If you have a dog, you naturally want to enjoy his company. You probably expect him to be a calm, obedient and friendly member of your family. However, your dog might exhibit behaviors that signal his tendency to control you, rather than follow your wishes. It is recommended you employ a professional animal behaviorist to help with this concern.

The leader controls the valued resources such as food, freedom, touch, beds, etc. Remind the dog on a daily basis that the humans make the decisions. Do not give resources for free. Teach your dog to "say please" by following basic commands.

Symptoms Of Canine Status Related Aggression
In the wild, dogs run in groups. Each group is a well-structured hierarchy of status (dominant and subordinate members). Every group member knows his or her position, and clearly recognizes leadership. This leadership can switch from one dog to another depending on the situation, but there is usually one that is the overall leader. This overall group leader is called "Alpha," and is usually a large male, but the leader might be a small female with a controlling personality.

In your home, your dog views you and your family as members of his group. Every person should be above every dog in rank. If you allow yourself to be perceived by the dog as subordinate, and if he has a tendency to dominate, his natural canine response may be to threaten or control you. That is, if he believes he is the leader, and you perform any act he thinks challenges him, he will act aggressively in order to "put you in your place." Therefore, acts that dogs interpret as the rights of a dominant group member must be your rights if the dog is to perceive you as leader. The essence of these rights is controlling resources such as food, freedom, petting, praise, touch, toys, etc. Controlling these resources gives leadership. Therefore, people in the family should control valuables, we call these Leadership Exercises.

There are many behaviors dogs may exhibit to demonstrate that they do NOT see you as the leader of the group. Although these behaviors tend to be more common in unneutered males, females as well as neutered males can use them as well.

Are you really in charge?  Have you seen any of these behaviors in your pet?

• Won't come when called (even though the dog understands the command).

• Won't sit or down or roll over when commanded (these are submissive positions).

• Lies on the floor in your path, forcing you to walk around him, instead of moving out of your way.

• Muzzles your hand, insisting that you pet him (a canine ordering you to obey him).

• Will not let you: give medications, catch fleas, groom or otherwise handle him.

• Gets up on furniture without permission, and won't get down.

• Defends food bowl or other objects from you.

• Stares you in the eye, lowers the head or assumes a frozen threat posture.

• Growls at you, under any circumstance.

• Snaps at you but not connect his teeth with your skin or clothing.

• Grabs your hand when agitated, then release it without causing pain.

Pay special attention to more aggressive signs of dominance; these include growling, snapping or grabbing your hand in his mouth (even if he does not bite hard).

Signs of aggressive threats in canine body language are a frozen posture, fixed stare, hair bristled with ears and tail up.

Submissive canine behavior, on the other hand, is demonstrated by eyes, ears and tail down, crouching or rolling over. Showing his tongue is often a subtle sign of subordination.

Steps For Treatment
Avoid Aggression Risk Situations
First, analyze what situations caused tense behavior in the dog. Temporarily avoid those situations. Once the relationship is reversed, and the dog clearly recognizes you as his leader, carefully approach those situations. Follow the "Leadership Exercises" below.

Employ A Behaviorist Qualified To Deal With Canine Aggression.
If your dog has already connected with a bite that broke human skin, an obedience class is not enough. Instead, after the medical workup, ask your vet for a referral to an experienced behaviorist to help you restructure your relationship with your dog.

Rule Out A Medical Cause
There are genetic and physiologic conditions which can contribute to canine aggression. We must not overlook the possibility that your pet may have a serious disease condition such as hypothyroidism, epilepsy, hydrocephalus or metabolic dementia that can cause aggressive behavior. Even minor conditions such as fleas, dental pain, or a bladder infection can contribute to frustration based aggression.

Have your veterinarian give your dog a thorough medical evaluation. This workup will likely include a good physical exam to rule out pain-induced aggression, blood, urine and fecal tests, and possibly X-Rays looking for other internal causes of stress, pain or frustration.


Any dog with controlling tendencies should be neutered. This will help eliminate hormonal influences. Dogs will still defend property and people after neutering. Although they may be great companions, it is recommended that dogs exhibiting this symptoms not be bred.

That is, the dog mistakenly thinks he is in charge of the group because "his humans" unintentionally communicate to the dog that he is in charge.

Begin "Leadership Exercises"
Ironically, the things that signal giving up control to the dog are things we do to show the pet we care and consider him a member of our family. We sometimes give food if he begs; he may view this as giving him (the leader) the best food. We groom (pet) him; subordinate dogs groom (lick) their leader. We follow the dog through doors, and let him strain on the leash or run ahead (lead) on walks. In the house, we walk around the dog where it lies, and we oblige virtually any request (order) he makes of us.

Before feeding your dog, request a sit or down. Make him earn the right to eat. You should do this by making your dog sit or remain in a "down stay" position for a period of time, which you lengthen daily. Once the dog obeys your command to your satisfaction, give him the food. Remove the bowl as soon as he has finished eating. Begin to make him "earn" (by sitting) praise, attention, play, and walks.

