All right, I'll just come out and say it: I don't have a lot of patience for aggressive dogs. There are just too many lovable dogs on death row in pounds across America to justify keeping a highly aggressive dog when these deserving dogs are just waiting to be rescued.

Aggressive Dogs are responsible for many unnecessary and preventable injuries. Children are more likely than adults to be the target of dogs that are out of control.

Bottom line, aggressive dogs are not appropriate for families, but may be appropriate as police companions or for some other law enforcement-related occupations.

Training Aggressive Dogs
If your dog is aggressive, or shows aggressive tendencies, do not train it yourself. Only an experienced dog trainer or behaviorist has the know-how necessary to train an aggressive dog properly.

For an aggressive dog to be controlled, there must be no doubt as to who is in charge. The owner must be consistently recognized as the leader of the pack. Dogs honor the demands of the "top" dog and it is up to the owner to establish this role from the beginning of the relationship with the dog. Cruel behavior to any dog is unacceptable if a trusting relationship is to be established.

I can't stress enough the importance of using non-violent means to turn your dog from a dominant dog to a happier, more well-adjusted dog who understands that you're the Big Dog in the house. Unfortunately, some dog owners and trainers use the excuse of maintaining dominance as justification for acting like tyrants towards their dogs. I do NOT believe in hitting or psychologically abusing a dog in order to train for any reason.

Too many times I've seen dominant dogs turned into dangerously aggressive dogs by an owner who thought that physical dominance and control was the way to correct dominant behavioral problems. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you use physically abusive tactics on a dominant dog, his natural reaction is to fight back against the perceived threat, and he'll become even more aggressive, and many times be pushed across that line from a dog that has some dominance issues to one that represents a clear danger to the family.

If your dog exhibits aggressive behavior, or even aggressive tendencies, I urge you to contact your vet or consult an animal-behaviorist IMMEDIATELY!

Bottom line?

An aggressive dog is a danger to you, to your family, to other people, other animals, and to himself. It is not acceptable behavior. Seek help from your veterinarian, a professional dog trainer or an animal-behaviorist IMMEDIATELY.