Contrary to popular belief, many dogs end up in shelters and rescue groups, not because of abuse or becoming lost, but rather because of intolerable and or dangerous behaviors.
Due to the complex nature of behavioral problems, owners of challenged dogs need to understand that behavior modification is not a quick fix.
Dogs choose behaviors because the behaviors 'work' for the dog.
What makes the behavior work for the dog is a paired association of the dog's emotional state linked to the behavior and it's consequence. The brain drives the body ! - if we want the dog to behave differently, we must change the dog's mental association with the event.
Behavioral problems especially for aggression or predatory issues will involve consistent management on the part of the owner 24/7 365 for the remainder of the dog's life.
I offer two different programs for beleaguered owners of troubled dogs:
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Behavior Modification for Everyday Problems
This program addresses a varied selection of common behavioral issues owners face.
Some common behavioral problems develop because a dog is mentally under-stimulated. Addressing these problems involves providing mental and physical enrichment for the dog, enhancing the relationship between owner and dog as well as providing effective management so the dog does not have the opportunity to practice the 'problem' behavior.
Have you adopted a dog and discovered that he or she is not housetrained? Where to start? Housetraining can be accomplished in most cases, even with older dogs. It does however require very good management on the part of owners to help the dog succeed and learn the concept.
sample behavioral problems
* housetraining * barking * chewing * digging
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Choosing a Better Way behavioral training for dogs
The Choosing a Better Way is an indepth behavioral modification program for complex behavioral problems including fear aggression, separation anxiety ,severe phobias and predatory behavior.
The primary goal of this training program is to change the dog's behavior from within the dog.
Effectively changing your dog’s behavior will often involve two principle aspects:
* changing the mental association, then,
*training new replacement behaviors.
Through a series of private sessions, we work together as a team to help change your dog's attitude towards trigger events.
In addition you will learn how to provide effective management and become a pro-active advocate for your dog.
Creating and maintaining an effective management plan is very important – the goal of the program is to create a more tolerant, relaxed dog in the presence of the trigger event. Outside of structured sessions, owners need to be proactive so as not to place their dog in situations which trigger reactive behaviors.
sample behavioral problems
* fear aggression towards dogs * resource guarding *
* separation anxiety * thunderstorm and noise phobia *
* predatory aggression * inter-household canine rivalry
* dog-cat companion animal relationships
please contact me for more information on how I can help you and your dog live a better life