Finally, your pet will learn that you control everything he values, and will obey you as leader.

Change The Rules
If the dog has been allowed up on the bed or furniture, change the rule (which as leader, you can do anytime you want!) By being on the same level off the floor, the dog is establishing equality or leadership over you. At night, crate the dog or tether it on a 2-3 foot lead at the foot of the bed.

If he doesn't follow commands he knows, don't force him to obey. However, withhold the reward. Instead give the "cold shoulder" (ignore the dog), then try again a few minutes later.

Restrict The Dog's Movements
Do not allow a controlling dog to sleep in your bed, or to get up on furniture. This should be a privilege reserved for the leaders of the group (people), not the subordinates (dogs). The best way to get the dog the bed or furniture is to say COME. Then, attract him off with a tasty food treat. Don't use your hands to push the dog off the bed, because he may bite you. If you can safely attach a leash, tie him to the food of the bed, or put him in a room far away from the bedroom. He loses the privilege of sleeping on the bed or furniture until he will follow simple requests like OFF, and immediately jump off the bed.

Another way take away freedom and lower status is through use of a tether. When home, use a leash or a cord to tie the dog to your chair or your ankle if seated, or around your waist if moving around. This means the dog has no choice but to follow you as long as the cord is in use. During this time you should reward every relaxed posture the dog displays with praise and treats.

Use "Time Out"
If the dog acts inappropriately, try using a time-out. Either simply ignore him, isolate him in a separate room, or tie him to a solid object for 5-10 minutes. When releasing the dog, insist on a deference posture such as sit or down before releasing him.


Does your dog demand attention when you come home by barking, jumping, etc.? Whenever this happens, ignore him. Once he calms down, command him to sit. Don't greet him until he obeys the command. He will understand that his status is lowered; this will reinforce you as the leader, because you are controlling the valued resource of the greeting.

To a dog, restricting freedom of movement lowers status.  Close tethering, kenneling, and "time outs" can be used to restrict freedom and  lower status.

"Trade Up"
If you need to take something away from a dominant dog, "trade up". This means find something that would be even more desirable (e.g. small piece of meat) and offer that. Make the dog sit or down, remove the other object, then give the food and praise the submissive position.

Lead
Lead the dog whenever possible. When on walks, keep the dog near you (heeling), and change directions frequently to display you are in charge and not the dog. When going through doorways, insist on going through first, using the leash to hold the dog back. (Make the dog sit and wait, then release it.)


Get a head collar such as the "Gentle Leader™" system. Insist the dog wear it as long as there is ambiguity about leadership. This head halter sends a subtle calming signal to the dog.

Model And Praise Calm Canine Behavior
If there is a tense moment in any situation, avoid acting tense yourself. Try to act "Jolly" to reduce any tension in the situation. Realize that YOUR tension may be picked up by the dog. Even if you feel tense, act relaxed or jolly. Look for any situation in which the dog is lying quietly, or acting calm. Praise the dog saying, "Good Settle." The goal will be to eventually use "Settle" as a command to induce the dog to act calmly.

Obedience School
Enroll in an obedience class, even if you have been through one before. The frequent commands and well-timed collar corrections reinforce you as leader. It is recommended that a Head Halter be introduced at the time of obedience training (or sooner if possible). The trainer will likely be able to help you through the first few moments of the dogs reaction to the head collar. Once they adapt, the dog can wear the head halter on walks, at obedience class, and even inside the house when you want additional control.

If You Feel Threatened
If there are any really tense moments while you are trying to displace your dog as leader of the group, back off casually, since you could get hurt. Ask your vet for a referral to a behaviorist. In the meantime, avoid the situation that caused the tension, and try to stay happy and act jolly. This should remove the tenseness of the situation. Remember, if the dog acts aggressively, back off, then give the dog the "cold shoulder" (totally ignore). Then, avoid the situation that resulted in the aggressive behavior until you have reinstated your leadership role.

Until the problem is solved or you see the behaviorist, insist that your dog perform commands to earn food and attention. The price for not correcting this problem is likely to be your pet's life!  Dogs who are dangerous to people are often "put down."

If your pet tries to control you or anyone you know, the key to preventing euthanasia due to status aggression is to seek professional help early, without resorting to violence.

Once a dog has seriously bitten a human, and got what he wanted as a result, he has learned that he can control the people around him by being aggressive. It is very difficult to ever be confident that this dog will never bite again. By the time the dog is so aggressive that he may attack and harm people, it's time to call an experienced dog behaviorist. Still, some cases end in failure to correct this habit. That is, the dog must be euthanized (lethal injection).

There's a rule of thumb in behavior modification: "Don't Treat Aggression With Aggression - It Causes More Aggression."