Aggression

Training for aggressive dogs usually involves one or more of the following: harsh corrections, food rewards, cages, pain inducing collars or gadgets. All these methods create stress & anxiety in a dog. I do not use any of these. I want to help you eliminate any stress & anxiety in your dog’s life so that he can be more balanced in his little head. It’s more like rehabilitation than training. Whether the aggression is directed toward a human or another dog, balanced dogs usually don’t exhibit this type of behavior.

Aggressive dogs are usually not balanced. Part of balance is hierarchy. So dogs with too much stress/anxiety, and who don’t know how they fit in, may become aggressive. Dogs who don’t know how they fit in make decisions. Biting is a decision. I want your dog to defer to you for big decisions. When we get a dog balanced aggression can go away. A balanced dog is easy to get back on track.

Stress & anxiety in dogs is often created by their humans and the “training” methods.

What’s stressful to a dog?

Cages: Cages are not natural to a dog and are more like a trap; a life-threatening thing for a dog. Dogs that get used to a cage probably have the equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome. More stress on the dog. Can you imagine having to live with that? Caged dogs see you differently than dogs who are never caged. I want them to see you as their mom, not their captor. I do NOT use cages for dogs.

Treat training: From a dog’s point of view, you find something he really likes and then use it as a lure, bribe or bait. You are messing with his favorite food. This breaks the trust between you. More anxiety. Some dogs start to see you only as a treat vending machine. Remember, your dog never read the book about messing with his favorite food. He sees you differently than if you did not use food. You are also training him to get excited. Do you really want an excited dog who is anxious for his next treat? I want them excited to be with you because you are cool. Not because you dispense food. I don’t use food for training or behavior.

Pain & Harsh Corrections: You don’t need pain to train. I can go on about this for hours. I don’t use pain to train. Can you imagine going through life in fear that your owner will hurt you again? And why would you want to hurt your dog???

Board and Train: I could go on about this for hours. Just don’t ever do this. Your dog will be stressed from missing you regardless of the methods used. Then add in the “training” methods used and you are again adding stress & anxiety. Imagine if they use corrections or painful gadgets. You left your dogs in the hands of someone who is hurting them. Wow. My main goal is reducing stress & anxiety so that your dog can have a great life WITH you. Whatever happens to your dog when you leave them is on you. And your dog knows that you put him in that situation and left. Can you imagine? I clean-up after board & train a lot.

Time out: Dogs are natural mimics. They learn by watching and copying. I believe they learn by Time-In doing it correctly. I don’t use time outs.

Hunger: If your dog is hungry he could be acting differently. Hunger creates stress & anxiety. If you have ever been on a diet, you know the feeling. Don’t allow your dog to be hungry. Some “training” has you reduce actual meals so that they will be hungry for the treat “training”. It’s harder for you to teach a stressed dog and it’s harder for him to learn if he’s hungry. Makes sense right? I advise most of my clients to increase the food.

Being yelled at: I believe that yelling comes across to dogs as instability. Dogs do not follow an unstable leader. Being yelled at is stressful for a dog. I teach people to be Calm & Patient.

Not knowing his position: If your dog knows that you have his back and can handle anything, he doesn’t have to make decisions. He can relax. He doesn’t have to be aggressive because it’s not his problem. You have to earn his trust & respect to get this going on.

This is just a thumbnail sketch. Call if you want to discuss your case.

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