Behavior Modification
“Her behavior is so embarrassing!”
“I’m worried my dog will hurt someone.”
“My neighbors avoid us when we’re outside.”
“He’s so sweet at home, but when we’re out around other people and dogs, he becomes CUJO!”
“This isn’t my sweet puppy! What happened???”
Do these words sound familiar? Some canine behaviors are confusing for us. We know the dog is not in danger. Why can’t our dog understand that?
Most dogs are displaying aggressive behaviors because of fear and anxiety. We can work with these dogs to help them feel more comfortable and even teach them alternative behaviors that are better for all of us.
Aggressive Behaviors can include:
- Resource guarding people/food/toys/space
- Leash reactivity
- Aggression toward owners/strangers/people/children
- Intra-household aggression
- Redirected aggression
- Generalized anxiety/fear/aggression
- Body Handling aggression
Reactivity
Reactivity can be a difficult behavior for most people to handle. It happens for various reasons such as fear and anxiety or over-arousal and frustration. The bad news is reactivity is very common! The good news is that reactivity is a behavior that can be helped with the right training.
What does reactivity look like? Your dog may bark, pull, lunge, growl, air snap and/or hide behind you.
When does reactivity happen? Usually on walks or outside around other people and/or dogs, sometimes through a barrier such as a window or fence.
What causes reactivity? Reactivity can happen if your dog is fearful or over-excited. A barrier is usually involved. Barriers are things such as leashes, fences, windows (including car windows) and doors that stop a dog from performing natural dog behaviors that they feel they should perform in order to keep themselves safe. A leash, for example, is a terrific tool invented by humans, not by dogs. Dogs often don’t understand why they need to be held back or why they can’t do what they want to do. This can lead to frustration and when the frustration builds, hackles will raise and barking and lunging become the norm. This behavior doesn’t neccessarily mean that the dog is aggressive, but it can sure look like it. Hang in there! We can help!
What can we teach instead? Typically, we teach your dog to check in with you when there is something in the area that makes them uncomfortable. This could vary, because every dog is an individual, but having the ability to check in with the owner helps the dog have a behavior we prefer while helping him be comfortable. These skills can help both you and your dog feel more confident and prepared for situations that might have previously caused reactive behavior.
Resource Guarding
Does your dog raise her hackles and growl when:
- A person or dog comes close to her dinner bowl?
- A person or dog comes close to her toys or special treats like bones?
- You aske her to move off of the bed or couch?
- When other people, including family, come close to you?
If so, your dog may be guarding something important to them. We call this resource guarding. This is a very common behavior in dogs from many, many years ago when dogs needed resources to survive. It’s an intrinsic behavior that makes perfect sense to the dog, even though it does not to us.
When training for resource guarding, we will work to help change the way your dog feels about the situation where she reacts. While not as easy as teaching sit or down, it’s a behavior that is often helped quite well with training.
Dog Bites
Are you afraid your dog is going to bite? Or perhaps this has already happened? This can be a very emotional and stressful time for pet parents. You may feel like the dog that you love has become scary and you worry for yourself and others.
There are a number of reasons why a dog would choose to bite. Bites are distance increasing behavior, meaning that the dog needs space. It can be difficult for pet owners to understand why these behaviors happen. Here are just a few of the reasons:
- Underlying pain
- Miscommunication
- Learned behaviors
- Guarding resources
If your dog has a bite history, you need a qualified professional to help. We are not only certified in all aspects of dog training, but we are also certified in behavior. This means that we will work to help your dog learn to cope in stressful situations.