Tips for Redirecting Dog Aggression to Stay Out of Trouble

In this Omaha dog training session, we shared tips for redirecting dog aggression. We helped a 6-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix named Heck. We focused on teaching him the target command. This command helps his guardian redirect Heck’s attention when new people are around.

The goal is to prevent him from being aggressive. We also want to stop him from directing his aggression towards his roommate, Thel, a 5-year-old Irish Terrier mix.

Redirecting Dog Aggression

Heck was pretty worked up when I knocked on the door for the session so I waited before entering the home. After barking at me and jumping on the door a few times, he turned around and lunged at Thel. We call this behavior redirected aggression.

The guardian headed over to correct Heck for barking at me but I waved him off. When a dog feels fear, stress, or excitement, they cannot focus, and in this state, the dog won’t listen to you.

As a dog behavior expert, my preference is to try to wait the dog out. If Heck was really going after Thel, I would have told the guardian to step in. But unless there is an attack, it’s best to wait and let the dog calm down on its own.

As soon as Heck’s energy dropped a little bit, I opened the door a crack and tossed in a high value treat. I did this for two reasons.

First, a dog won’t eat when they’re too stressed. This shows how worked up a dog really is. Since Heck ate the treat, I knew he was calmer.

The other reason is pretty obvious, I want to create a positive association. Unlike “balanced trainers” who use force and punishment, dog behavior experts focus on positive ways to interact with dogs. Whether you train American Staffordshire Terriers or any other dog breed, positive training is the best approach.

The treat worked wonders, as soon as Heck licked it up, he relaxed a bit and stopped barking. I opened the door a little, about 2 inches wide.

I held it from the outside so he couldn’t push it open more. Then I moved one of my legs up to the door so that he could give me a sniff without being able to bite. Dogs are scent animals who should meet with their nose, not their eyes.

It quickly became clear that he had calmed down and was no longer reactive. I took this opportunity to open the door wider. This allowed him to sniff more of me, and I could watch his behavior.

He stayed calm and continued to sniff me, so I held still and waited for him to finish. As soon as he did I asked him to sit and popped a treat into his mouth.

I’d like the guardian to re-create this entry ritual a few times a week with friends and neighbors. This will help Heck develop a relaxed behavior when people come to the door.

Why Does a Dog React Aggressively?

When I sat down with the dogs and their guardian, I learned that the guardian’s retired parents lived with him. One of the parents walked the dogs frequently which is great. Unfortunately, he used old-fashioned dog training methods whenever Heck misbehaved. Sometimes, he would give him a light swat.

Anyone who follows us online knows we focus only on positive reinforcement. We took a few minutes to explain that using physical corrections on a dog can lower their self-esteem. This can also make a dog react aggressively.

It can also teach the dog this behavior. This may make the dog aggressive toward people it sees as less important, like guests.

I suggested we arrange dog training in a few weeks with one of our great trainers. This will help teach Heck to walk beside his guardian without needing any corrections. In the meantime it would be wise for the guardian to avoid having this person walk the dog.

I talked about why rules and structure are important. Then, I decided to do a leadership exercise I made a few years ago. But soon after starting that exercise, Heck showed signs of insecurity. This came out as some aggressive behavior, so we stopped the activity.

I showed the guardian how to train a dog to target a hand on command. This way, he can redirect Heck away from things that usually make him aggressive or reactive.

You can watch me teach the hand targeting exercise in the free dog training video below.

If the guardian uses this technique several times a day for the next week, he can improve his hand targeting skills.

Why Use the Hand Targeting Exercise?

There are several practical applications for the hand targeting exercise. For example, targeting is a great way to call your dog to you, serving as an alternative recall cue. It’s also very effective for redirecting your dog, especially if they’re playing too rough with another puppy.

In our puppy class, we often tell guardians to try using hand targeting. This helps their dog move away from another puppy if the play gets too wild. Targeting is a helpful tool for moving your dog without having to pick them up. This is useful when you want to reposition them for pictures or other tasks.

The guardian should practice with Heck in more challenging situations as he goes. This is a powerful tool to use when you have a dog with aggression related behavior problems. Asking the dog to come and target your hand the instant you see warning signs can help the dog avoid showing aggressive behavior.

While the main issues were with Heck, I suggest the guardian practice this hand targeting exercise with both dogs. It is a good way to call, redirect, and move a dog around.

Heck caught onto this hand targeting exercise right away. He is a smart dog which is why I recommend his guardian try to teach him some new tricks or commands. This will not only help the guardian redirect the dog, but it will also boost the dog’s confidence and self-esteem.

One of the tricks should be to teach Heck to catch. This simple trick can help a dog that feels scared or anxious around new people. It allows the dog and human to interact from a distance.

To help the guardian remember the training tips we went over, we created a video. Check out the roadmap to success video below.