7 Tips to Help Turn a “Bad Dog” Good

1. Create a canine career path

Get your dog a job to do!
Purchase or create some activities to engage the canine mind. You can create your own DIY obstacle course or other learning games. Dogs are natural foragers, so you can acquire some dog activity toys that work with food and rewards. Working the mind leaves less time for aggression.

2. Park your pooch

This means go to the park, not put it in park! Look up dog parks in your area with off-leash runs or agility courses and commit to working off that canine energy before it boils over into behavior issues. You won’t just have a good dog, you’ll have a healthy dog (and it might not hurt your own cardio issues either).

3. Time to mingle

You might need to take it slow, but if solitude has turned your best friend into Oscar the Grouch, you need to remind them that socializing is productive and beneficial. The more positive interactions you have with other humans and animals, you’ll build up memory deposits in your dog’s good behavior bank.

4. What’s up, doc?

Did lethargy precede the violent temper shift? Are there other signs of illness? Sometimes we can’t admit to ourselves that our dog might have a developing condition, but ignoring it only guarantees it will get worse. See a veterinarian and clearly articulate the temperament change and how it came about. The Dog Daily has a helpful article about illness-related behaviors.

5. Calendar your canine

If you won’t get your life in order for your own sake, do it for the dog. If feeding times are all over the map and attention is inconsistent, they might be acting out for you to take notice. You can’t reward that behavior, but you need to play the long game and create a structure that will make them feel safe and loved.

6. Understand aggression

Fear is only one aspect of aggressive behaviors in canines. If they don’t have a safe place or bolt-hole to retreat to in the house, they may feel trapped, barking and snapping out of fear. Providing this may help, but there are a wealth of other reasons aggression manifests. The Humane Society has a lengthy article on aggression that’s worth studying to know your dog—and how to love them—better. Read it, so you can read them.

7. Training time (for both of you)

At the end of the day, it may be you, as much or more than your dog, that needs retraining. They may need to be retrained on obedience to remove the bad behavior, but if your methods are inciting the bad response, or enabling its continuance, you need a professional to advise you on how to amend your own behavior first.

With love, learning, and action, you can often help your so-called “bad dog” become good again. It might involve an intense season of extra work, but dog lovers know their companion is worth the effort.