Your dog is generally your best friend. He will serve you, comfort you and protect you. But understand that there may be times that you may see a different side of him. You may see a side of him that can be rather scary. This side of him can be the aggressive or dominant side. Realize that most often you will see the playful pup that you fell in love with. But he will not always be subservient. It is truly about respect. If he does not respect you, then he will turn on you eventually, just as he will towards other people and animals.



It is important to your dog to show that he is the alpha dog in certain situations. This can be around other people that he feels can be a danger to you or others in your household or around other animals. The situation with other animals is the primary topic of this article. Remember that your dog is opinionated and can hold grudges.

It is important that you do understand the feelings that your dog will have and his reasons for showing this aggressive behavior. Just as people, we need to feel dominant in certain situations, your family pet will do the same thing. He needs to feel that he is the strongest, wisest and most ingenious dog on the block. This may not always be the case, but he will not appreciate other dogs invading his territory. He will protect his space.

There are some things that you will need to look for when he is dealing with his aggressive behavior. The first of which is that you may notice that the hair on the back of his neck will stand up. He may additionally start to growl and circle the other animal. This can escalate very quickly into a dangerous situation. So be very careful. If he shows these visible signs of aggression, get out of the way. You may need to allow him to express himself. This will be important to him as if he does not show that he is the alpha, and then the other dog will continue to invade his space. This can be a major blow to your dogs self esteem. You probably had no idea that your dog has self esteem just as you do. But he does. Think about it this way, if you are consistently berating him and hitting him then how is he going to react to you? That is easy; he will be scared of you and can become volatile. Often, this is a large reason for aggressive behavior in a dog. It is not always to show that he is the alpha. But he will try to show his dominance with other animals just to show that he has power with something.

Regardless of why your dog is showing aggressive behavior, there are some things that you will need to keep in mind. He may need to show his dominance in certain situations and if you have trained him properly, then you will be able to divert the situation without creating a crushing blow to his self esteem. You can do it with finesse. Love your dog and he will respect you and follow your directions.