Don’t half-step.
The structure we outline with any of our training programs is the bedrock of success. You have to be all in. It doesn’t matter if it’s a puppy, a newly adopted dog, or a dog who has been a habitual line crosser in the home for years – structure works. It plays into how dogs think and how they perceive the messages we send throughout the day.
With aggression cases, this is even more crucial. If an average pet dog doesn’t sit on command immediately, it isn’t the end of the world. Failure to manage an aggressive dog comes with much higher stakes. Success is only possible with no grey area, and the margin of error is razor-thin when it comes to dealing with aggression. Whether your dog is a resource guarder, fear aggressive, or dog/human aggressive, following through on the training cannot be done half-heartedly or your dog WILL regress.
Understanding the Dog You Have vs the Dog You Want
That is a loaded statement for a lot of people. Not all dogs will ever be what you want them to be, but all dogs can make improvement. It is important to work with the dog in front of you instead of the dog you wish he could be. When you have an aggressive dog, you must understand and accept this. Otherwise, change will never occur. Working equipped with knowledge instead of idealistic perceptions is the only path to success.
If you have a human aggressive dog and your goal is to get them to where any stranger can come into your home and pet them, or if you have a dog aggressive dog that you want to take to a dog park, then your dog is set up for failure before they even have a chance. Every dog has a plateau. Just like we have our own limits and personality, so do dogs. Training makes a huge difference in management, but no trainer in the world can change genetics. A Fila Brasileiro is not going to run up to the front door eager to say hi to your visitor like a Golden would. A livestock guardian dog is not going to take kindly to dogs he doesn’t know on his property. Training can manage behavior – it will not make those instincts go away.
One of my dogs, Roxy, was massively dog and cat-aggressive. The goal was to get her to be neutral with dogs and cats, and she far exceeded our expectations. Not every dog will do this, and we cannot go into training expecting or pushing for that result. If your dog is doing what they need to be doing, don’t force them to do what you want them to be doing. Some dogs exceed expectations while others achieve neutrality. Neutrality needs to be the goal.
Nature vs Nurture
Two dogs in the same circumstances, even from the same litter, may react completely differently. We have worked with dogs that have owners who “did everything right,” socialized the dogs properly, the dogs have never had anything done to them, yet they are aggressive. For a dog with a different personality and genetic makeup, these things would have been more than sufficient to stave off aggression. While nurture has a huge part to play, please don’t think that you necessarily “made your dog this way.” Even when nurture is a factor, the dog we have in front of us today is the dog we will be working with from this day forward. The best thing you can do for your dog now is be consistent with training, and we will be there for you every step of the way!
Lifestyle Changes
There is more at stake with serious behavioral cases. Training needs to be a lifestyle.
Ensure that every interaction with your dog, and this includes both what you are and aren’t doing, is performed thoughtfully and with a purpose. Ask yourself, is this action or inaction focused directly on affecting my relationship with my dog in such a way as to ensure that their training is successful? If you can’t honestly make a case that this action is directly geared towards ceasing their aggression, you shouldn’t be doing it. Every single interaction needs to be structured, especially in the initial transitioning period after one of our programs. Consistency builds habits.
We can’t love our dogs too much, but we can certainly love them in the wrong way. This is exponentially more dangerous in aggression cases. The biggest mistake people frequently make is to allow their affection for their dog to be expressed in permissiveness, lack of firm, consistent boundaries, and the refusal to follow through on expectations. Aggression needs to have a consequence – otherwise the dog is left not knowing where the boundaries are and will continue to push them because he hasn’t been shown a fair, firm, consistent, and meaningful system of reward and consequence.
Contrary to what some people think, this lifestyle is not onerous or depressing for your dog; they actually thrive on it! It allows them to know exactly how everything stands and leaves no grey areas. If it is hard for you to think that they can be happy in this kind of a dynamic, consider this:
- What made them happy prior to training contributed to their issues.
- When you have a good dog, you have a happy dog. You have a dog with more freedom and less micromanagement. Take advantage of the good behavior to reward them for it. Focus on the behavior, and the rest will come.
It is vital to ensure that everyone in the home is well versed and comfortable with the protocol. Remember, there is more at stake when dealing with an aggressive dog. If training isn’t followed through on, an aggressive dog is a liability, not a pet. Consistency from everyone in the household is one of the factors that make or break training. Minors should only work with or interact with the dog under the supervision of an adult. If anyone refuses to follow the structure, make sure they are not interacting with the dog. For a dog that is with us for obedience, this type of person can go a long way towards regressing the dog’s behaviors, but this goes deeper than a dog occasionally breaking Place. For an aggressive dog, this person is likely to get bitten or get someone else bitten.
No one gets a dog hoping it will have behavioral issues. You’re not alone, and you’ll have the help you need. It gets better. Contact us immediately with any questions, issues, or concerns. No matter how small it may seem, this is part of the service you paid for. Thank you for choosing K9 Guide Dog Training. We will be here with you every step of the way!
We specialize in behavioral cases and would love to help!