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Dog Aggression Training in Perth

Dog aggression is a common behaviour experienced by owners. It’s often wildly misunderstood, which can mean poor solutions. A common misconception is the idea that aggression should be met with aggression. Which in turn, makes the problem much worse.

Instead, it’s important to effectively get to the root cause of the issue.

Trust in our Dog aggression trainers at Perth K9 Coach. Our training has helped save aggressive Dogs considered too difficult to train.

Our Dog aggression trainer comes to your home and provides training for you and your Dog in a safe, familiar and private one-on-one environment. Please note, we don’t need to meet at your home if you’re not comfortable with this arrangement, and we can suggest something else, like meeting at a Dog park or at our facilities.

We’ll help you control aggressive behaviours like:

  • Growling
  • Snarling
  • Excessive barking and/or chewing
  • Lunging
  • Biting
  • Body blocking
  • Mounting
  • Antisocial behaviour with other Dogs or animals

 

Aggressive Dog training in Perth: targeted to your Dog

Dog aggression is a problem that should be dealt with as soon as possible. You can do this by identifying the early warning signs, for e.g. growling, snarling, baring teeth, or a hard stare. Although some of these behaviours can be normal and nothing to worry about, it’s important to pay attention when you are witnessing excessive aggression.

When it comes to this behaviour, the severity and how aggression is triggered varies. Which is why our team doesn’t believe in a one size fits all approach. It can be out of dominance, fear, anxiety or frustration. Which is why, the first step to management is observing your Dog’s behaviour and getting to understand the root of the problem. Our Dog aggression trainers take the time to understand your Dog in their natural state; once complete, we’ll create a personalised program, tailored to the root of your Dog’s aggression, their breed and other behavioural issues they present.

Our Dog aggression trainers have experience working with:

  • Large Dogs
  • Working Dogs
  • High drive/energy Dogs
  • A wide range of Dog breeds
Dog Aggression Training in Perth

What to expect

Dog Aggression Trainer Perth

We use a “one on one” approach to a Dog training session. We focus individually to provide effective results. We choose this approach over group training, as this limits us to a more general approach that can make Dogs feel overwhelmed or become distracted. It can also make it harder to manage aggressive behavioural issues or create bad experiences for Dogs.

We begin with a thorough consultation, where we observe your Dog’s behaviour. Which in turn, allows us to identify the root trigger. This is a crucial part of our process. We then organise a theory around why your Dog has this issue and create a personalised training plan.

Balanced trainers for Dog aggression

We believe in positive and negative reinforcement behaviour training. This is so important, because we’ve watched many Dogs deteriorate in their training when they visit a positive-reinforcement trainer, which is sadly a popular trend today.

With a positive and negative reinforcement training regiment, Dogs are able to learn both what is desired behaviour and what behaviours they should not do.

We identify competing motivators

Our Dog coaches work with ‘competing motivators’ to influence aggressive Dog behaviour.

Every Dog has a motivator behind their actions. If there is something more exciting or demanding in focus than listening to you, then we call this situation a competing motivator. So the stronger motivator will always override the weaker motivator. In order to influence Dog behaviour in a positive way, it’s important to understand what is motivating them to misbehave and no longer letting them be rewarded for the behaviour.

Example:

For a fearful aggressive Dog, their main motivator is to create distance. If their aggressive behaviour no longer allows them to create distance, the fearful Dog no longer has a motive to behave aggressively.

Some common types of Dog aggression

When a Dog tries to be the boss over other Dogs or people, it's showing dominance aggression. This can happen if they're not sure about their place in the "pack" or think they need to be the leader. This can make living with the Dog risky and damage the relationship between the Dog and its owners.

Clear rules and showing you're in charge in a kind way are key. Training that builds on respect and working together, without punishment, can lessen this kind of aggression, making for a calmer home.

Redirected aggression happens when a Dog can't get to what's making it mad or excited and turns on someone or something else instead. This can be dangerous because it's hard to predict, and it can put people and other pets in harm's way.

Stopping this starts with keeping the Dog from getting too worked up. Spotting the early signs that they're getting upset and finding ways to calm them or change their focus can help. Getting advice from a professional behaviourist like Perth K9 Coach can make a big difference. Training to help the Dog control its impulses and calm down, along with changing the environment to lower stress triggers, can really help reduce these outbursts.

Dogs that get snappy over their stuff, like food or toys, are showing resource guarding. This comes from an old instinct to protect what's theirs but can lead to trouble, especially around kids who don't know the warning signs.

Teaching the Dog that people around their things means good things can change this behaviour. Training that involves swapping what they have for something even better can show them there's no need to guard. Being patient and consistent with these methods can make things better, making everyone more relaxed and trusting around each other.

Dogs show territorial behaviour because it's in their nature, coming from their wild ancestors who had to guard their food, shelter, and mates. In our homes, this instinct can mean aggressive actions like barking, lunging, or biting when people or animals get too close to their space. This excessive guarding stems from not enough socialising, traits from guard Dog breeds, or owners accidentally encouraging this aggressive stance.

Territorial aggression can turn having guests over or walking the Dog into a stressful event. It might lead to the Dog and owner being cut off from others, legal troubles, or in extreme cases, having to give up or put down the Dog. The unpredictability of this aggression poses a real danger to others and can strain relationships with neighbours and friends. Handling territorial behaviour in Dogs needs a plan that respects their natural instincts while teaching them clear limits.

It’s important to note that our services are designed to correct aggression not completely extinguish it. Aggression is an innate behaviour, which means it cannot ever be completely “fixed.”

Aggression behaviours may still continue to be triggered by survival instincts, however with our training, your Dog should be able to understand that they are safe, have healthy interactions with other people and animals, and have confidence, to not be triggered to act in these troubling aggressive behaviours.

DOG TRAINING
PUPPY TRAINING
Specialising in
Aggressive Dogs