How to Train a Dog to Be Aggressive

In my years of training dogs professionally, I have many times been asked how to train a dog to be aggressive. What people really mean when they ask this is how can they train their dog to protect their home and family. I've always given the same advice to everyone, so now I figured it is time to teach this trick to as many people as possible, so there is no misunderstanding.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a good, basic protective breed with sound, stable temperament.
• time and energy
• these instructions

1. Start with a good, protective breed, such as the two dogs pictured. Ideally, they should be puppies, but that is not always necessary. The two dogs pictured are a pure bred Rottweiler, known around the world for their intelligence, devotion, and protectiveness, and a Pit Bull-Rottweiler-Golden Retriever mix. It is the Rottweiler in the second dog that makes him acceptable for training to be aggressive, since Golden Retrievers and Pit Bulls, though very loyal and devoted, have both been bred specifically to not be aggressive to people.
   Most dogs of any breed will have some protective instincts, but if you are asking how to train your dog to be aggressive, then of course, go for the best: Rottweiler, Dobermann, Boxer, German Shepherd, etc.

2. Include the dog in as many family activities as possible. Make sure he really feels a part of the pack, er, I mean family. take him as many places as you can, and never put him away when you have company. How can he watch over you if he can't get to where you are?
   Include your dog in as many family tickle parties, preferably on the master bed, as possible. If he is to protect your family, he must not only feel a part of the family, but he has to learn the difference between play and danger. And if he is never around any visitors then he will not know the difference between good guys and bad guys.

3. Let the dog nap with the children, but give him his own bed for overnight sleeping. Train him to lie quietly while the family is eating or when people visit, so that he will always be welcome whether you have company or take him to visit someone.

4. Be sure to play lots of games with your dog, every day. Give him plenty of exercise: this includes both leashed walks all around the neighborhood and free run exercise in an enclosed area. He must be strong and athletic to protect the family. Don't forget to give him time to play with dog friends, cat friends, and any other animals he can play with.

5. Feed him regular dog food. A healthy diet is essential if he is to be well and able to protect you, so don't listen to stupid advice like feed him gun powder! Treats are nice, too, but watch his weight!

6. It is imperative that you train your dog to behave well in all situations, even when distractions are high, on and off leash. If a bad guy is checking your home out, and sees that your dog doesn't listen to you, the bad guy will know right away that your dog won't really be protective. A well behaved, well trained dog will leave that bad guy wondering what else your dog knows how to do.

7. Give your dog the best veterinary care you possibly can. Again, his health is crucial to his ability to protect you. Keep his vaccinations up to date, as well. If he should ever have to bite an intruder to protect you, it would be terrible if you couldn't prove he didn't have rabies.

8. Never leave your dog outside unsupervised. A bad guy that wants to break in can simply toss a poisoned or drugged steak over to the dog and wait for him to keel over. Your dog is a member of your family and needs similar supervision as kids need. Poison proofing a dog is another article, but would you trust your best friend's life and the safety of your family to your ability to poison proof your dog? I wouldn't and I have 30 years experience.

9. The most important step of all is to earn your dog's trust. A dog that doesn't trust you is a dog that won't protect you.
   You and your dog are a team, always, and if you want your dog to be aggressive, it is that much more true. Your dog needs to know you care about him, and you will also protect him. Of course, this means you must never use harsh, aggressive training methods to train your dog to be aggressive -- it will backfire on you. Do not train with force, aggression, pain, aversion. And do not try to toughen him up or reward him for threatening behavior.

Tips & Warnings

• Be fair and consistent about the rules for your dog, but make sure he has rules to follow.
• Don't follow ANY dog training books that teach you how to train your dog to be aggressive or protective. YOU WILL REGRET IT.
• Almost all dogs will bark when they hear a noise outside, or see a stranger in the home, no matter their size or protective nature. According to police and reformed burglars, that is all any one needs: a barking dog inside the house.
• In case it is not fully obvious, the real truth is never, ever train any dog to be aggressive for any reason. A natural protective dog will protect you naturally with just the instructions I've given you in this article, with no other training, and that is the safe way.
• A dog that has been trained to be aggressive or protective is unsafe even for its own family. You cannot use a book or video to learn to train a dog like military dogs are trained. Many people have thought they could and ended up with an unstable, improperly trained dog that attacks the neighbors' kid.
• Moreover, most businesses that will train an individual's dog to be aggressive are NOT legitimate, and do not use proper methods, as well as returning a now dangerous dog to an inexperienced, untrained family. Don't do it; save your money.

Resources

• How to Train a Dog to Be Aggressive
• Protection trained dogs
• A Huge Selection of Dog Supplies. Store Quality at Wholesale Prices!
• The Tough Beast Toy for Dogs

[tammyfrost]

on 1/21/2010 I always thought that Pit bulls were mean and aggressive? You mentioned pictures and I don't see any? Great altogether information on how to train a dog to be protective. Trust is a great tip that you mentioned.

[jaicard]

on 11/28/2009 I watch a show called "It Takes a Thief" where ex-burglars break into people's houses (with their permission) to teach them about home security. Most of the time, people rely on their dog to bark but John always manages to make friends with the dog. I think it's better to make sure your home is secure with alarms and window protection than to rely on your dog. Great article with lots of useful info.

[thedogshrink]

on 11/21/2009 @ jmkegley77; The article was sort of tongue in cheek, altho not far from the mark. If you want a dog that will be protective, you should raise him as one of the family and socialize him well with lots of different people. However, it doesn't necessarily mean he will actually be protective. Some will be, some won't be. Some will only be protective if you are home and some will only be aggressive when no one is home & someone breaks in. The only way to be sure is to have a legitimate person train him to attack, and that was one of the points of this article: it's hard to know if they are really legitimate (no matter how many well trained dogs they show you) and even properly trained dogs have to pass their training. Most dogs do not pass. Last, a trained attack dog is a liability to you & your family, and a huge responsibility that few people are equipped to handle.
Better to love you...

[jmkegley77]

on 11/18/2009 Hi,

We have done all these things with our Dobey and have for the whole 2 yrs of his life but he did not bite intruders that broke into our home while we gone last week?

[thedogshrink]

on 11/17/2009 @ajmaddox: Thanks very much. My website is actually having the hosting changed this very week, so that's why it didn't work. It will be back up and running in a day or two. Thanks for trying to visit!
AJ