The K9 Coach's Corner: Training Tips for Fans of the K9 Coach
Establish Leadership With Your Dog
Thoughts on Aggressive Behaviors
I am fascinated by the ability to influence a dog’s behavior
– to reshape how they think and respond to various scenarios and stimuli. I’m most interested helping a dog overcome
what humans have done to them.
There are so many techniques, opinions, and ideas that it’s
easy to become confused. I’m finding I
have to weed through some really bad opinions and some pretty opinionated
people to get to be able to develop my open opinion and values that I can stand
confidently behind. What must it be like for the average pet owner who starts to see bad behavior in their dog? Do you even recognize the early signs? Do you practice conflicting methods based on what a friend, breeder, vet told you? Or do you just keep trying the same method that worked for your old dog, but things just get worse now?
Many recent articles and books suggest
a dog who shows any sign of aggression should be put down immediately and make room
for the healthy non-aggressive one’s. That's an extreme view.
It’s true that millions of perfectly healthy and happy dogs
are put down each year because we humans continue to fall short of t the public
on spay/neuter programs and millions of people continue to breed their dogs
because “oh, he’s just so perfect, my friends want one just like him” or for
profit. And as if we don’t have enough
overpopulation – people are now cloning dogs!
Think of the thousands of dogs that could be saved if that money went to
spay/neuter and rescue programs.
So what if we put down every dog who demonstrated
aggression? Who gets to define what
aggression is? And what about the people
who created the aggression by their abuse, or
failure to train or even nurture positive attributes in the dog?
In my opinion, dogs are not born aggressive or
shy/fearful. Certainly, how they are
raised including in the whelping box (by the mother, the owner/breeder, or the
male if he is present) and time with their litter mates (too long or too
little) can have an effect on their behavior.
Behavior is further shaped by
what they are taught by humans and the boundaries and expectations that are set
by us. Lack of consistency and failure
to set boundaries is in fact teaching your dog something. In fact, everything you do with or to your
dog shapes who they are and how they respond to situations in life. What are you teaching? What have you taught? What have you failed to teach? If you
have rescued a dog – what past injustices are you trying to overcome from a
shelter dog, life on the street, in an abusive home, or being chained to a tree
with little human interaction?
People often think it’s cute when little dogs bark, growl,
or nips – they think it’s altogether
different if it’s a big dog or a bully-breed. It should not be acceptable behavior
regardless of size or breed. A little
dog with bad behavior can often be the trigger for a reaction and the big dog
takes the blame simply because he’s capable of doing more physical damage and
looks and sounds a lot scarier.
There are some basic things you can do to begin to create boundaries
and expectations for your dog that can lead to a better balance in their state
of being and to prevent bites.
·
Train
your dog
o
Start socializing puppies early (8 – 16
weeks). Set boundaries and discipline even at this young age. Many developmental phases happen as a puppy matures and how you and they respond will carry forward into their adult lives. Puppy Training & Puppy Pre-schools are designed
to introduce your puppy to other dogs, other people, loud and moving objects,
and experienced they will encounter in every-day life.
o
If you have a reactive dog, fearful dog, or
extremely shy – start desensitization programs asap. These issues do not get better over
time. They get worse. Much worse and can escalate to aggression.
§
Remove your dog from the situation giving them
enough space to keep them below the threshold of reaction and reward only calm
and relaxed behaviors
o
Aggression – seek professional help
immediately. Aggression is a serious
matter that can put people, dogs and property at great risk. It’s not a natural state of being for your
dog – so help them overcome this state of mind.
§
Avoid interactions with other people or dogs
until you have professional assistance in training.
§
Keep everyone safe.
·
Train
your Children How to Approach Dogs (even parents of non-pet households)
o
Teach your children to ask permission before
petting a dog and listen to the owner/handler.
Don’t be offended if the handler tells you “No”.
o
Teach children to be calm, quiet and approach
gently. Allow the dog to smell them
before reaching out a hand. Never let
your child reach their hand over the dog’s head.
o
Don’t allow your children to hug or kiss an
unfamiliar dog. You may find there are
some dogs that will never enjoy hugs and kisses from children or adults.
o
If a loose dog is approaching your child, teach
them to freeze. Stand still, quiet and
avoid making eye contact. Running will
only entice the dog to give chase.
o
We love when dogs and children play
together -- but that relationship has to
be created & should not just be assumed to happen on its on. You must also realize with some dogs it’s
never going to happen. Therefore, be
sure to take precautions when visiting family members or friends with
dogs. (See our blog on the tolerant dog at the holidays)
·
Bringing
a new Dog into your home
o
Be the leader from day 1 – or least start today. Be Consistent.
o
Teach everyone to respect a dog’s space (bed,
crate, etc)
o
Teach respect of food. Feed your dog without small children around
until you are 100% confident in your dog’s behavior around food.
o
Never leave small children unsupervised around a
dog. Teach children not to pull his
tail, his ears, jump on him, or try to take toys from him.
o
Teach your dog “leave it” to be able to take a
toy or other object from the dog – whether it’s his toy or your child’s.
§
If your dog is already guarding resources (toys,
food, objects or people) it is important to begin training techniques to stop
this behavior soon!
o
When visitors come over – have a “place” that
your dog goes when the doorbell rings and when guests enter the house. Set expectations with them about how to
greet your dog or to interact with him.
If necessary, put your dog in his crate until your training programs are
demonstrating trustworthy results.
o
Train your dog daily. 10-15 minutes of basic obedience. If he masters those commands, add something
new to challenge the both of you!
I am a professional dog trainer and yet, I don't kid myself. I still have much to
learn. I seek to learn every day. I respect that every dog is different and I've learned to expect the unexpected.
If you are seeing warning signs of bad behavior it's best to nip it in the bud. Call me. I can help.
*Disclaimer:
This guide is offered as one method to train a
skill. There may be many others. Leverage this document as you deem
appropriate with your dog.
Every dog is different. All dogs learn a little differently. Some will learn more quickly than
others. Some required different techniques
or methods to learn a skill. Be patient
with your dog, praise lavishly, and reward often for doing something
right. While we do recommend consistency
in leadership, expectations, boundaries and discipline for your dog, you must
also evaluate when something is not working. Don’t just continue practicing a
failing method.
Owners are responsible for the care and behavior of
their dogs in the home and in public.
Please be responsible for the safety of you dog, yourself and
others. Know how to read your dog’s
signals and respect them appropriately.
You must evaluate your own
experience level and understanding of the techniques before implementing them
and the response you receive from the dog regarding your pace and your
follow-up actions. Seek professional
training if necessary.
If you need help with your
dog, call us to schedule an appointment.
Dana Brigman
The K9 Coach
Dog Training - Matthews, NC
980-339-8064
www.thek9-coach.com
info@thek9-coach.com
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The K9 Coach is a Professional Certified Dog Trainer Serving Charlotte, NC, Matthews, NC and surrounding areas.
My mission is a better life for dogs as members of a forever family.
My goal is create training solutions for the home owner, to rehabilitate dogs from shelters and rescues, and to prevent dogs from dying alone as strays or owner surrenders in shelters due to unnecessary aggression or behavioral issues.
Begin trianing with a consult with a professional trainer to be sure you're solving the right problem. Misdiagnosis can make the matters worse. Be sure that there are no medical issues at play and that your dog is not in pain, as pain can be a contributor to a new display of aggression. If you have any fear or uncertainty -- do not attempt the techniques without professional supervision.
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