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Dog Training Brainstorm- How To Solve Aggression Issues

As dog trainers we often like to get together to talk and remind each other how smart we are. I had the privilege recently to get together with Glenn Sherrill of Train Play Live and some of his clients to talk about dog training issues.

Glen has been running a successful dog training company in North Carolina but we often find it helpful to talk about dog training issues just to see if there are other perspectives that may be helpful.

In this first call we are talking with the owners of a Rottweiler. The dog is quite dominant and displays that personality through growling and other dominance related behaviors. The dog has also upset the balance with the other dogs in the family and it has led to fights and other problems.

Listen below to this short call and see if there are training key points that you can take from the call that can help you with your own dog.

Dog Training- Listen To The Call

Press play below to listen in:

Dog Training- Keys To Solving The Problem

When dealing with any aggression issue there are key points that must be considered that apply here:

• We must correct the aggression but we want to do it in a way that doesn’t escalate the aggression. Correcting the dog while getting him to move, instead of challenging the owner, can be helpful. The movement will change his frame of mind and allow him to accept and learn from the correction.
• Obedience is key. I preach this to all of my clients regardless of the dog training problem they are experiencing. If you have great obedience training that means that you have a dog who is calmer, more respectful, and sees you in a leadership role.
• Remember with dog aggression that you can’t just treat the symptoms. I often compare aggression to a disease where you have a root cause that allows symptoms to manifest themselves. The symptoms are the growling, the fighting, and the other dominant behavior. The root cause, though, is a lack of a proper relationship, a lack of structure, a lack of understanding of what should be the rules. From those ‘lacks’ we see aggression develop.
• Give this dog ‘checks and balances’. That means that he should be ‘working’ throughout the day. He should be waiting at doors, staying off furniture, sitting before eating, heeling properly on leash, coming when called every time, etc. These are frequent and constant reminders of the expectations he has.