An anxious dog is a stressed dog. Fearful dogs can be unpredictable. And Frustrated dogs can become aggressive towards humans or other dogs.
The truth about aggressive behaviors and changing them…
…is that there is no “quick fix”. Resolving these types of behaviors requires management, commitment and patience. We are here to guide you through the process.
Types of behavior issues we routinely work with:
Stranger Danger
This dog is afraid of new or different people. They may bark at people who walk a certain way, wear hats, or dogs of a certain color. They will often display barking, growling, lip licking and whale eye. They can be very intimidating and might bite if they are startled or someone gets in their space.
Resource Guarding
This dog guards’ objects, toys, places and/or people from other dogs, animals and humans. They can even guard space. They often freeze over the desired object and may growl, snarl, snap and bite. They can be very scary and can make their owners afraid to walk by certain areas or objects and can make it difficult to feed them.
Reactive
This dog loses it on leash and behind barriers when he sees another dog, animal, person or moving object. He often displays uncontrollable barking, lunging, jumping, growling and spinning. Terrifying on leash or behind a barrier, these dogs are often friendly and happy with their ‘trigger’ if they have no restriction to meet and greet. They can be embarrassing, threatening or scary.
Shy and Fearful
This dog if afraid of people, places or objects. Sometimes just being outside is terrifying and overwhelming for them. They often freeze, tuck their tails and ears, struggle to get away, flee, hide, cower and display whale eye. Sometimes they visibly tremble and urinate submissively. They might bite if they feel as though they are cornered or if someone reaches to pet them.
Separation Anxiety
This dog can be destructive and vocal when left alone. Barking, whining, howling, destructive behavior, house soiling, drooling, pacing, and self-mutilation can all be symptoms of this dog’s anxiety when left alone for even short periods of time.
Husbandry Issues
This dog displays anxiety and fear at the vet or groomers. They often have issues with being handled, brushed, and examined by a vet. They can bite, tremble, become vocal and display other signs of anxiety. They often need to be muzzled or sedated.
Dog to Dog Aggression
This dog shows aggressive behaviors towards other dogs. It can be driven by need, fear and pain. They may be bred to have high prey drives and chase and attack smaller animals including dogs. They may be guarding resources, including space, food and toys. This dog may target certain “types” of dogs. They may “police” the play area, bully housemates, or be very territorial. Their tactics may become more intimidating and attacks more violent over time.
Dog to Human Aggression
This dog shows aggressive behaviors towards humans. It can be fear, desire or needs driven. They may be in pain or may have learned to mistrust people. They can also have genetic components that help drive this behavior. This dog can growl, bark, lunge, charge, air snap, and bite. They can often seem unprovoked and “Bite out of the blue”. This dog can be frightening and is usually highly managed and has a huge emotional impact on their guardian’s life.
We can help your dog learn new ways to handle anxiety, fear and reactivity. While Issues such as resource guarding, leash reactivity and inter household fighting can be frustrating and even scary, we can help teach you how to manage, modify and diminish behaviors by providing you with a strategically written behavior modification plan. Step by step we will guide and teach you how to work with your dog to create and then maintain new behaviors.