Recommended dog aggression books, tools and resources

While they don’t prevent bites, head-halters can provide you with a lot of control.

They are useful tools for dealing with aggressive dogs. The Gentle Leader is probably the most popular and recommended head halter by certified behaviorists and veterinarians. There is a fitting guide on the Gentle Leader site that should be followed, as the fit is very important. Haltis (see them on Amazon) is another popular brand and there are others although they all vary slightly in their design. They are like a horse halter that straps around the nose and neck. You can find a great variety of different brands and sizes of head halters and head collars on Amazon

With all head-halters, muzzles, and harnesses, using shaping through clicker training can be really helpful to encourage the dog to willingly put their head or legs in and desensitize them to wearing it. Head-halters are not appropriate for every dog or every situation.

Basket muzzles that allow the dog to easily pant and breathe, as well as drink, are considered the most humane muzzles to use for dogs.

The fit and brand will depend on the shape of the dog’s head. Choose a version that allows clear airflow.

Typically pet stores don’t tend to have a wide selection of muzzles. You may have more success finding a muzzle at any number of online stores that specialize in making them or get basket muzzles through Amazon where they can be easily exchanged or returned if they aren’t the correct fit. Stay away from occlusion muzzles which are only meant for very short-term use because dogs can not open their mouths or pant.

Muzzles should only be used when you absolutely cannot avoid the dog’s triggers. You might want to check our article on muzzles first before purchasing: Controlling Dog Aggression with a Muzzle.

Indoor metal gates can be used to separate dogs from other dogs or people inside the home. Many people use baby gates, but caution should be exercised since many gates can be jumped over or destroyed. From experience, we suggest a metal gate over a wooden or plastic gate so dogs can’t chew through it, and one that attaches to a wall ideally so a dog can’t push it over. It is also possible to open some of these gates with just one hand which is an important consideration. Your dog may not be accustomed to jumping gates, but if motivated enough, they may try it.

This allows the dog to be able to see you so they don’t feel as socially isolated. On the other hand, if you are separating dogs that are aggressive towards each other, it’s probably best that they can’t see each other, so using some kind of material to block sight (such as a blanket) may help. You can find a variety of gates on Amazon to suit your purpose.

Window clings or film are sheets of plastic that let in light but provide privacy. Some are simply applied by using water and a flat plastic surface to smooth out the bubbles, which makes them easy to apply and remove.

These can be useful for those dogs who bark a lot and/or are anxious and hypervigilant about whatever may be going on outside, from people walking by to the wind blowing around debris.

Word of caution, however, restricting the ability to see outside may be also restricting some important stimulation for those dogs. Those dogs who are left home alone during the work day and do not get that worked up by what may be outside may benefit be seeing outside.

You need to use your best judgment. The important consideration is to what degree your dog is able to relax. Some dogs can never relax knowing there may be something outside. For these dogs, you may want to look into medications or other therapeutic aids that can help.

For those dogs who find it challenging to relax, or who tend to bark incessantly at everything that goes by or when the wind blows, it may be of some help. Search online to find them in your area or check out Window Clings on Amazon.

Drag Lines

Draglines are essential lightweight leashes with no handle that can be dragged around by your pet. It allows them to range free, but gives you the opportunity of picking up the leash. 

They are handy for dogs that are aggressive towards their owners or other people as they help you to guide your dog away if need be without getting your hands close to their mouth. Drag lines can also be used for leash training.

You can find draglines in a variety of places, including drag lines on Amazon but depending on the size of your dog you can also purchase a lightweight long dog or cat leash and cut the handle to avoid getting it snagged on your furniture.

Animal Deterrents on Amazon

Hopefully, you will never have to use these, but sometimes you will want to keep an off-leash dog from approaching yours if your dog is aggressive or interrupts a pending dog fight.

We suggest that you don’t use this for training any dogs that are anxious, reactive, or aggressive, but rather use it to keep other dogs or animals from approaching yours.

Pet Corrector is one brand that works by emitting a harmless hiss of air to mimic the natural warning that swans & other animals make. Petsafe Citronella spray is also another good option.

Another tool we hope you don’t need, but these definitely sound worse than they are. Essentially these are used to pry open a dog’s mouth that has clamped on to something or someone and doesn’t want to let go.

Generally, they are used with breeds whose bite style is to bite and hold opposed to multiple biting. Those breeds that are not likely to hold, may turn and bite you if you use a break stick.

Break sticks are slid in the gap behind the teeth to pry open a dog’s jaws that may be holding on very tightly without breaking the dog’s teeth.

But these tools will allow you to catch a dog without getting your hands too close to their mouth. May be useful for highly anxious dogs that you need to catch. These tools can be harmful if not used correctly. You can find Snarum noose on Amazon in some different countries (not currently the US as of writing), but there are a variety of different animal catch poles on Amazon.

There are many different dog harnesses, but we really like this one.

• Easy to put on
• Doesn’t cause very much chafing.
• Dogs adjust quickly to wearing one.
• Doesn’t cause choking, gagging or tracheal damage.

