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A Success Story Involving Dog Aggression

The Sewell family was struggling with dog aggression

Angela’s dog, Tara, had dog aggression. Angela called me in distress regarding Tara’s behavior. She was extremely worried about her dog biting people. Tara, her boxer mix had already bitten someone. She didn’t want it to happen again.

Plus she had two kids that both had friends over often. She wanted to keep Tara in her family and feel safe. As a solution, Tara purchased our Calm Dog Program for Aggression.

Tara’s triggers

Most dogs who suffer from dog aggression are friendly in many circumstances. They are triggered at certain times to act aggressively. The rest of the time the dog appears friendly.

For Tara, she got along great with her immediate family. When strangers came into the home it was a different story.

Tara seemed to be more triggered by the following:

  • new people coming into the home
  • men
  • strangers looking directly into her eyes
  • upward hands movements (esp. petting)
  • fast movements such as running or hyper activity

When Tara was triggered she may lunge, growl, bark or bite. However, she may also show much more subtle signs called calming signals.

It is important for you to learn what triggers your dog to act aggressively.

Some dogs may suffer more from fearful behavior. Generally, these dogs are more likely to move away from the person instead of toward. You can read about Gunner, a cattle dog, to learn about fearful dogs.

Involve the entire family

Tara lives with a family of four (Angela, her husband and two kids). If Angela did all of the training herself that wouldn’t work well if Angela wasn’t around. What if her children take Tara into a room alone with their friends? We want everyone to remain safe. Which is why it is important to involve the entire family.

In the past, I also worked with an American Eskimo named Drew who suffered for resource guarding. Drew was possessive with objects and would bite if an object was taken away from him. It was also important for this family to be on the same page as well.

First, teach the family to read subtle signs of when their dog is feeling uncomfortable. Some signs are called calming signals and some are just stress signs that show up right before the dog will bark or growl.

Calming Signals

Calming signals help your dog calm down. If your dog cannot calm down and he/she keeps exhibiting calming signals, your dog will get more stressed. Eventually, your dog will progress to showing stronger signs of stress and may eventually bite.

Here are some calming signals to keep in mind:

  • Turning the head away from the trigger
  • Lip licking
  • Eye blinking
  • Yawning
  • Shaking his body as if he is wet
  • Smelling the ground after seeing a trigger
  • Scratching

I saw Tara lip lick and turn her head away multiple times when she was stressed. Usually this was when I moved my arm or hand upward. As a result, I stopped doing those movements to avoid triggering her further. If I had not, then she may have progressed to biting me.

There are many other calming signals that you can learn about here.

Minor Stress Signs

Tara’s minor stress signs were more noticeable than her calming signals. Some of her signs were the following:

  • ears moving forward
  • body stiffening
  • base of her tail raising or lowering
  • hackles raising near the tail
  • stiffening her neck upward
  • huffing with her mouth
  • tension in her jaw

It was important for the entire family to learn these stress and calming signals. If Tara showed any of these signs it was time to remove her from the stressor or do some training to help her decompress before she progressed to a bite.

Commands that help with dog aggression

We taught Tara quite a few commands that were very helpful in shifting her reactive behavior. When your dog is in a reactive state, your dog is in the limbic system of the brain. When your dog is performing a command they are using the cortex of the brain. It is important to shift from the limbic system to the cortex of the brain to stop reactivity / aggression.

By shifting the dog from their limbic system to their cortex, you can prevent or stop a reaction. You can also train a dog to perform this command instead of reacting.

We taught Tara the following commands:

  • target
  • watch
  • go to her bed
  • leave it
  • name recognition

Target

Target is a great way to redirect your dog from a trigger. Put a treat between two fingers in an open hand. Have your open hand be a few feet away from your dog’s muzzle and at the height of your dog’s muzzle. When your dog touches your hand, c/t (click and treat).

You can move your dog around. This will move your dog from place to place. With Tara we used it to increase the distance from a person when she felt uncomfortable. The owners would ask Tara to “target” away from the person to help her calm down.

Your dog will generally feel calmer the farther he or she is away from the trigger.

