Bichon Fear Aggression Lesson 1: Prevention

After posting about small dog syndrome last week I thought I'd add on to that idea by talking about fear aggression today.  If you have a bichon that barks or growls excessively, aggressively guards food/treats/toys, or is mean toward people or other dogs, then training for fear aggression may help.

Fear aggression is the result of two things: small dog syndrome and underdeveloped social skills.  Both of these come back to proper training, which means that fear aggression is both preventable and curable.  If you have recently bought a bichon puppy then you have the opportunity to train him in a way that will avoid  these nasty behaviors and save a lot of trouble in the future.

To begin with, proper socialization is necessary.  Bichons love interaction with both humans and other dogs.  Unfortunately, when they do not receive the attention they need and are not given the chance to socialize they can become nervous and afraid in social situations.  Good socialization training can be accomplished through some easy steps.  First, take your dog for regular walks (daily if at all possible) through neighborhoods where others may be out walking their dogs.  This will give them a chance to see and interact with others.  Another thing you can do is set up doggy "play dates" with friends or relatives with dogs.  Finally, many cities now have dog parks available and I highly recommend using them.  They are a great place for your puppy to meet new people and dogs.  The basic goal here is to get your bichon used to being in social settings so they are more comfortable in the future.

The other half of fear aggression is small dog syndrome.  If you read my most recent post before this you will find a lot of useful information about how to train to prevent this condition.  In general it comes down to the difference between what you would let a big dog do and what you would let a small dog do.  If you wouldn't allow your big dog to jump on guests or bark when people show up, then don't allow your small dog to do it.  These are ways your dog tries to say "This is my house, I am the leader here."  Many times people will allow small dogs to do these things because it is cute, but unfortunately it can lead to serious behavior problems.  Again, for more a more detailed description, please read my last post.

So we've looked at the best ways to prevent fear aggression through proper bichon training as a puppy.  I know that a lot of people rescue or adopt adult bichons as well, and in these circumstances the dogs may already have developed behavioral issues, so in my next post I will discuss how to break your adult dog of these habits.