Aggressive & Reactive Dog Training
Experience a Breakthrough in Aggressive & Reactive Dog Training
No one has to tell you, though they often do: You have a problem dog on your hands.
Some people call your dog “aggressive” while others call him “reactive.” You know your dog better than anyone, and even you can see that both descriptors fit, at least in certain circumstances.
Before your frustration and embarrassment mount, it should help to know two things:
- Aggressive and reactive dogs can be trained, and tamed.
- The experts at Breakthrough K9 Training are uniquely qualified in dog obedience and behavior modification techniques. Our expertise, patience and resilience can help turn your “problem dog” into a pet you can once again enjoy and take pride in calling your own.
Aggressive dogs can experience a training breakthrough
Getting to the root of the problem – the cause of the aggression – is vital; there are different forms of aggression. Some of the more common triggers in dogs include:
- Breed, meaning that some dog breeds were expressly created to be “on high alert” about protecting family members or property.
- Genetics, regardless of breed. In other words, dogs with aggressive parents are more likely to behave aggressively.
- Lack of socialization, which can be traced to any number of influences, including sickness as a puppy, a poor experience at a shelter or pet store or a previous owner who didn’t take the time to socialize the animal.
- A traumatic event – yes, just like people. As dogs mature, they go through “fear periods” and “sensitive periods.” A crisis taking place during either one of these periods can have a huge and lasting effect on a dog.
Since most of these forms of aggression are rooted in fear, the experts at Breakthrough K9 Training begin right there in the process of getting to know your dog – and restoring peace to your home once again.
Reactive dogs can experience a training breakthrough
Reactive dogs are often confused with aggressive dogs. This is understandable, especially because some of the same underlying causes provide an explanation for this behavior, too.
To differentiate aggression from reactivity, it may help to think of reactive dogs as overreactive dogs. They overreact in certain situations or to certain people; the key here is in figuring out which ones. In other words, reactive behavior in dogs isn’t unpredictable. But it is prone to some commonalities:
- A reactive dog may bark, growl or lunge.
- Distance doesn’t always matter. A reactive dog may respond to somebody approaching him on the sidewalk or someone he spots a block away. He is basically saying, “You’re crowding me, and I don’t like it. Give me some space.”
- To you, the trigger can seem legitimate – a toddler who is reaching for your dog’s toys – or frivolous, such as someone wearing a big hat. To your dog, though, the trigger is both real and frightening.
Like aggression, reactivity is usually rooted in fear, though it could be spawned simply by a heightened arousal to stimuli. In either case, if you’re beginning to form the idea that behavior modification in dogs is part psychological and part action, you’re getting the right idea about the approach we take at Breakthrough K9 Training.
Like you, we’re dog lovers who believe that every dog has endearing traits that can once again become his dominant traits. Contact us to make a consultation and call it the first step in your journey to discovering that you, too, can have a well-behaved dog on your hands.
Board & Train Programs for Aggressive & Reactive Dogs
To learn more about Breakthrough K9 Training’s Board & Train programs for aggressive and reactive dogs, view our Dog Obedience Training Programs.
Read our blog post Why Is My Dog Aggressive?.