Got a problem with aggression, biting or growling with your dog?

I am starting to hear about a few dogs that are showing signs of aggression towards other dogs or people. That is a shame, but hardly surprising considering the situations we have found ourselves in recently. What is clear is that many of us have different versions of aggression – for some it is a dog jumping all over another one after haven run across the park to “beat another dog up” whilst others, it is the dog lunging and pulling to get off the lead to go where they want to go and not do as their told.

What I am sure about is that whenever your dog is misbehaving, it is hard work. Frustrating, especially if you have been working hard to get it right, but even worse if it appears to come out of the blue? (In my experience it hasn’t) Suddenly your perfect family pet, is becoming a menace and you can’t take them anywhere. Want to know why? Probably because they have reached their adolescence and are pushing against your rules.

Guess what, all the training you have done up to now is boring – that is if you have kept it up? Did you? Or did you slacken off when your pup began to fit into your lifestyle? All those rules you set when you first brought your puppy/dog home have slipped and your dog now knows what buttons to push to get what they want. Another thing to consider is that you may have had your dog for over 6 months and so your dog is settled, and their real characters are coming out. The street dog that you brought home, now comfortable and beginning to flex their muscles and take over? The puppy is now grabbing all those remote controls, phones or glasses off the coffee table and running off with them? When you go to grab them, you see the lip curl and a low growl? Maybe they are jumping up onto the furniture and won’t get off when you tell them? What to do?

Although it will seem strange, now is the time to resume the training. Learn something new to do with your dog and rebuild the bonds. Check out my five-steps-to-success and start getting your young dog to listen. Maybe consider joining our training groups – group therapy sessions start again in December, our youth club on Saturday mornings for the teenage tearaways or maybe consider some private lessons, where we can work together with your dog and my teaching dog.

So, whether it is your dog disagreeing with you indoors, or jumping all over another dog outside on a walk, do get help and support you deserve and work together to improve your relationship. The good thing is that your teenage dog won’t be like that for long but if you leave things, they will get worse. And now we can meet again in our small groups, you may as well come and learn how to help your dog with others who are also going through the same things. Its good to share and the dogs benefit too so let’s enjoy the journey together.

Contact me to arrange some extra help or check out the dog training page on my website.