Not every dog is an ideal candidate for our Full-Service board and train programs. Aggressive dogs can often benefit from our program, but sometimes it just isn’t in the dog’s best interest.
Here are a few situations where we do not accept every aggression case:
Aggression in Newly Adopted Dogs or Dogs that Have been Recently Re-homed.
We get a lot of calls from people who have just adopted or rescued a dog that has started displaying aggression. These behaviors begin to surface once the dog has become “comfortable” in its new environment. In some cases, the owner is even aware of the dog’s aggressive past before obtaining the dog.
These dogs are not a good fit to be sent off again to re-adapt to another environment. Instead, establish obedience, leadership, and a lasting relationship. Doing this will ensure the success of the new dog transitioning with the new owner. It will not be enough to show the owner the obedience commands learned while away at training because, in my experience, the respect earned during the training program doesn’t always transfer back to the owner. In the majority of aggression cases, management is the key. Learning how to handle your aggressive dog is part of the responsibility you committed to when adopting a dog with a known aggression history. If you were not aware of the aggression, you must reach back out to where you got the dog from for re-evaluation to ensure it is safe for the community.
Aggressive Dogs that are Displaying Territorial Aggression in their Home Environments or when their Home Dynamic has Changed.
When dogs come to the Full-Service Training, we take pride in generalizing the training all around town, but this does not always transfer back to the dog’s home environment when aggression is involved. You should focus on their home environment first (examples are getting a new dog, a family member added such as a new baby, moving into a new place where there is an existing dog or new person in the dog’s life.)
When Dangerous Situations with Aggressive Dogs Require Immediate Help.
In some cases, the situation is just too urgent. In that case, aggression needs to be handled in the dog’s environment ASAP for the safety of other dogs or members of your family. The Full-Service Training Program is a process that can sometimes take a minimum of 6-8 weeks before your dog can begin their training date. Even the initial meet/greet sometimes can take up to 2 weeks to get scheduled. We wish that we could take everyone on sooner, but we only accept a small number of dogs at a time to ensure that the quality of the training is there.
Unrealistic Expectations of the Breed of Dog.
Obedience training comes secondary to being a responsible pet owner and genuinely understanding the breed of your dog. Training obedience creates a common language to communicate to your dog what behaviors you like and what behaviors you want them to change, but it will not make your dog into something they are not. Obedience is not magic. Genetics plays a huge role in realistic expectations of your dog. I believe that both people/dog aggressive dogs can be obedient and managed according to their environment. Not all dogs can live with other dogs or can safely interact with strangers.
Accepting your dog for who they are genetically will set them up for success in your training goals. A significant portion of this type of training comes from training your dog and building the right management skills, not sending the dog away with the expectation of a “new dog” coming home. The only “new” thing that returns after the Full-Service Training is realistic expectations of how you should handle your dog in different scenarios and a much happier dog that can relax knowing their owner finally understands who they are genetically.
