While you love your dog unconditionally, the heartbreaking reality is that if it’s aggressive – other people won’t. Whether your pup is occasionally hostile or acting out frequently, a stroll down the block or excursion to the dog park can become activities you dread or avoid. There are steps you can take to ease your dog’s problem behaviors. Try these out:

Find Your Dog’s Triggers

It’s important to learn what bothers your dog. Every dog has objects, actions, people or sounds that can cause it to act aggressively. These factors are your dog’s “triggers” and can be encountered even in the most unsuspecting of situations. Perhaps your dog is overwhelmed by large crowds and bares its teeth, or lunges at small dogs, or growls at children. Whatever incites your dog to aggressive actions, it’s important that you are aware of the triggers to foresee potential problems.

Adjust How You Expose Your Dog to Triggers

Once you know what causes your dog to act out, you can manage those triggers while training your dog. Some dogs get scared of loud noises and unpredictable human behavior. In this case, you will want to keep your dog’s training environment reasonably quiet and private. If your dog is triggered by crowds, work to train him or her in a private area and slowly increase the size of the crowd that your dog can handle. Exposing your dog to triggering situations in small quantities and low intensities can cause your dog to become desensitized to the trigger.

Be Patient with Your Dog’s Progress 

It’s important for you to remember that your dog’s progress probably won’t likely be in a straight line. Expect your dog to make some progress and then backslide a bit. It’s not unusual for dog training to include challenges as well as successes. Remember where your dog started in regard to aggressive behavior and keep your perspective as you continue your training sessions. You are asking your dog to change how he or she reacts to stressful situations, and working to create lasting change here, which is no small feat.