At our dog training boot camp we deal with a lot of dog aggression.  While every dog is different there are various training formulas that we use due to the great amount of success we have been able to duplicate time and time again.

Our Aggression Formula, for example, dictates that we:

1. Obtain a high level of obedience
2. Apply that obedience to the dog’s ‘aggressive triggers’
3. Correct the aggression properly when it occurs.

There is another formula that we’ll often use.  This formula is for understanding WHY your dog is being disobedient.  There really are only three reasons why a dog ‘disobeys’ or ‘doesn’t listen’ or simply isn’t doing what we want:

1. Focus problems
2. Communication problems
3. Relationship problems

The majority of the aggression we see is heavily rooted in a problem with focus.  Although a lot of dog owners talk about ‘dominance’ and ‘being the boss’ as the reason why their dog is acting aggressively.  While relationship problems can cause or worsen an aggression problem we find that, more often than not, the main controlling factor with an aggressive dog is a focus problem.

In other words, the dog is so focused on an object that causes stress.  The dog isn’t familiar enough with self-control to where they can channel that stress.  Instead the stress tends to snowball until highly aggressive behavior occurs.  If we take a dog like that and teach them the skill set of how to focus on things that are productive rather than destructive then we have a lot of success with aggression.

This step, of course, reverts us back to the Aggression Formula which dictates that we get a high level of obedience control.  Note, most of our clients come to us with basic obedience.  OBEDIENCE isn’t the problem.  The problem is getting the obedience to a level that most dog owners simply can’t do on their own.  Once we’ve achieved a much higher level of obedience training we see a clarity of mind and a happy respect towards the owner.

This level of obedience isn’t intuitive.  If you haven’t done it in the past it’s not likely something you’d figure out on your own.  And, frankly, that’s why we have jobs.

In the video below I want to give you a brief intro into the mindset and obedience and focus work we start with for a dog who has proven to be highly reactive.

In this short video on his first day of training we can already start to see him become much more focused on the handler and much less focused on the other dogs.

At our dog training boot camp we deal with a lot of dog aggression. While every dog is different there are various training formulas that we use due to the great amount of success we have been able to duplicate time and time again.

Our Aggression Formula, for example, dictates that we:

1. Obtain a high level of obedience
2. Apply that obedience to the dog’s ‘aggressive triggers’
3. Correct the aggression properly when it occurs.

There is another formula that we’ll often use. This formula is for understanding WHY your dog is being disobedient. There really are only three reasons why a dog ‘disobeys’ or ‘doesn’t listen’ or simply isn’t doing what we want:

1. Focus problems
2. Communication problems
3. Relationship problems

The majority of the aggression we see is heavily rooted in a problem with focus. Although a lot of dog owners talk about ‘dominance’ and ‘being the boss’ as the reason why their dog is acting aggressively. While relationship problems can cause or worsen an aggression problem we find that, more often than not, the main controlling factor with an aggressive dog is a focus problem.

In other words, the dog is so focused on an object that causes stress. The dog isn’t familiar enough with self-control to where they can channel that stress. Instead the stress tends to snowball until highly aggressive behavior occurs. If we take a dog like that and teach them the skill set of how to focus on things that are productive rather than destructive then we have a lot of success with aggression.

This step, of course, reverts us back to the Aggression Formula which dictates that we get a high level of obedience control. Note, most of our clients come to us with basic obedience. OBEDIENCE isn’t the problem. The problem is getting the obedience to a level that most dog owners simply can’t do on their own. Once we’ve achieved a much higher level of obedience training we see a clarity of mind and a happy respect towards the owner.

This level of obedience isn’t intuitive. If you haven’t done it in the past it’s not likely something you’d figure out on your own. And, frankly, that’s why we have jobs.

In the video below I want to give you a brief intro into the mindset and obedience and focus work we start with for a dog who has proven to be highly reactive.

In this short video on his first day of training we can already start to see him become much more focused on the handler and much less focused on the other dogs.

At our dog training boot camp we deal with a lot of dog aggression. While every dog is different there are various training formulas that we use due to the great amount of success we have been able to duplicate time and time again.

Our Aggression Formula, for example, dictates that we:

1. Obtain a high level of obedience
2. Apply that obedience to the dog’s ‘aggressive triggers’
3. Correct the aggression properly when it occurs.

There is another formula that we’ll often use. This formula is for understanding WHY your dog is being disobedient. There really are only three reasons why a dog ‘disobeys’ or ‘doesn’t listen’ or simply isn’t doing what we want:

1. Focus problems
2. Communication problems
3. Relationship problems

The majority of the aggression we see is heavily rooted in a problem with focus. Although a lot of dog owners talk about ‘dominance’ and ‘being the boss’ as the reason why their dog is acting aggressively. While relationship problems can cause or worsen an aggression problem we find that, more often than not, the main controlling factor with an aggressive dog is a focus problem.

In other words, the dog is so focused on an object that causes stress. The dog isn’t familiar enough with self-control to where they can channel that stress. Instead the stress tends to snowball until highly aggressive behavior occurs. If we take a dog like that and teach them the skill set of how to focus on things that are productive rather than destructive then we have a lot of success with aggression.

This step, of course, reverts us back to the Aggression Formula which dictates that we get a high level of obedience control. Note, most of our clients come to us with basic obedience. OBEDIENCE isn’t the problem. The problem is getting the obedience to a level that most dog owners simply can’t do on their own. Once we’ve achieved a much higher level of obedience training we see a clarity of mind and a happy respect towards the owner.

This level of obedience isn’t intuitive. If you haven’t done it in the past it’s not likely something you’d figure out on your own. And, frankly, that’s why we have jobs.

In the video below I want to give you a brief intro into the mindset and obedience and focus work we start with for a dog who has proven to be highly reactive.

In this short video on his first day of training we can already start to see him become much more focused on the handler and much less focused on the other dogs.