Dog aggression is a major problem everywhere, sometimes between dogs and sometimes resulting in dog bites on people. A high percentage of the people who get bitten are children, often quite young. In this article, I'll give you three tips for handling it if your dog should become aggressive and I'll give you a resource for more tips and information on all aspects of this problem.

The first thing to do if you have an aggressive dog is to manage his living arrangements. You need to create a situation where everyone is protected from further harm: you, your family, the dog, and any other people or dogs who come in contact with your dog.

You can do this partly by crating the dog at times. If he is not used to being put into a crate, you will have to coax him in with treats and monitor his being in the crate to be sure he doesn't hurt himself (or the crate) trying to get out. Never leave a dog in a crate for an extremely long time.

Another way of handling your dog's whereabouts is by choosing his location in your home, which might be in a dog yard, an extra bedroom, or whatever you can put into service this way. You could do this in addition to using a crate or instead of it. If you have to keep two dogs apart because they have been fighting, then try to create something where two doors are between them. That way, you will be able to go between them much more easily than if you only have them one door apart.

Second, make an appointment, as soon as possible, with your veterinarian. Have him or her give your dog a complete examination. In a surprising number of cases, dog aggression comes about because the dog is suffering some pain that makes him cranky or seriously aggressive. There are actually dozens of possible physical conditions that could be causing the bad behavior. Maybe this step will solve your problem, but if not, at least you will have ruled it out.

Third, keep a log of what incidents and near-misses occur. It is very easy for details to get jumbled in our memories, particularly around stressful matters like this. A small notebook, or just a paper and pencil kept handy, will come in very useful as you move into longer-term management and training routines.

And that is what you will want to do next. Research shows that when the owner of a dog who shows aggression takes an active role in managing the situation, the outlook is far, far better for the dog and those who love him.