|
 We offer Statewide in home service. Your in-home consultation will
include evaluation of your dog's unwanted behaviors and in-depth advice on how
to modify them. We will also help you
learn how to manage your pet so that problem behaviors don't have a chance to
occur. We specialize in working with dog
aggression and fear problems, as well as a wide variety of other canine behavior
issues. If you have attended a dog training class in the past without results,
please don't give up. Training classes are designed to teach obedience exercises
such as "come" and "heel." While training classes can be very useful, they
cannot effectively address severe dog behavior problems. Complete our
online registration form prior to your scheduled
behavioral assessment.
-
Guarding of food or prized objects
-
Excessive barking
-
Aggression
-
Jumping on people
-
Destructive chewing & Digging
-
Separation anxiety
-
Coprophagia (stool eating)
-
Submissive urination
-
Fear related problems
-
Dominance issues
-
Or any other unwanted behavior
|
Behavioral problems often cause an owner to
feel they must give up their pet. Problems can range from submissive urination
to dangerous aggression, from destructiveness to disobedience, from too active
and playful to ignoring you completely. Identifying exactly what is the cause of
the problem is sometimes half the battle. For instance, destructiveness is
usually caused by boredom.
Rule #1: A tired dog is usually a good dog,
make sure your dog gets enough exercise.
Getting your dog neutered will affect all
behaviors stemming from the sex drive, almost always for the better. This
includes some dominance aggression and inappropriate marking (lifting his leg).
If the dog is an older dog, and the behaviors have become habitual, the effect
of neutering might not be as strong. It will also take longer for the effects to
be seen in an older dog, sometimes many weeks. But, unless your dog is a choice
breeding specimen (and he probably isn't or else you wouldn't be considering
finding him a new home), please get your dog neutered. It will prolong his life
too.
One of the first things you must do is to have
your pet checked out by your vet. Be frank with your vet about the behavior
problems, they can stem from pain, a breed tendency, or even hormone levels that
are off. Give your pet the benefit of the doubt that the problem can stem from a
physical cause, for instance many a urinary infection has caused housebreaking
problems, especially if the animal was housebroken before. In the meantime, do
work on trying to correct the problem behaviorally, let them know what is and is
not acceptable behavior.
If your dog is aggressive, and has bitten or
you think he/she might bite, please see a trainer or behaviorist. A behaviorist
is one who specializes in training beyond basic manners. Again, be very frank
with this person. Many, many, most, ALMOST all dogs can be helped with proper
training. The hardest part is actually training the humans.
Some aggressive animals cannot be saved, and it
is often better to euthanize these animals than to pass along the problem and
danger to someone else. Please work up the courage to take him to your vet for
this, so he/she can go out with someone he/she loves, instead of a cold shelter.
|
