I worked with a 1 year old female German Shepherd years ago, 6 different trainers and zero results. One “trainer” donned hockey gear and pushed the dog to the point that she bit him. He recommended euthanasia due to “aggression”. Is this fair? Not at all – the dog bit out of fear and unsurety, the bite was a correction.
Dogs read us like a book, you cannot lie to a dog. Dogs don’t speak english, they are all about energy, emotion and body language – and if all they get is fear and frustration from the owner? Think about that. You’re now on a merry go round, and you’re not getting off.
People that own reactive or aggressive dogs don’t trust their dog, they don’t believe it to be capable. Unfortunately, nobody has ever shown the dog to be capable, and if you never see your dog capable? This is the reason why many trainers tell you to control and manage the behaviours – they are treating the dog as a liabiltiy instead of an asset. More concerned about their own insurance than the dog in front of them. Once you start controlling and managing, there is a good chance it’s going to destroy your life. I’ve worked with owners that have isolated themselves from friends and family for the sake of their dog – and that’s not fair.
Aggression and reactivity are NOT a diagnosis. What is causing the aggression or reactivity – that’s a diagnosis, that’s what needs to be understood. A 5 year old can look at a dog raging at the end of a leash and declare it aggressive – that doesn’t say much about trainers ability to diagnose a dog. There is a reason the dog is showing aggression and showing aggression doesn’t make for an aggressive dog. Owners need to understand that – trainers too.
Lets say your dog is fearful, reactive – and it bit someone. One needs to step back and analyze the reason for the bite. Usually, it’s the human that disrespected the dog – they moved forward on a dog that is scared, and put the dog into a position where it felt the need to “correct” the human. Correction is not necessarily aggression, this is why it is so important to have a proper diagnosis.
Unfortunately, many trainers declare a bite a bite – put the dog down, give it the pink juice, but that is not fair. First of all – that’s not a trainers job to recommend euthanasia. Secondly, many trainers are scared of dogs – and instead of backing down and admitting they are in the wrong end of the pool, they scare the owners or they suggest euthanasia. That’s a sad reality today.
Owners with reactive dogs don’t trust the dog, period. If you don’t have trust for your dog, then you can’t respect it and confidence cannot exist in that relationship. Reactive dogs don’t trust anything or anyone – including the owner. It’s a toxic relationship – and it’s the relationship that needs to be repaired – not trained. Think about a human relationship. If a husband believes his wife is having an affair for example – then trust is broken. He’s not going to respect her – he’ll be checking her facebook and phone, emails and such and he might even follow her around. Lets take it a step further – and the spouse didn’t have an affair? How is she going to feel? Angry? Aggressive? Fearful? It’s the same as your dog. You’re not going to train your way out of that with treats and clickers or prongs and e-collars.
True aggression is rare in the dog world, these are the dogs that for whatever reason are going for blood. There is always a reason for it. This is likely not your dog.
Robert Hynes Dog Training – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
email: robert@roberthynesdogtraining.com
Phone: 780-863-9547
https://roberthynesdogtraining.com