Aggression is a constant companion when you work with dogs like I do. Every week I get a new client with aggression problems.
Doing this as long as I have, I’ve developed cat like reflexes and for the most part, avoid getting bit.
And then yesterday I got attacked. It was a beautiful day and I had a few hours in between clients so being the good dad, I packed up the kids and brought them to the beach.
We got to the beach and I waded into the water with little Scarlett. In three feet of water I stepped down and immediately felt it. I felt a blue crab attack my foot. The little creep grabbed on and I jumped like a scared schoolboy.
Aggression is common in dogs and it is often a difficult problem to work with. The blue crab immediately reminded me that aggression is a normal behavior for any animal. It is rooted in survival and you’ll often see dogs become aggressive on leash.
The reason is survival. Dogs respond to fight and flight. Once a dog is on leash, the flee option is no longer available. Your only option is to fight. Since your dog can’t run away, they must put on a big show and act as tough as they can.
They see the other dog as a threat. Even if the threat isn’t real, in their minds it is and they need to survive. So the big guns come out. They bark, growl, snarl and snap. Not your fastest way to become a Canine Good Citizen.
If you have a dog like this you can get help. It’s closer than you think.
I do training to help with the problem. I am starting classes in Dartmouth and Acushnet and I can show you how to bring your dog under control on leash around other dogs. The best part is once your dog is no longer freaking out on leash, the levels of stress will go down dramatically.
You’ll be happy.
Your dog will be happy.
And your dog can become a Canine Good Citizen, a good goal for every dog owner, wouldn’t you agree?
Here is the schedule of upcoming classes. Please pass along to any of your friends with dogs that are looking for training. Thank you!
Best,
Eric Letendre
Hi — just saw first email from you in a long time. I was eager to see the video’s as my dog is very sweet around people and dogs inside a fence – but barks like crazy at dogs who walk by on other side of fence or when he is in the car. The three videos I saw showed the dogs behaving nicely — but I had hoped to get advice on how to accomplish this. Did I miss something?
For what it is worth — the dog dna test says he is half beagle and half am Stratfordshire terrier. He comes to the office with me and still takes a minute to settle down with each new patient. He makes a liar out of me when I have seen a trainer (i.e., the dog asks the trainer if he or she would like coffee, etc, and does anything the trainer asks! The trainer looks at me like I am crazy.