Before you call to inquire about Aggressive Dog Training or Rehabilitation Services … Understand, that you are wasting your time and money, if you are not willing to change the way you interact, communicate or correct your dog. Most dogs become aggressive due to the way they are raised. Not always … but more times than not.
If you are doing the following and aren’t willing to change … Please Do Not Call!
- Treat your dog like a child.
- Make excuses for the bad behavior.
- If you have to carry your grown dog outside to use the bathroom.
- If your dog bites someone and you’re more concerned about the dog than the person who got bit.
- You are not willing to allow your dog to go away for a period of time to correct the issues.
- Drive to a fast food restaurant to pickup food for your dog.
- If your dog sits in the front seat, while passengers sit in the back seat..
- The dog has their own bedroom.
- If your dog has their own furniture.
- Your dog has a place at the dinner table.
- Boots and a sweater vest are put on your dog to go out in the snow to use the bathroom.
- If you allow your dog to use the bathroom in the house, because it is cold outside.
- If you cannot take constructive criticism from a trainer.
- And Please … If you already have all the answers on how to fix your dog’s behavior … Do Not Call
If you are serious about helping your dog and are willing to put everything you have into doing so … we too, will do everything we can to help you. We can be successful! We are able to save 95% of the dogs that come to us. All we ask, is that you approach this with determination, confidence and a willingness to try. We can work with that!
Listen … if your dog has deep seeded issues, they are going to have a tough time in the beginning. Some dogs will come here and shutdown, simply because they aren’t used to being away from you. Some shutdown because they aren’t used to being treated like a dog. But, if you never get them help, you will never have a chance at fixing this type of behavior. Dogs do weird things when under stress. Stress can cause UTI’s, ear infections and it can also cause your dog to lick or chew themselves raw. You can’t blame any trainer for what your dog does to themselves. We did not cause your dog to do these behaviors … most likely, you did! Remember, there is always a storm, before the sunshine. We will do everything we can to protect your dog, from themselves, but it is possible they cause harm to themselves. We have never seen anything more than superficial self inflicted wounds, but those things heal. Most important, is that your dog gets the help they need.
Some dogs have never been away from their owner. Some dogs have never been treated like a dog. This can be hard for them. But, they need to go through it, as it is not mentally healthy for your dog to live in that state of mind. You can’t continue to make excuses for your dog’s bad behavior. We are also going to help you become a good pack leader. It seems to be harder to fix the human’s leadership skills, than it is to fix the dog’s unwanted behavior. Please don’t call if your aren’t 100% ready to try.
Basically … If you are not willing to treat your dog, like a dog and not a human … then DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME … We will not accept your dog into our aggression rehabilitation program. No matter how much progress we can make with your dog … if your not willing to change, then your are wasting your time and money. Our dog Behaviorist is one of the best in the industry. We use real science … not the old “beat them into submission” stuff, that a lot of the old school “trainers” used.
Dayton Dog Trainer is one of very few dog trainers in the Dayton area that provides real aggressive dog rehab for all breeds. Our aggressive dog service isn’t the type of where we feed your dog treats to make him or her a “nicer” dog. We provide real aggressive dog rehab.
With our aggressive dog rehab program, your dog will have to stay with us for a period of time. The length of stay, will be determined by the evaluation. We will provide you with a general idea of just how long your dog will need to stay with us, once the evaluation has been performed. There is no other way to fix deep seeded behaviors, hard to fix behavior or aggression … They must stay with us … not negotiable! We use real science and psychology, not babying or bribery.
Your dog will have to stay in a crate, more than they usually would, as they are here for aggression issues and we cannot have an aggressive dog freely roaming the property. Also, there are other dogs here for service and we will not take a chance of another client’s dog or your dog getting injured due to a fight. Dayton Dog Trainer will maintain a very controlled environment, for the safety of others. In over 25 years of service, we have NEVER had a dog fight take place, simply because we maintain a controlled environment.
It is imperative to provide your dog with Obedience. Your dog must know that you lead the pack. When your dog has no guidance and is allowed to get by with anything they choose to do … you have lost control! By simply walking your dog and running through some basic commands while on that walk, you are showing your dog that you are still in control. Sit, Stay, Down and Walking on a Leash is the foundation to any canine structure. Remember … for the human, the Alpha position is earned and maintained through leash work.
Discipline is a natural occurrence in the canine world or the animal kingdom in general. Without discipline, there would be chaos. Discipline can mean a number of things when associating humans and dogs. When a dog gets out of line, we can discipline a dog by simply ignoring the dog. Discipline can mean a tone of voice change when communicating with that dog. It can also mean a physical correction by simply providing a stiff finger touch to the neck or the rear hind quarter. Your dog can also be corrected on leash, which may be the most effective type of correction.
Affection is a very important form of communication, in moderation. Too much affection, you assist in creating aggression, not enough correction you can assist in creating depression. When your dog does good, let them know it. But it is also imperative to let them know when they have done wrong. Affection can mean a simple verbal praise as well as a physical touch. Affection does not mean, allowing your dog to get by with everything and it does not mean spoiling the dog. You will create more issues by over affectionating your dog.
