Author: Marjorie Lewis

Do you have a puppy that’s starting to display aggressive behaviors or an adult dog that is the neighborhood terror? No matter the age of your dog or how long they’ve been displaying aggressive behaviors, dog aggression is a difficult situation for both the dog owner and the dog they love. If you’re starting to consider when to invest in dog aggressiveness training, you’re in the right place!

When you’re dealing with dog aggression, you essentially have 2 choices:

1. You can use punishment tactics to dissuade your dog from being aggressive.
2. You can get rid of the root cause of the aggression. 

I personally believe that finding the root cause is the ONLY way to approach this as punishment is not effective, and is cruel. Plus, did you know that when you use punishment, your dog’s aggression is likely to get worse – 43% worse to be exact.

Identify Triggers

First, you’ll need to identify triggers to get to the root cause. Is his response triggered by fear of a situation, a particular person, or even another animal? Or is his behavior motivated more by territory protection or male dominance?

Some of the common causes of dog aggression include:

• Fear
• Pain
• Illness
• Anxiety
• Uncertainty
• Frustration
• Protectiveness
• Resource guarding
• Misunderstanding
• Past experiences

Address Health-Related Triggers

If your dog is being aggressive because of a health issue or being in pain, it’s important to get those addressed right away by your veterinarian. If you don’t have one, make sure to:

1. Find one that specializes in treating dogs.
2. Ask about their approach to pets and medicine.
3. Ensure they have a clean facility.
4. Get a good feeling from them – sometimes those hunches are all we need.

Animal Communication for Determining Specific Triggers

Once health- or pain-related issues are resolved and they are still showing signs of aggression, it’s time to bring in an Animal Communicator to dig a little deeper.

An animal communication session can be quite helpful to identify the specific trigger(s) for your dog’s aggression. Once the trigger is identified, it is much easier for you and your trainer to develop training strategies to modify the behavior. Otherwise, you’ll just be trying different things and hoping they work. Asking your dog how he sees and interprets the situation and how he feels during the experience are important clues that can lead you to a successful outcome. Such a successful outcome that it may be something you can correct on your own without the use of a trainer. If you’re not sure about how an Animal Communicator can help or what it is, take a look at these frequently asked questions.

When to Invest in Dog Aggressiveness Training

If your dog is snapping, growling, or biting, once you’ve identified and resolved their triggers, it’s time to invest in dog aggressiveness training. As a dog owner, you can’t take any chances of your dog lashing out on someone or something and you being held responsible for it. So, it’s better to be safe than sorry and if they’re still displaying aggressive behaviors, chances are they need aggressiveness training to course-correct them.

Have you been trying to get your dog acclimated to you, the kids, or even the delivery guy who frequents your house and it just seems like no matter what you do, it just isn’t working? You’ve probably tried so many things like getting rid of all the distractions, breaking training up into short sessions, giving a favorite treat as a reward, and so on, only to still not be able to keep your dog’s attention. After putting so much effort into training your dog and not getting anywhere with it, you have to be saying to yourself “I need a trainer for dogs near me – sooner than later!”.

I get it! The time has come and you can’t put it off anymore – you know your dog needs a trainer. So, how do you choose the best dog trainer? Not all dog trainers may be right for your dog – or even you. Before your search begins, ask yourself these questions:

1. What do I need to effectively train my dog?
2. Has my dog been difficult to housebreak? 
3. Is my dog chewing on our belongings or barking all the time? 
4. Is my dog aggressive to other dogs or visitors?
5. Is my dog difficult to walk on a leash?
6. How is my dog when riding in the car?

Each of these situations requires a different approach and technique, and possibly even a different location, for training so it’s important that you get an understanding of exactly what the issues are so that when you are interviewing trainers, you can ensure that they have experience solving these problems and have the ability to train where you need them. 

What to Consider Before Hiring a Trainer

Before committing to a trainer, consider the questions above and determine whether it would be feasible to train your dog elsewhere or if, without a doubt, you’d need to train your dog at your home. When making this determination, you may even want to consider some free webinars or training classes held by Your Dog’s Friend so that you can become more knowledgeable about behavior issues, health issues, and training techniques. These classes are especially good for those who are new dog parents! Equipping yourself with this knowledge can help you make this determination and ask potential trainers the right questions to ensure they are the right fit for you and your dog. 

Some other things to take into consideration are:

1. Do you need hands-on, more individualized training?
2. The age of your dog.
3. Is your dog a puppy that is just beginning to learn manners and commands?
4. Did you adopt an adult dog that has some behavior or fear issues from the past?
5. Are you looking to teach basic commands such as “Sit” and “Stay” or have you reached the point of advanced agility training? 
6. The breed of your dog – is yours a working dog, such as a herding breed, or is your dog a small companion breed?
7. The items you’ll need to effectively train your dog.

Getting Others Input On Dog Trainers

Once you’ve considered these, start asking others who they’ve used and even make a trip to your local pet supply or feed store for recommendations. My personal preference is always to choose a trainer that uses positive reinforcement training. I personally believe this is the most effective method of dog training. Positive reinforcement training essentially focuses on rewarding your pet for good behavior, rather than punishing bad behavior. No matter how much you trust the people you get suggestions from, always interview the trainer. Ask about their training and experience and then evaluate if it matches your needs? Even write a checklist if you have to. Also, The American Kennel Club offers a good article on choosing a dog trainer if you’re looking for more guidance.

Animal Communication as a Resource for Choosing a Trainer

No matter what your training challenge or the trainer you choose, animal communication can really help you! During an Animal Communication consultation, I am able to ask your dog about particular triggers for their behavior. 

• Is it fear or aggression driving their reaction? 
• What is your pet’s personality – outgoing and friendly or wary and reserved?

Each pet has a unique preference for learning styles and environments. With Animal Communication, we can discover these unique preferences and choose a trainer that best suits their needs. We can ask general questions such as “how do you feel in a large group of dogs?” or get more specific and ask “what is holding you back from entering the tunnel on the agility course?” Once we discover how the environment feels to your dog, we can better select a trainer that matches its unique personality and learning style. This can save you a lot of time and headache when searching for the right trainer!