My dog is ferocious and fearful. He attacks people and us too. We need to tie him. Please do help to correct him.

The two most common manifestations of aggressive behaviour of dog towards humans are fear biting and dominance-related aggression. Fear biting is most commonly seen in a dog raised without appropriate human contact during the socialisation period of growth (6 to 12 weeks of age). Such an animal fears people who are unfamiliar to him and he may attempt to bite when feeling threatened. When a dog shows aggression toward the members of his pet parent’s family rather than strangers, the animal is probably attempting to establish dominance over those family members. The more he gets outside and encounters lots of other people and unfamiliar things, the less likely he will be aggressive around people. So, provide your dog with a chance to socialise with people and other dogs. Take him out and about, and spend lots of time with him. If your dog is properly trained to sit, stay, and come, he’ll be less likely to be aggressive with people because his first concern will be to obey your commands. A dog who’s under control and knows you are the leader of his ‘pack’ will behave and won’t bite anyone. Non-confident canines require very gentle training and lots of patience from their pet parents. With the help of a qualified trainer or dog behaviourist, it’s possible to correct this problem. This process will also require you and your family to make changes in the way you interact with your dog as well.

Question by – Sowmya, Kochi