Dogs may develop aggressive behavior for a wide variety of reasons, and identifying the type of aggression your dog is displaying is a huge part of treatment. The average owner is not equipped or trained to deal with aggression in their dog, but most aggression can be identified and corrected by a professional trainer. Seeking professional help is a great way to keep you and your dog safe.

Why? Dogs evolved eating the raw dog food diet. They are not ‘designed’ to eat corn and wheat which comprises about half of what is in commercial kibbles and canned pet foods. Feeding your dog raw means you will be in complete control of everything, just like the control you have about the food you eat or serve to your family.

Toys can be a great training tool if used in the right way. Many people make the mistake of having their dog’s toys strewn around the house for him to have whenever he pleases. Avoid this. Have one special toy that is used for training purposes. The dog will covet that toy and see it as a reward for good behavior. Toys should generally be reserved for outside play. When the dog is in the home, you want him to be calm and relaxed. You should be the one to dictate when it is play time, not the dog. While you should not have toys around the home, firm (not hard) plastic chew bones and the like are perfectly fine in moderation.

I try and maintain a very open mind when it comes to the dog training methods I employ. For me, anything goes. It really depends on the situation and the dog I am working with. I never rule any method out unless I have directly experienced it for myself and found it to be lacking. People who insist on attributing some type of label to my training approach would probably describe me as a balanced trainer; however, none of the approaches I employ involve balancing equal amounts of anything.

Dogs learn differently than humans. Specifically, they are very context focused. What I mean by this is that if you teach your dog to sit on your command in the kitchen, he won’t necessarily follow the same command when you’re in the park. You haven’t taught him to. Your dog learned to respond to your instruction in the kitchen, not anywhere else. So, until you start to show your dog that you expect him to sit on command in additional settings, he simply won’t understand what’s expected of him.

Let’s get one thing straight: Regardless of how good the dog trainer is, he or she cannot permanently modify your dog’s behavior and habits into something that YOU can manage on your own in the home setting if you are not involved in the training process. Period. If you have a dog that is exhibiting signs of aggression or unsociable behaviors, it can be very stressful and even traumatic. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that thousands of people are lured by false promises that simply sending their dogs to an expensive facility for a couple of weeks will be the solution to all their problems. Believe me. It won’t.

While you’re introducing your puppy to these new experiences, ensure that they’re guidance and attention is from you. This way, your puppy will learn positive associations with these new experiences. When they have a successful interaction with a human or another dog, reward their proper mindset and good behavior. Praise is the perfect reward. It’s free, always available, and won’t cause your dog to gain weight.