in a HUMAN aggressive dog and train it with +R only? You would have weeks to work with dog, possibly longer if you wish.
If you’re going to keep talking shit about the trainers who are actually out there helping people and their dogs, maybe you should add some action to accompany it.

[donaldwharton]

This is all about avoiding. Can’t walk them in your own neighborhood if the dog doesn’t like noise so put him in the car and drive to another neighborhood? Respectfully I like Zak, he was the first trainer I ever admired when I got my dog. Now Garret at American standard is my go to. Also I can’t think of his name but the trainer with the Doberman Prince. Dog daddy as well. Citing the aggression and saving dogs lives. Give Zak a dog that’s a week away from getting euthanized and see if he can save them. Whether positive reinforcement or corrections there are a lot of well trained dogs and the fact that Zak makes these passive aggressive videos without showing his viewers what to do is crazy. You wasted 18 minutes basically saying go get help and avoid situations where your dog seems stressed. Running in a hamster wheel with no end in sight. Dog Daddy offered you 50k to show him your way to deal with the dogs he deals with. Even your viewers want to see you actually take a dog from aggression to perfection instead of just talking the talk.

[Ponygirl]

All that you are saying is true, and can be filed under book knowledge, but the fact remains is that we have yet to see you put all of these psychological findings into a hands on demonstration.
Training/managing aggressive behaviors is very difficult, and certainly not for everyone, and it would seem appropriate to state that this is not your area of expertise, and that would not take away anything from the areas that you do excel at. I suppose that the downside is that, no matter how eloquently you are throwing aversive training methods under the bus, it would be best to just accept that there is no right or wrong, nor black or white when it comes to this sensitive subject.

[yogiyoda]

Actions speak louder than words. We need to see someone successfully implementing these techniques on YouTube

[samanthahu]

So for human aggression just keep tossing them treats? .. I’ve seen a ton of dogs that if you do that it makes them more skeptical and then they lunge and bite.

[ChaosGSD]

I am an animal behavior student at a large university in the United States. In our INTRO class the DIRECTOR of the program said "Positive only dog trainers are lying, positive only training and learning doesn't exist. It's a money making scam."

[Yeepyup]

I went down this path to the point of exhaustion. Two - three years of "you must not be doing it right" and "Keep it up its a process". I watched all these videos and went with all the top-rated purely positive trainers. It's good for TV and I'm sure Zak is making a good living at it. But, it doesn't work with truly aggressive dogs. He'd be the first to put a good dog down that just needs a different approach. Death before discomfort, right Zak?

[threadmarkone]

I got myself a high energy dog from the pound at 1 year old. Now 4 years at 35KG! I was looking for a challenge and oh boi was it ever! My wife and I don't have kids so it was a great fit. Cali had ripped the sleeves off the trainer at rspca so i knew what i was getting into. Exercise is good for us and the training is very rewarding.

Having a 35 kg dog go from out of control to waiting 5 minutes before eating a treat on command or being allowed at the pub for cuddles with drunk people is rewarding.

My only advice for high energy pet owners;

They can't be trained not to bite or be aggressive. Its like saying humans can be tought not to cry or get angry. We can only manage and treat the behaviour not erase it. Dogs and humans alike have limits.

Eating on command and fetching on command was the biggest asset to managing her behaviour. Having her stop and wait for confirmation gets her dialed in for some reason! When she gets agitated in public by a sprinting cat or screaming child, that initial stop for confirmation gives her that break to calm down. Now that its been so long since getting to that point its easy to get complacent. Because ive not seen her get aggressive towards someone in a long time, doesn't mean i should go nuts.

All it takes is for a kid to run and hug my dog, accidentally step on its foot badly!, and that's potentially game over!

I got the dog for companionship, a challenge plus the reward of seeing such a powerful animal be carefree, gentle and affectionate. Kind of how i wish most people would be in society.

[rebeccarobinson]

Stop talking and prove it like dog daddy does

[regannieuwenhoudt]

It seems this video only offers "avoidance" as a solution to a dog reacting to certain stimuli.

It might be more useful to create a series of videos of a case study where all this talk is put into action. Where a highly reactive dogs behavior is modified using all this "scientific methods" are put into practice.

There are many people who have only the best interest at heart for their beloved pets so this type of video will be greatly appealing to them. But I fear people with really problematic dogs will get nothing out of this video, sadly