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Admitting an Aggression Problem
For most
people, our relationships with our pets
are strong emotional bonds, and behavior
problems can be pretty upsetting to deal
with. Even more difficult is when a
normally sweet, affectionate pet does
something uncharacteristic, like biting
someone, growling or snapping.
One of the things I’ve noticed in over
11 years of dog training is that due to
these emotions, excuses pop up quite
readily. Statements are made to the tune
of, “He only bit that one guy because he
was jogging,” or, “He was afraid that
time, so that’s why he did it.”
I can safely say that if your dog is
properly socialized and not the least
bit aggressive, the chances of having a
one-time “freak” occurrence such as this
would be highly unlikely. However, as a
trainer (and also a parent, neighbor,
friend, etc.), I also know that more
than one “freak” incident is not a
coincidence. It’s a behavior problem.
I’m often amazed at how frequently
people will look the other way and not
do something about their dog having a
problem. I understand that it’s
upsetting. I realize that dog training
costs money and takes time to practice.
But in the scheme of things, it seems
far more costly, both emotionally and
financially, to endure incidents such as
bitten people, police at the door, angry
neighbors and more.
Working with your pet on a behavior
problem now can prevent much aggravation
from occurring in the future. In
addition, stopping the problem before
there are any more incidences could be a
matter of life or death for your dog.
Does this sound overly dramatic? It’s
not. The cold, hard truth is that with
enough reported problems, your dog could
cause you to pay fines, could be taken
from you by authorities and could even
result in euthanasia.
Perhaps you’ve worked with a trainer
before but your dog seems to be still
having a problem. Did you follow the
methods recommended? Did you practice
and make the training a way of life?
Were they educated and experienced?
Has a knowledgeable pet person, such as
your vet, groomer, trainer or rescue
person warned you that a problem was
developing but you didn’t take them
seriously?
If any of these things are the case,
keep in mind that it’s never too late to
work with your dog. Don’t wait for
problems to get worse. As difficult as
it is to admit there’s a problem, it is
far better to take steps and do
something about it now.
Whether you work with your dog on your
own or with a knowledgeable trainer,
taking issues seriously and working on
them immediately will surely help
prevent more problems from occurring in
the future.
Article written by Lori Verni
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