Aggressive Dog

maisondog > Aggressive Dog

Aggressive Dog

We dream of having an easy-to-live-with, relaxed, and reliable dog that can coexist with children, people, and other animals. However, what if the dream does not align with reality?

The term aggression refers to a wide variety of behaviors that occur for a multitude of reasons in various circumstances, such as aggression towards people or strangers, owner-directed aggression, aggression towards other dogs or animals living in the same home, resource guarding (possessive behavior). 

 

My approach to address aggressive behavior is to tackle your dog’s underlying motivations while also teaching a different way to respond. We will also work together to put strong management strategies in place to keep everyone safe while your dog works on changing her emotional and behavioral responses. 

 

Even if your dog has been turned away from training before, please call me! I use only humane, modern methods to help your dog. I do not use shock collars, choke-chains, or pinch-collars to work with dogs with behavioral issues.

All Services

Schedule your Initial Consult

All in-person services will start with a 90 minutes initial consultation. 

In our first session, I will gather a detailed history about your dog, discuss important concepts to help you better understand your dog’s behaviour, and help you set realistic expectations. I will also review information about how dogs learn and provide you with tips on how to maximise success in your training. Most importantly, I will work with you to develop a specific plan for moving forward and provide you with detailed instructions to ensure immediate safety.

150€ for 90 minutes

(Travel fees apply for in-home consultations)

Private Training Sessions

After the initial consultation, we will get started working through your training plan and towards the goals that we have set together. Training sessions are tailored to suit and support the lives, needs, and learning styles of both humans and dogs. While teaching your dog the new behaviors and life skills he or she needs, you will learn how to better understand your dog’s perspective and emotional state, set your dog up for success, and encourage better manners and behavior in daily life.

 

The number of sessions recommended will vary depending on the goals we set together or severity of the behavior concern.

80€ per session (60 minutes)

(Per-session travel fees may apply to some areas)

Though we commonly talk about behaviors like barking, lunging, growling, and snapping at people as aggressive, the reality is that most dogs behaving this way do so out of fear. Many dogs simply learn that the best way to get the things they’re afraid of to move away is to bark and lunge at them. Punishing these behaviors is often advised but it is, in reality, very dangerous as the dog, who is still scared, will then feel the need to escalate. My goal is to help your dog feel less fearful.
Aggressive and reactive behaviors in dogs are my favorite topic, and the main focus of my education. I have completed the Aggression in Dogs Master Course for Trainers and Behavior Consultants, taught by the world-renowned aggression expert, Michael Shikashio, CDBC. This comprehensive program has equipped me with the knowledge and skills needed to assess risk, improve safety, and implement behavior change strategies to reduce aggressive behavior. More recently, I graduated from a one-year course given by renowned veterinary behaviorist, Dr. Amber Batson. The course is aimed at individuals who work professionally with dogs and regularly give advice to owners of potentially aggressive dogs. Topics covered include types of aggression, the physiology of aggression, learning theory, medical problems affecting aggression, basic behavioral pharmacology, the impact of procedures such as neutering, aggression and welfare, and successful client interactions.
The vast majority of what we need to teach can be accomplished by first ruling out physical or medical causes for the undesired behavior. We can create thoughtful antecedent arrangements by manipulating the environment to prevent any rehearsal of the unwanted behavior so that the dog can be set up for success. We can also train desirable behaviors by using positive reinforcement. Your pet will never be exposed to unethical, fear-based training techniques, or coercive tools, such as choke collars, pinch collars, or e-collars.
There are many variables when determining how many sessions it may require to help you and your pet. Some of those variables include your overall goals; the severity of the behavior; the “type” of problem behavior your animal is displaying; your pet’s behavior history; how much time and resources you can commit; how your animal responds to the behavior modification plan; and addressing any underlying medical issues that might exist that are contributing to the behavior.
Our initial session is held either at Maison Dog, at your place (travel fee may apply / 0.50€ per roundtrip km), or virtually. The location of each training will be defined based on your dog’s specific needs.