What to avoid

[missythemom]

I have read over and over that we should avoid anything that will make our dog vicious.Of course this sounds like a no brainer but every dog is different,so what types of dicipline or behaviour should be avoided on the part of the dog owner?I am really curious about this and would like any and all info you can help with.

[rottcrazed]

I think there are truly only a few things that will lead to a dog becoming 'vicious'; or more correctly worded, aggressive - lack of proper socialization, lack of training, abuse of any kind and any combination of these things.

This is all of course, if you have a mentally sound dog to begin with.

If your pup is 'wired right', the rest is up to the owner. Responsible owners set boundries for their puppy in the home, car, feeding, and life in general right from day 1. They train the pup in obedience classes, at home and truly, all the time. They take the puppy out into the world for it to experience it's world and learn what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in it.

Training is ongoing for the life of the pup in one capacity or another.

There are plenty of stickies on this site regarding proper puppy rearing which should help immensely.

Kristi

[QuietDaze]

Avoid letting him bark aggressively at strange dogs, avoid letting him act like a fool at a window when people walk by your house, avoid letting him act aggressive towards people you invite into your home. Don't leave him tied in the backyard. I learned this lesson the hard way - Let people pet him. Socialize, socialize, socialize. Walks in parks, animal friendly stores, get him familiar with school yards and children, walks in the neighborhood, etc.

And of course, don't abuse him. Which goes without saying.

[aldelgreco]

Originally Posted by QuietDaze

And of course, don't abuse him. Which goes without saying.

We should be more clear about this.
By NEVER "abusing" we mean never even lifting your hand to your dog in any way unless he is endangering his or somebody/something else's life or is on his way to such events occuring. If he learns to associate hands with pain, he could revert back to that at the worst time and really cause trouble for everyone if some kid is petting on him when he's in the wrong mood.