Canine Disarming: What The.... Heck??

So I'm sure you're envisioning a program where we give dog biscuits to dogs in exchange for their AK-47s and the like. Well, that's not the case here. Canine disarming is about cutting down the canine teeth of a biting dog so he can't do (as much) damage. Now, you may think this is a great solution! The dog is not as much of a liability, which is always a concern when someone owns a dog that bites. However, it makes the owner more...

Read More
When Rough Dog Play Goes Bad

At 9 weeks old, Ricky, a Shiloh Shepherd, came to live with two older German Shepherds. The oldest being a 12 year old male, the other a 6 year old female, both altered. When Ricky arrived, Fred, the male was very clear that there would be no playing between them. However, the female, Lucy, was not so clear. She was so happy to have a puppy to play with that she let Ricky wrestle & grab her all he wanted. The owner didn't see the wrestling as a problem and continued allowing the playing/wrestling because the breeder said that is what they do, all her dogs do it. Forward 9 months...

Read More
Classical Conditioning and Its Use With Dog Aggression

As a dog trainer I deal with many behavior problems. Aggression is one of the most common reasons I get called to someone's home, whether it is aggression directed towards a person or another animal (usually other dogs). In my 25+ years’ experience as a dog trainer I have found that aggression is usually caused by one or more of a few things:

1) under-socialization/fear
2) a traumatic experience when the dog had little to no "padding" of good experiences
3) mishandling of the situation by the owner
4) genetics

 

Read More