OBEDIENCE DISCIPLINE AFFECTION
The Recipe for a Balanced Mind
A balance between Obedience, Discipline and Affection is key for maintaining a stable mindset in your dog. Most people tend to provide Affection, Affection and Discipline. This is common in the average dog owning household. We tend to shower our dogs with affection until they have done something wrong, then we move straight to discipline. This creates an imbalance in the thought process of your dog. In order for your dog to look to you as leader of the pack, it is important to work with your dog from time to time to teach them the instructions you wish to use when commanding your dog. You can't rightfully discipline your dog, when they haven't been taught what is right and what is wrong. Humans tend to assume dogs know right from wrong. We do this because we as humans are capable of making rational thought. Dogs are incapable of making rational thought, so we can't expect them to interpret right from wrong.
I wanted to thank you for all the work you have done on our dog. Completely different dog from when we dropped him off. It is amazing how quickly you were able to fix all his issues and train him. I will be sending some of my military buddies to you!
Just wanted to tell you keep up the good job!
SB
I don’t know how you guys do it, but I am happy that you do! Thanks again for all your hard work with Bria. Since training, I have had no problems with her attacking my guests and is now warming up to them very fast.
This is a completely different dog.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Jessica Ann
Dougy is doing very well. We have seen a complete turn-around of his behavior. I just wanted to thank you for working with us and I look forward to handler training in the spring.
AGGRESSION, DOMINANCE OR SPOILED DOG SYNDROME
Dog Aggression
Dog aggression is pretty clear cut. When you have an aggressive dog, this means your dog purely just wants to make you or someone else, a Scooby snack. There doesn’t always have to be a reason for the dog to bite or attack someone or even another dog. There are different types of aggression as well.
Dog Aggression can occur as a young pup or a full grown adult dog. Aggression is normally a learned behavior, but there are some dogs that are born with something wrong in their thought process. We believe that 99% of all dogs can be saved from aggression. But there is that 1% chance that the dog is not reachable. Let us handle it … remember … our dog behaviorist specializes in aggressive dogs.
Different Types of Dog Aggression
- People Aggression
- Dog Aggression
- Food Aggression
- Toy Aggression
- Fear Aggression
- Territorial Aggression
- Possession Aggression
- Maternal Aggression
- Pain Aggression
- Predatory Aggression
- Punishment Aggression
- Redirected Aggression
Dog Aggression Types Explained
- People Aggression – Bites or attacks people, for no reason. People aggression is when the dog just doesn’t feel the right energy from people or moves forward in an attempt attack or bite people. There is a huge difference when the dog moves forward and bites and moves backward and bites. A dog that goes toward the threat and bites … is more likely an aggressive dog or an unbalanced dog. A dog who backs up from you when you approach and bites when you get too close … is likely a scared dog. This type of dog, is what we call “fear biters”.
- Dog on Dog Aggression – Attacks other dogs, normally due to an unacceptable energy from the other dog or even just because. Dog on dog aggression also occurs when the dog goes forward to attack another dog. It could be for any reason … bad eye contact, bad energy, inbalance, weakness … etc.
- Food Aggression – This occurs when food or treats are in possession of your dog or within the immediate area. The dog does not allow anyone around there food and if you persist, you will be bitten or attacked … and it can also be that the dog will do anything, including attack, just to get to food. Sometimes … when you see a dog inhale his food … or scarf it down very quickly, the closer you get to it or the closer another dog gets to the food … this can be a sign of food aggression. Not always … but in many cases. If your dog does do that … it can be a few other things, so don’t think it is any type of aggression if they do. There needs to be a proper evaluation, by a professional dog trainer to be sure.
- Toy Aggression commonly occurs in younger dogs and puppies. It can commonly be mistaken for dominance or play drive.
- Fear Aggression – We believe this is the worst type of aggression a dog can possess. A scared dog is an unpredictable dog. Dogs that are scared or that live in a state of fear will sometimes attack out of fear.
- Territorial Aggression – This occurs when a person or dog enters the dogs domain. If the aggressive dog does not agree with you being there, they can attack. It also commonly occurs with dogs that live alone with their handler and have no other dogs or people to interact with, when it does occur. Because they have been secluded from other dogs and the public, they sometimes tend to become anxious or nervous when someone or something comes upon their living domain.
- Maternal Aggression – This type of aggression is seen in mothers that are guarding their pups. This type also crosses over to human maternal aggression, as some aggressive dogs are reactive to the hormone changes in their human female master who is either pregnant or has recently delivered a child into this world. Dogs can become overly protective over a newborn child or over their female master. Kind of odd, but we have seen this situation several times over the years.
- Pain Aggression – Pain aggression is common in older dogs. Sometimes the dog is in a lot of pain and has noway of advising there owner. Just like a person, if you try to interact with the dog and they do not want your attention, they sometimes let you know by biting or attacking. When we provide our services for aggression, we look at everything that could contribute to this type of behavior.
