Dog Aggression Training in Northern Virginia | Aggression Training
The most common reason dog owners seek professional help for their pups is aggression. Aggression refers to any harmful, hostile, and destructive behavior a dog has towards another animal or a human being. An aggressive dog might bark excessively, lunge, growl, bare its teeth and even bite. It’s crucial to figure out the cause of aggression in your dog to deal with the issue before it gets out of hand. A quick search on “dog aggression, Northern Virginia” will get many results. But, not every trainer has what it takes to modify the behavior of an aggressive dog. It takes a person specializing in dog aggression to work successfully with an aggressive dog.
What Causes Aggression in Dogs?
Dog aggression can get out of hand without even realizing it, leading to injuries to people and other dogs. Identifying the cause of the aggression is the first step toward getting help for your dog. So, what causes aggression in dogs?
Dominance
Show of dominance is among the top reasons why some dogs are aggressive. This display of dominance is usually towards other dogs, but it can also happen with people. Usually, the circumstance determines what behavior your dog displays because dominance is a behavior rather than a personality trait. Depending on the circumstances, a dog can either be dominant or submissive.
Injury or Illness
Sometimes a dog can display aggressive behavior due to a medical condition. If your dog is generally not aggressive and suddenly starts snapping, growling, or biting, it could be due to an illness, disease, or injury. Pain is a common cause of dog aggression since it causes stress and discomfort.
Fear
A fearful dog will most likely exhibit aggressive behavior at some point. Fear comes up when a dog senses that it could be in danger and cannot escape or feel a need to defend itself. A rescue dog can display fearful or aggressive behavior, for instance, if they were neglected, abused, or went through a traumatic event. A dog may also become afraid if you don’t appropriately socialize them during the puppy stage. When we deal with dog aggression training in Northern Virginia, we do a lot of confidence building to help with these issues!
Frustration
Aggression due to frustration is referred to as barrier or redirected aggression. It occurs when a dog can’t get to something, so the dog takes out their frustration in another way; in this case, it displays aggressive behavior. This kind of aggression is common in dogs that spend a lot of time retrained or tied up.
Possessive Aggression
A dog will get aggressive when being possessive of something they deem valuable, like food or toys. Such a dog will growl, snap its teeth and sometimes bite if you get too close to its food bowl or try to take away its toys.
Here is a great example of a Wolf-Dog named “Moose,” who recently went through our dog aggression training in Northern Virginia:
Can My Aggressive Dog Be Fixed?
The good news is that aggression in dogs can generally be fixed to at least better managed. The sooner you do, the better. Nobody likes an aggressive dog or being around one, and it will certainly make things easier for you when interacting with other dog owners if you have a well-behaved and calm dog. One of the best in dog aggression training in Northern Virginia is Off Leash K9 Training. At Off Leash K9 Training, Nova, we work with dogs that display aggressive behavior like people aggression, dog aggression, food aggression, and many more.
Rehabilitation can be complicated, even for a dog. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to rehabilitate your aggressive dog. To find out if your dog can shed off aggressive behavior, try an aggressive training course and see how that works for your dog.
Our dog aggression training course in Northern Virginia is an 8-week training program for dogs with aggressive issues or reactivity issues when around other dogs. The program includes our basic obedience training package and other additional lessons geared towards working with you and your dogs in different scenarios. The program’s goal is to give you and your dog the right kind of training that puts you back in control.
How Does Our Dog Aggression Training in Northern Virginia Work?
When working with aggressive dogs, we do it in two stages. They include training and behavior modification, which are only possible under the strict guidance of a professional canine behavior specialist. A canine behavior specialist is a dog trainer specializing in modifying behaviors exhibited most of the time by aggressive dogs. That’s why your next-door, big-name pet store trainer is not the ideal person to change aggressive behavior in your dog.
Once we rule out illness, injury, or disease, the training can begin because sometimes, your dog might only be displaying aggressive behavior because they are in pain. The training part will require a lot of dedication from the trainer and you as the dog owner. The second part is behavior modification which varies from one dog to another. We do it in various steps, including increased exercise for the dog. One of the most common causes of aggression in dogs is that the dog was not properly socialized at an earlier age or they had a negative encounter with another animal (such as getting bit by a dog at a dog park).
We also try behavior modification by teaching or re-teaching the dog about their status in the family. We do this through various training methods, including obedience training, door manners, structure constituency, and only feeding the dog when the family has eaten. A majority of dogs that come through our doors are aggressive not because they want to but because they have already cemented the role of the alpha in the family because the owners didn’t adequately train them. Retraining them helps show them that their status in the family falls beneath that of the alpha, which in this case is the owner.
The canine behavior specialists at Off Leash K9 Training will work one on one with your dog to remodel their behavior. This process can take weeks, or even months, depending on how far along the dog is in its aggression. The most important thing is that you’re committed to the whole process and don’t give up on your dog even when changes seem inevitable. Some dogs can never be “fixed;” however, almost all can be better managed.
Our dog trainers specialize in dog behavior consultations and private lessons through training techniques that work regardless of the dog’s size, breed, or age. Do you have a dog that has started displaying aggressive behavior towards other dogs or people? Book a consultation today with Off Leash K9 Training. We specialize in dog aggression training in Northern Virginia and the greater United States. Our company includes trainers and handlers with experience ranging from different military branches to veterinarian technicians and shelter volunteers.
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