Last week I was contacted by a woman who lived well out my travel zone and regrettably I was not able to physically help her. She had two rescue dogs, and both were experiencing escalating aggression issues towards people.

First-I strongly suggested that she contact her Vet and have a complete work up done to include a complete Thyroid panel. Often times aggression is caused by a physical cause. Escalating or sudden aggression can be caused by pain and discomfort, low Thyroid, loss of hearing, arthritis, or the onset of Lyme disease to name a few.

Be sure to rule out any physical cause before taking the next step.

Second-I suggested she ask her Vet for the name of a trainer near her, or consult the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and search the trainer list for a trainer in her area. For less than the price she would have had to pay me after I factored in travel time, I suggested she take one of the dogs to either Tufts in Grafton Ma, or the Angell Memorial in Boston to see a board certified behaviorist.

Third-I sent her the link to the AGBEH group on Yahoo.

AGBEH-or aggressive behavior is made up of about 2,000 pet owners and 330 trainers from around the world (including yours truly). Owners write in describing their dog's aggressive displays and trainers write back with step by step positive reinforcement suggestions. AGBEH is run by veteran behavior counselor Barbara Brill from New York, like an on line classroom. She runs a tight ship and her group is strictly moderated. Barbara is a former educator, and her posts are always thoughtful, and informative and as list owner she is responsible for keeping the integrity of the group at the highest standard. I am a better trainer for having been a member of AGBEH these past four years.

If you join-take a few days and read other people’s posts to get a feel for the group. Adhere to the groups strict guidelines or your posts will not go through. Try doing a search with the key words for your dog problems, chances are we have covered it before.
The files section is not to be missed and it is filled with suggestions from trainers, well written articles, saved posts of note, and a wonderful suggested reading and video list.

Fourth-Please be aware that YOUR dog's aggression can NEVER be passed on, either to a new home or rescue organization, and especially not to a shelter. Dogs with aggression issues are like time bombs in shelters. If YOU are having a problem, YOU have the best chance of solving it. Shelters are very stressful places for dogs, and the chance the problem you are seeing at home will magnify in another home is very real. There is almost never “the magic home” to come along and take YOUR problem dog. Trainers as a general rule do not go out looking for project dogs with the potential to harm.

Keep in mind that the stress of re homing a dog will often magnify your dogs problem, and if you do choose to re home, it is your moral obligation to be completely honest. Sometimes euthanasia is the most humane option. I do believe that most behavior problems can be solved, but you must ask yourself at what cost.

Fifth-Sometimes I recommend that people living with aggressive dogs board them for at least a week so they can see what a "normal" life is like when they are not always worrying that their dog will inflict harm. Trainers have a saying that management always fails. If you have an aggressive dog that has hurt a person or another animal and you think that putting him the basement is the answer, think again. It is Murphy's law that the dog will get out. You need management and training.
note-be sure to tell the kennel your issues when booking.

Last but not least-Always tell the truth. Glossing over incidents will not help you or your dog.

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