Dog aggression is a big problem but the solutions are not necessarily complicated. It all comes down to understanding dog psychology.

Aggressive behavior is nearly always the result of the dog attempting to protect itself and its pack. You will certainly notice that at the point of it starting to get aggressive it is not taking any notice of you. He believes that what he is doing is the right thing in its self protection.

Aggression in dogs covers a wide range of behaviors from dominance to fear-based. It can be prevalent in a dog or only occur at times, perhaps erratically based on a number of different factors. These may include responses to a range of external stimuli including people, animals, other dogs, objects or even events in nature.

At the root of the cause of dog aggression is the same factor is so many other undesirable dog behaviors: it is taking on the role of the pack leader. If it sees itself as the pack leader it may become fearful and attack to protect both itself and you. Dogs will vary in level of aggression. For instance a fearful dog will only attack if there is nowhere to escape to, whereas a more dominant dog will often attack even if the option to run away is there.

The critical concept to understand if you wish to stop dog aggression is that you must create a situation where your dog looks to you as the pack leader. The easiest place to establish this is in your home. If you can do this there then it will be so much easier when you go out to less familiar surroundings such as out on a walk. There are some excellent video websites now that show you exactly how you can become the pack leader.

Always bear in mind that dogs are primarily pack animals and their natural instinct is to follow the pack leader. If they do not perceive a pack leader to be present (such as you) they will automatically try to assume that role, to their detriment. Becoming the pack leader in the eyes of your dog is one of the kindest things you can do!