Unlike traditional harnesses, the chest strap rests low across the breastbone, not on the delicate tracheal area, so your dog does not choke or gag. Here is a YouTube video demonstrating how to put it on that was online as of the time of writing this: http://youtu.be/69rPBfh8GIA

The original remote control treat dispenser was designed by a veterinary behaviorist years ago and continually improved since.

These are on the pricey side but come highly recommended by a number of trainers and behaviorists. Formerly, the Manners Minder is a remote control feeding tray for dogs and includes a training DVD.

The Treat & Train can be used to teach a dog to run to a remote location or reward them when they are away from you. This can be valuable for those dogs who tend to bark at people coming through the door. One creative trainer used the manners minder to help people her dog not to bark in her apartment building even when she wasn’t there! You can read about it here: A Creative Way to Improve Dog Barking. Genius!

Feeding tubes are similar to a toothpaste tube, except you can fill it with your own choice of food for your dog such as spreadable cheese, ground meat, gravy, etc. When you need to reward the dog, simply let the dog lick the end. We’ve used these for dogs that snatch treats and tend to bite fingers accidentally (especially those excitable dogs). It also is good for those of you who work with your dogs in colder climates and prefer to keep your gloves on!

We at K9aggression.com have yet to use these but we’ve seen them being used and think they are a great idea, too. A colored leash gets people’s attention. Every opportunity you can to encourage people to keep their distance is really helpful when training dogs.

There is actually a number of leashes, collars, and harnesses on Amazon that you might consider such as the “no dogs” leash or the “working” dog leash (even green “Friendly” leashes and collars for those of you who own friendly pit-bulls, German Shepherds, Doberman’s etc.).

Using a sound marker, such as a whistle or a clicker has a long history of being used to train marine animals (after all, you can’t put a collar around a dolphin) and is now used to train all sorts of animals.

It is one of the most effective ways to train dogs in a way that is fun and stimulating for both dog and owner. The practice is being used to train horses, cats, birds, and even wild animals in captivity in order to get them to accept medical injections.

Clickers are inexpensive and can be found in many pet shops now. Any clicker will probably do, but if you have a dog that is sound-sensitive and tend to startle easily with the clicker, you might want to try a quiet clicker, such as the Karen Pryor i-Click Dog Training Clicker.

We’ve tried a few different treat bags. This one comes out on top for ease of use and convenience. It has a stay-open hinge top that pops open and keeps the bag open allowing easy access for treats. Yet at the same time snaps easily closed with a pat.

Simply snap it around your waist and you are ready to go. But be careful your dog doesn’t learn to pay attention only when you are wearing it. It helps to stash treats around the house so your dog never learns when he or she can ignore you.

However, you may prefer a food-grade silicone treat pouch that you can wash and if so you might be interested in checking out the one below.

Dog Clicker Training Kit with Silicone Dog Training Pouch

• Clip-on training pouch that attaches to a waistband.
• Easy to access with one hand.
• Automatically closes after feeding.
• Can take wet or dry food which is convenient for those who feed-train their dogs with the food they would regularly eat for their meals.
• Waterproof, magnetic buckle, food-grade silicone.
• Can turn it inside out to easily wash.
• Comes with two clickers that has a coiled wristband.

Target sticks are not essential, but they can be used to train dogs to do many things, including loose leash walking. It works by teaching the dog to “target”, i.e. touch the end of the pole.

This way you can teach your dog to follow it, and as they learn you can slowly fade out the stick by making it shorter and shorter. Here is a video example of using a target stick with a dog.

There are a variety target sticks for training around but you can also simply use a teacher pointer, so have a look. You could even use a simple piece of dowling. However, the most convenient ones we found to use are those that can extend or shorten as needed. Not only does this make it more convenient to carry around, but it is useful when you start to fade it out the target during training.

Now you can do dog agility training at home!

There are a few different reasons agility can be so useful, provided you are using a reward-based method for training.

• Strengthens the animal-human bond.
• Establish communication
• Providing valuable environmental enrichments.
• Good exercise
• Provides an interesting challenge for your dog

One of the other challenges owners of aggressive dogs have is how to exercise their dogs when their dogs don’t like other dogs or whose anxiety or reactivity levels go up when outside or when they live in a busy area.

In addition, agility can be a great activity for older tweens and teens to participate in.

There are a number of different pieces you can get on Amazon. You can also build some of these things yourself.

There is a how-to on the wikiHow How to Build a Dog Agility Course. You might find this book The Beginner’s Guide to Dog Agility helpful as well. We recommend one of the cheaper starter kits if you are just beginning. They may not last very long, but you will be able to tell if it’s something you might enjoy before spending more.

Breeding Research – 20 Year Study

Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog book, last updated in 1998, is still considered to be the landmark research project on dog behavior and how it relates to breeding.  

Based on over 20 years of work, this academic book is a must-have for anyone seriously interested in dog breeds, dog training, or dog behavior.