Helping a Boston Terrier Stop Acting Aggressive to a Relative

By: David Codr

Published Date: May 15, 2018

Slim - Helping a Boston Terrier Stop Acting Aggressive to a Relative

For this Omaha dog training session we helped 4 year-old Boston Terrier Slim stop acting aggressively to a dear family member.

Slim’s behavior was a surprise to the family member he went after as she is a life long dog lover. Things seemed to start when Slim tried to make a break for freedom through the front door and another family member stopped him by blocking with their leg.

I sat down with the family to get more information on Slim and the dog problems. This gave me a chance to observe how the dog and humans interacted with one another. I started tossing treats on the floor to lure Slim closer to me and to develop a positive association before I tried to pet him.

Slim turned his head to the side when I reached out to touch him so I stopped. This is one of the ways dogs say no. Unfortunately many people don’t realize what that head turn means and continue to reach out and pet the dog.

I spent some time going over canine communication to help the guardians better read Slim’s body language to help get everyone on the same page.

While I was discussing things with the humans, I was tossing treats strategically on the floor to help Slim practice moving towards the family member he nipped. Each toss brought him close and closer until he was laying on the floor or resting on the couch next to her.

Stopping a dog from nipping or acting aggressive is a process. I shared a number of other tricks that will help the dog feel more comfortable and develop a positive association with the family member in the video below.

Teaching a dog to stop acting aggressively to people is often more about improving communication and eliminating any negative association the dog has of the person. If the guardians can practice these dog behavior tips and practice going to the person’s hose weekly at least for a few weeks, Slim should stop acting aggressive to this person.

I made sure to share a number of dog behavior tips regarding rules and structure for Slim’s guardians to practice at home. This will help him adopt more of a follower’s mindset and reduce his stress and perception of being an authority figure.

To help the family remember all the positive dog training tips we went over in this in home dog training session, we shot a roadmap to success video.

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This post was written by: David Codr