A dog may show aggression like growling, barking, lunging or biting for many reasons. Aggression is a normal dog behaviour but it can cause stress, injury or pain to your dog, you or others.
Avoid things that cause aggression
Most aggression comes from fear. Look for things your dog reacts to aggressively and stay away from them. Strangers, men, dogs or someone trying to pet him might be scary. If they’re too scary your dog might react to make them go away. Learn how to reduce and manage aggression towards people (PDF) or aggression towards dogs (PDF).
Put safety measures in place
Put safety measures in place to protect other people or dogs from getting hurt. If your dog has bitten someone or another animal, teach him to wear a muzzle so you feel safe and others are safe. Muzzles are OK.
Seek professional help for your dog
Ask your vet or a reward-based humane trainer for help. Did you know the BC SPCA has standards for humane dog training (PDF)? We can help you find a good dog trainer through our AnimalKind program.
Read the BC SPCA position statement on animal training.
It takes time to help change a reactive dog’s behaviour. Here are some tips for dealing with dog reactivity.
Search the list of trainers the BC SPCA recommends and find a dog trainer who specializes in aggression:
- Go to animalkind.ca/find-services
- Click on “dog training companies by training need”
- Choose “aggression” from the drop-down list
