How Do I Train My Dog to Not Be Aggressive Towards People Who Come Near Me?
When you have a dog, and if you’re a good dog parent, you probably want to take your dog out with you when you go on adventures, for walks around your city or neighborhood, and for other activities.
That’s a lot more complicated when you have an aggressive dog, though, and if your dog tends to be aggressive towards people who come near you, that’s a big problem. Let’s take a closer look at some strategies you can use to train your dog not to react aggressively when you’re out, and people come near to you.
1. Always Put Safety First
The first thing we need to say is that if you know your dog is aggressive and is potentially dangerous for people or other animals, you have a legal duty to protect them.
Most countries and cities have dangerous dog laws, and if you don’t take appropriate steps to keep people safe from a potentially dangerous dog, you could risk legal action. Depending on what happens, your dog could also be at risk of being taken away from you or worse.
So always keep public safety top of mind when you’re planning any kind of training or socialization of aggressive dogs.
2. Determine Why Your Dog Is Aggressive
The first step you need to take in the process of figuring out how to train your dog to not be aggressive when people come near you is to figure out why that’s happening.
Many dogs – if not most dogs – who react aggressively when approached are nervous or scared, and that fear manifests as aggression.
Some dogs might also be protecting a specific person. Try letting another family member walk your dog instead of you. See if they react the same way. It may be that your dog is more protective over one person or another.
Look for triggers, too. Does your dog react more to one gender or when there’s more noise? All of those things could be contributing to the problem.
3. Get a Well Fitting Muzzle
Getting your dog used to people coming up to you is going to require actually allowing people to come up to you, and if you go back to number one, you have a legal and moral responsibility to keep the public safe while you do that.
Many people think muzzles are cruel, but a well-fitting muzzle won’t hurt your dog and will almost certainly prevent them from hurting someone else.
If your dog is regularly reactive, or even if you think they may be reactive when you head out, it’s always safest to get them a good muzzle and use it until you’re sure they won’t be.
4. Gradual Exposure
The key to training dogs to stop any unwanted behavior is to take it slow and gradually expose them to the situation that is causing the problem.
That might mean going to public places when it’s quieter or having friends and people that your dog has already met join you for the first few visits.
Getting used to people they already know coming close to you and then gradually graduating to people they don’t know will help them to learn that those people aren’t a threat to you or them.
Make sure that you praise and reward your dog when they don’t react to people coming close to you. A pocket full of high-value treats is always one of your best training tools!
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5. Accept That Some Dogs Won’t Ever Change Completely
Sometimes, especially if your dog is a rescue or a particularly nervous breed, no amount of training and interventions will ever completely break a bad habit like overreacting to people coming close to you.
The best you can do in that situation is make sure that those people are safe and keep the muzzle ready for your outdoor adventures. That way, not only will you be a responsible dog owner, but you and your four-legged bestie will still be able to go outside.
Don’t be afraid to tell people that your dog is not friendly, either. Not everyone asks before they try to touch a strange dog, and while the muzzle is a good signal that they’re not ready to make new friends, you might still need to say it when someone is especially persistent.
Some dogs just don’t like to make new friends, and that’s okay. As long as they aren’t aggressive with you and your family and friends, it’s okay to avoid situations that might trigger a bad reaction.