- Predatory Aggression – Things in motion or even the thrill of the chase can trigger predatory aggression. In working dogs, we would channel this into a drive and form it into the behavior we are looking for. Sometimes, this can not be harnessed. This type of behavior is not acceptable in a common house pet or home environment.
- Punishment Aggression – Occurs when your dog is being scolded or corrected. The dog feels threatened and bites or attacks the “aggressor”. This type of aggressive behavior can also occur during the maturing process
- Redirected Aggression – This type of aggression is seen all the time. An example of this type would be when someone is walking there dog down the street and the dog sees another dog and wants so badly to get to that other dog. The owner will pull or correct the dog using the leash. This action will over stimulate the dog and he or she will turn and bite the handler. Not only does this type of behavior need to be corrected, but it is also important to follow this type of corrective service up with handler training for the handler as well as the entire family.
- Dominance – This occurs when your dog just tries to bully you or another dog. A dominant dog normally gives up when their bluff is called. The dog will back down and submit, not really wanting to bite or attack. This behavior is more of a bullying tactic to see who the Alpha is.
- Spoiled Dog Syndrome – In most cases, your dog has been humanized to a point where they will bite or attack when they don’t get there way. This is simply a baby fit to see if you will give in. Spoiled Dog Syndrome is a very common diagnosis given during an evaluation for those who over affectionate their dog or humanize their dog. Humanizing or Spoiling a dog is the number 1 cause of aggression in house pets.
Fixing These Unwanted Behaviors
Do not ever try to fix these unwanted behaviors if you don’t know what your doing! You can be bitten or attacked, causing great bodily harm, even death. This can also cause more damage than good with your dog. You can also create deeper issues or aggression in your dog.
You should never wait! Dog aggression will never simply correct itself. Many people go wrong when they wait to see if a dog will come out of it. All you are doing is allowing the issue to settle in, become deep seeded and grow stronger. As soon as you believe there is a problem … CALL A PROFESSIONAL! You can at least get an idea of what’s going on for a couple bucks! Just because you call us out to evaluate, doesn’t mean you have to sign up for services … you are under no obligation to retain our services, should we be asked to provide an evaluation.
There is never a single clear cut way to fix dog aggression issues that occur with your dog. Each dog is different, therefore we have to customize the aggressive dog rehab to your dog to provide true results. Not every dog is able to be fixed. In most cases, we will be able to provide excellent results with our aggressive dog rehab, but there are a few dogs out there, that can’t be reached. It is going to depend how deep seeded the dog aggression is and how long it has been going on.
We make this promise to you!
If once we have evaluated your dog and advise that there is a good chance at correcting the unwanted behavior, we will do everything we can to help you keep your dog!
Many times with aggressive dogs … the first thought of the owner is that they have to put the dog down. Sometimes, your vet may recommend the same thing. This is entirely unfair! Your vet is not a trainer and you have not given your dog a real chance with a professional trainer. And yes … you can surely point out those “trainers” who don’t know what they are doing.
Give Dayton Dog Trainer a chance to work with your aggressive dog. This is what we do … this is what we specialize in. But we also understand that anyone can talk a good game over the phone or on their website. We like to show you in person that we can do what we are telling you throughout our website and that is the main purpose of our evaluation / demonstration.
Note: Keep in mind, that a trained professional, specializing in dog aggression or dog behavior modification, needs to be the one to evaluate each individual situation. The information presented here, is just an overall idea of things that can occur. Much of the information is gathered from past experience. The only way to find out what you have going on with your canine companion, is to have a professional perform a true and honest evaluation.
How to Fix an Aggressive Dog?
There’s not a single, clear cut way to fix an aggressive dog. Each dog is different and has different triggers, that set off the aggression. Many people think that putting the dog on its back is the right thing to do when the dog acts out. This is not true. Actually, this can be dangerous or cause even more issues if this technique is not performed correctly.
We have even heard of people hitting the dog when it lashes out and tries to bite. This is a big no, no! The last thing you want to do, is strike the dog when it is in this state of mind. If you strike the dog when it is lashing out, it can cause the dog to lash out even more, or it can produce the total opposite result, which is fear. Aggression and Fear Aggression are two, totally different types of unwanted behavior. Either way, you don’t want either of those behaviors.
Striking a dog is always a last resort and should only be deployed as a defensive measure. Protecting yourself or someone else from bodily harm is more important than being politically correct. If you find yourself in a situation that has you striking a dog to protect yourself, then you should deploy just enough force, to safely allow yourself enough time to vacate the area. Remember, many times you can simply persuade a dog’s bad intention, by simply standing your ground. This doesn’t always work, but in many situations, it will. If this is your own dog and you are dealing with an issue like this, then you should have already contacted a professional to retain rehabilitation services. You may also consider placing the dog in another living environment.
Every dog is different, therefore needs to be evaluated by a professional to determine the best plan of action for bringing the dog back into a stable state of mind. The best thing to do, is take note of the triggers … the things that set the dog off. Be sure to bring those up, when speaking with a professional. This will help the trainer, better understand what is going on with the aggressive dog and give them a better understanding of how to fix the aggression.