Are you concerned about the emotional turmoil and aggressive behaviour of your furry friend? While dogs rope in immense peace and joy to the lives of pet parents, it can be alarming if they start displaying jealous traits! Here’s all you must know about it.
Anxiety, anger, jealousy and aggression are typical adverse dog behavioural attributes that can lead to alarming situations. If you’ve just started petting a canine, such a drastic change in their actions might baffle you. Suddenly, if your doggy rages over objects, strangers or other animals, it is difficult to tackle them. Jealousy is the hidden emotion when canines begin to snap or start barking for no reason!
Accepting the fact that these little creatures, too, have mood swings and controlling their aggression with positive reinforcement and love is the right approach to re-establish harmony.
Sometimes, they demand your willingness and attention to adjust and foster a stronger bond with them. We’ve listed the signs of a jealous canine pet and effective strategies to deal with them successfully!
Reasons for Aggression or Jealousy in Dogs!
Numerous reasons might trigger jealousy in your paw-some companions, such as:
– Competitive Streak
If you are pet parenting more than one canine, remember there’s going to be a race for food, attention, personal space, toys and outside walks. Dogs often get possessive of their owner and start assuming the other canine, kid or even their spouse is a threat sometimes. Introducing them to a new infant at home also needs tact.
– Change in Schedules
Shifting locations or houses, changing work timings or routines, and even the arrival of guests for a few days can disrupt your canine’s comfort zone. They might feel insecure and showcase aggressive behaviour at times.
– Attention-Seeking Problem
Few dogs unknowingly begin adopting negative traits like snapping or growling as it diverts the attention of their masters towards them. If not controlled timely, this can even convert into full-blown aggression among canines.
– Anxiety and Fear
Many adopted strays or even little pugs inhibit phobias or hidden fears related to their past or as a defence mechanism. It can provoke their anxiety levels under certain circumstances and make them furious in one go!
Early Warning Signs of Jealousy in Furry Companions
Before we head up with strategies to tackle your anxious pet friend, it is imperative to note down their signs of insecurity:
– Barking, snapping, growling or whining upon other people or dogs around.
– Excessive pacing or licking indicates stress
– Possessive behaviour for food bowls or toys
– Eagerness to sit on your lap
– Raised hackles, flattened ears, and stiff body posture hint at their defensive state.
– Charging, Biting or Lunging
Effective Strategies to Control Aggression and Jealousy in Pet Dogs
Once you know the cause behind your furry pet’s anger and insecurities, perceive consistency and patience to deal with them along with these tips.
- Find what triggers them
Close monitoring of your dog’s behaviour helps you find the trigger for its anxiousness and rage. It may be the close proximity of another pet or person, your arrival, or your wish for any object. Exploring the triggers can help you deal with them proactively.
- Desensitize them
Bribe your beloved canine friend with their favourite treat to reverse their aggressive behaviour under the same condition. If your pug gets angry upon the arrival of your best friend, treat them for sitting patiently in the same condition, followed by familiarizing them. This can eventually result in better social interactions with your pet.
- A lot of Exercise and mental stimulation helps
Many canine breeds have high energy levels, which can lead to more aggression in their behaviour. An ideal way to deal with this is to arrange regular walks, dedicated playtime, and professional training sessions for them. All this can aid in channelling their energy levels and even contribute to their emotional stability.
- Managing Time and Resources
Understand that your furry friends love to have their labelled food bowl, comfort corner in the home, dedicated play space, toys, and some alone time with ‘YOU’! This works magic to guard them against any negative behaviour, and dedicated resources are something they deserve as a part of their nurturing process.
- Dog Training
Imbibe them with basic training and commands like ‘Stay,’ ‘Sit,’ and ‘Come’ to ensure positive reinforcement. This works to control their triggers, and you can add some praise to melt down their hearts.
- Professional Assistance
Despite all tactics, if you are struggling to catch a hold over jealousy of your doggo, an expert animal behaviourist can guide you. These trainers and professionals provide tailored training sessions to canines and impart guidance to pet parents as well.
- Learn to Prioritize
Animal love is never constrained to just bringing home an adorable canine friend! Pet parenting is an ongoing journey where you need to give them an emotionally appeasing environment to grow and develop. A calm surrounding, abundance of love and showering affection on your dog can reflect in their behaviour and curb jealousy issues to a great extent.
- Deal with setbacks patiently
An aggressive and anxious dog might take time to change its behaviour, but pet parents need to be patient, too. Getting angry or discouraged after a few failed attempts will not help. It is ideal to cherish the smallest improvements in your doggy for positive reactions.
- Advocate Early Socialization
It is crucial to develop familiarity with your canine pet with your friends, family, and social circles in the early phase itself. This keeps them aloof from showing up the signs of aggression or jealousy in later course.
Taking them along for frequent outside walks with a leash, and a safe distance from triggers is also a step to control their fury. Your love and positive energy, followed by training techniques, can help your dog to accommodate in the social setups.
Winding Up: Know your Dog Well Before Training them!
Ultimately, pet parents need to foster a harmonious relationship with their lovable pooches for a healthy pet and owner bond.
Aggression or jealousy traits in pets are common, and conversations with therapists or like-minded individuals can help you in dealing with this. Give your doggo a chance to get rid of these negative emotions and spark their lives back with joy and accomplishment!
Nature strolls, cosy evenings, playful sessions, and delectable treats, along with an empathetic attitude towards these Paw-some creatures, can bring about the desired change. However, considering the safety of others around, it is also important to impose the right training and behavioural patterns on your pets. Hire professional help if ever in doubt.
Every dog is unique, and adopting the right tactics helps your furry companion to overcome these behavioural challenges!
