Free Tips to Help an Aggressive St. Bernard Puppy Stay Calm

In this Omaha puppy training session, we worked with two St. Bernards. Bruno is 5 years old, and Penny is a 9-month-old, somewhat aggressive St. Bernard puppy.

We used our “Click for Looks” method to help stop a puppy from being aggressive toward other dogs.

Tips for Training an Aggressive St. Bernard Puppy

Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, I see more puppies and young dogs acting aggressively. They are often anxious or scared. This behavior comes from not being socialized enough.

In my work as a dog behaviorist, I have noticed something important; many dogs and puppies are not really aggressive. They often show aggressive behavior as a way to cope.

I pulled out my camera so I could go over an easy way to stop a puppy from acting aggressive. I like to call it “Click for Looks” and it’s a great way to stop a dog or puppy from acting aggressive to things they do not understand.

To help this training exercise go quickly and smoothly, it helps if you and your pup are familiar with using a clicker.

You can learn how to stop a puppy from being aggressive toward other dogs and strangers. Just watch the free positive puppy training video below.

This is a pretty easy way to stop a puppy from barking and lunging at other dogs. Best of all, you don’t have to be a professional St. Bernard trainer to do it.

Easy Ways to Stop a Puppy from Acting Aggressive

Our main goal was to teach a dog to remain calm and focused when encountering distractions, like other dogs or people. The “Click for Looks” technique uses a clicker to mark good behaviors. After that, a reward, usually a treat, is given.

The clicker should be used to signal that the dog has done the right thing. It’s important to click right when the behavior happens. Avoid clicking in a way that distracts or confuses the dog. Making loud noises can confuse them.

Before diving into the main training, it’s crucial to familiarize the dog with the clicker. To do this, treat the dog to about 10–15 treats in one session, clicking as they eat each treat. This helps the dog associate the sound of the clicker with something positive.

Over time, the click should become synonymous with receiving a treat. The goal is for the dog to look at their guardian, waiting for a reward. The dog should not need a clicker prompt each time.

Once the dog is comfortable with the clicker, it’s time to introduce a distraction, like another dog. In this case Penny is very bonded to her guardian, which makes her less independent.

This attachment can make training harder. She may not listen if her guardian is not directly involved with her. In this case, we wanted to help Penny build independence, especially when she gets distracted by other dogs.

To begin the actual “click for looks” training, Penny was set up to observe Bruno walking back and forth in the distance. Every time Penny looks at Bruno calmly, we’d click and give her a reward.

If Penny starts to fixate on Bruno, we’d wait for her to disengage from the distraction, then click and reward the calm behavior. The key is to reward Penny for looking at other dog and then turning away, which reinforces calm behavior.

If Penny doesn’t react, we can introduce other distractions, such as a jogger running by. As soon as Penny looks at the jogger without barking or becoming too reactive, she gets a click and a treat.

Over time, the distance between Penny and the distraction can be reduced, and she will begin to form positive associations with seeing other dogs or people.

The aim is to gradually get closer to the distraction, and each time the dog looks away or remains calm, they receive a treat.

Consistency is essential. If Penny barks or becomes too reactive, we’d stop the exercise and redirect her attention. It’s important to end each session on a positive note and avoid frustration, as that can undo progress.

After each session, it’s helpful to give the dog some relaxation time, like a belly rub or a mini walk, to reinforce that calmness leads to enjoyable experiences.

As Penny gets better, we can stop using treats. Instead, we will use verbal cues.

Additional Training Tips on How to Teach a Dog to Remain Calm

For example, we can say “friendly” when a distraction happens. This will tell the dog that calm behavior will be rewarded. The ultimate goal is to create a positive association between the presence of distractions and the opportunity for rewards, reducing the dog’s reactive behavior over time.

Penny didn’t respond as well as I would have liked in the video due to her attachment to Bruno. This is not uncommon. However, it shows that her guardians need to train her away from Bruno.

They should also include some time for Penny to practice being alone. If their guardians do not do this, both pups may feel separation anxiety when they’re left alone. This could lead to bigger problems as they get older.

We covered a number of other dog and puppy behavior tips in this in-home dog training session. To help their guardians remember them all, we recorded a roadmap to success video that you can check out below.