How to Help an Insecure Dog Stop Acting Aggressive

In this Omaha dog training session, we worked with Murray, a 3-year-old Jack Russell mix. We shared tips to help an insecure dog stop acting aggressive. Knowing that Murray was fearful, submissive and reactive, I used a very measured approach for the greeting.

Murray was barking and pacing around the doorway but keeping his distance. The guardian started to move towards the door to open it but I waved him off. Murray was far too excited at that moment to continue.

When you have an excited dog, it’s a good idea to stop and wait. Let the dog calm down before you move on.

How to Help an Insecure Dog Feel More Comfortable

Once Murray had settled down, I opened the door tossed in a few high-value treats, then immediately closed the door.

At first Murray was still too worked up to take the treats so we took our time and waited. When he settled down, I had his guardian pick up the treats and hand them to the dog at which point Murray ate them.

Once Murray settled down again, I opened the door and inserted my knee. I waited until Murray was comfortable enough to come over and give it a few sniffs. After he finished sniffing me, I had his guardian put him on a leash and walk outside the front door with the dog.

I took Murray’s leash and we went for a short walk around the neighborhood. The open space can help dogs feel more comfortable and relaxed. The sights, sounds, and smells of being outside provide great distractions.

But the most important thing is having the dog moving forward. Dogs move on by literally moving forward. Using this idea in certain situations is a smart trick for dog behaviorists.

On our walk, I let Murray go wherever he wanted. When we reached the halfway point, I found a seat in the shade. I fed him some treats by hand. By the time that we returned to his home, Murray was feeling calm and confident around me.

Tips for Stopping a Scared Dog From Being Aggressive

I made a summary of this method to help a scared dog feel calm around new people. You can see it in the video below.

Stopping a scared dog from being aggressive is very rewarding for me. I know it will greatly improve the lives of both the dog and its owner.

While Murray acts aggressive to guests and new people, I don’t believe Murray is an aggressive dog. I think he is stressed out, insecure and confused as to his position in the home. Just like humans, a stressed out dog is more prone to making mistakes than one who is calm and confident.

How can new Tricks and Walks Help an Insecure Dog?

A large contributing factor was Murray’s low self-esteem. He didn’t really know any commands which makes it hard for any dog to feel confident about anything. Just like humans, dogs health self-esteem that comes from mastering new skills.

To help build Murray’s confidence, I suggested that her guardian teach him a new trick each week. This should continue for 8 to 12 weeks.

Teaching him how to sit, lay down, sit up, stand up or focus on his face on command are great ways to redirect his attention before he gets into trouble and build up his self esteem.

Next, I spent about an hour discussing the importance of rules and structure. This helps Murray see his human as a leader, at least from the dog’s perspective.

I helped the guardian stop petting and interacting with the dog when he was unbalanced. I shared my ideas on petting with a purpose and passive training with him. These are great ways to use positive reinforcement. It helps a dog learn and repeat the behaviors that people want to see.

Murray had demonstrated some strong reactive behaviors towards one of his guardian’s friends when she had visited in the past. Making matters more challenging, this person was very anxious about Murray and thought that he was an aggressive dog who was going to bite her.

I stepped outside and showed the friend how to re-create the door greeting that I had used a few hours earlier to great success. The friend’s hand was shaking so much when she attempted to throw the treats inside the door that it took her three tries. We waited for Murray to settle down again and then headed off for a walk.

When we got to the halfway part of the walk and took a seat in the shade, Murray and the friend were much more relaxed than they were before. Within a minute of sitting down, she was giving him treats. He looked up at her tenderly, showing no signs of insecurity or reactivity.

The friend kept on remarking she couldn’t believe that she was walking the dog, sitting next to the dog or that he was taking treats from her hand.

On the way back to his home, Murray started to get excited and pull a bit on the leash. Each time he did this I instructed the friend to stop and wait for him to settle down before continuing.

This was a great opportunity for Murray to learn how to develop some self-control.

When we got back to Murray’s home, we all took a seat on the couch. We chatted for a few minutes about what we had done.

Unfortunately, when the friend stood up to move, Murray growled. He then nipped at her leg when she turned away. I think this interaction happened because Murray was tired from the three-hour session.

The friend was standing and then turned, so she offered her back to him. Many insecure dogs will need help when people they disagree with offer them their rear.

I was pretty disappointed in myself as the friend immediately left after the nipping incident. Looking back, I wish I had her take him for another short walk. I wanted their last experience to be a positive one.

The friend was a bit shaken by Murray’s reaction at the end of our meeting. I hope she thinks about how much progress we made. She had many positive interactions with the dog, which were all new for both of them.

It is very important for Murray’s guardian to arrange a few visitors to come to the house each week. This should happen for the next 2 to 4 weeks. These visits will help Murray learn and practice new behaviors.

They will also help her build positive feelings toward the people who visit.

By adding structure, rewarding good behavior, and teaching Murray new tricks, he will stop acting like a security dog.

Because of the anxiety of the friend and her interaction with Murray at the end of her visit, I’m guessing we will need to set up a follow-up session in about a month to build on the success that we had.

To help Murray and his guardian remember all of the positive dog training tips we covered in this in-home dog training session, we shot a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.