Watch

This command usually works by calming down your dog. Those that are bonded with the dog should do this command and not strangers.

Put a treat in your hand and guide your dog’s eyes up to yours. When your dog gives you direct eye contact c/t.

If your dog is stressed take him away from the trigger and practice watch.

Tara did this with her owners to help her calm down especially after she had a barking reaction.

Go to bed or place

This is a command where your dog learns to go to his bed. I recommend that you do calming things on the dog’s bed. This will help reduce dog aggression and your dog will become more relaxed.

Petting and dog massage will help your dog to relax. With Tara we did a technique called Tellington Touch that relaxes the dog. It is type of massage. Tara relaxed very quickly and this helped her acclimate to new people better.

Leave it

It is a good idea to teach your dog to look away from the trigger and back toward you. The command is called leave it.

Tara practiced this with her owners many times especially with distractions.

You can teach leave it by having your dog on leash. Back up slightly and when your dog looks back toward you c/t. Do NOT pull your dog. When backing up, you are only gently guiding your dog to look back toward you.

Name Recognition

This is similar to leave it. We want your dog to turn to you when you say his name. Tara was very good at this one. She learned this one quickly.

You can train it by saying your dog’s name and giving your dog a treat. When your dog gets it he will look at you when you say his name because he associates his name with a treat.

Counter conditioning can lessen dog aggression

It is important that you work with a dog trainer that knows how to use counter conditioning and can help you implement the training plan.

Counter conditioning is one of many positive techniques that works great for dog aggression. I like it because it is easy to implement and is proven through science.

From a simple standpoint, you pair something positive with something negative. As long as the process is gradual your dog will begin to associate positivity with a previously perceived negative situation.

For Tara, she felt uncomfortable with new people in the home. By pairing the new person with special treats, overtime, she begins to like the new person because she associates the new person with the special treats.

Some special treat examples are the following: chicken, cheese, hot dogs, turkey, etc. It needs to be paired with the scary stimulus. Your dog will not get this special treat in the absence of the scary stimulus.

It is also helpful to take your dog out of sight from the stressful trigger. During this time the special treat is not given since the trigger is out of sight. It also helpful to do play, pet (massage) or give commands such as “watch” to help your dog decompress.

Keep timing unpredictable so that your doesn’t associate getting the special treats with a certain time frame but instead with the trigger or scary stimulus.

Counter conditioning works best when paired with systematic desensitization

Start at lower levels of intensity and then gradually increase the level of intensity. It should happen so gradually that the dog barley notices the change.

When we worked with Tara, we started at a distance from the guest. Tara was on leash at the far end of the kitchen. The guest was at the far end of the living room sitting down.

When Tara looked at the guest she received the special treat. Once Tara felt calm with the guest at this distance, we moved Tara 1-2 feet closer. Again we paired her looks at the guest with the special treats.

We repeated this process until we could go as close as was needed to the guest. When Tara was more stressed she needed to be farther away from that guest. For men, she needed more distance.

If your dog has a reaction it is best to redirect your dog and help your dog to calm down. With Tara we used “target” to redirect her away from the trigger (guest). Then we took her out of sight and did some decompression exercises as explained above.

Once Tara was more relaxed we brought her back into sight of the trigger at a farther distance than she was before. If Tara reacted then we were probably too close.

It is also best to end a counter conditioning session on a positive note every time. Doing longer sessions that are at least 20 min is best. However, if you can’t do 20 min shorter sessions are better than nothing at all.

How to generalize calm behavior

Generalization is also an important aspect of counter conditioning. This means if you change a variable your dog may not generalize the calm behavior he has learned from previous counter conditioning exercises.

Variable changes can include the following:

  • the environment (a certain room, place or location)
  • the time of day
  • a new person that hasn’t done counter conditioning with your dog before
  • movement (a person: walking, opening the door, standing from a chair, etc.)
  • noises ( a person: laughing, walking, sneezing, etc.)

Just because you did counter conditioning before doesn’t mean this scenario will cause your dog to be calm in the next scenario. You have to work with many scenarios for generalization to happen.

For example with Tara we worked with a friend named Jon. If Tara got completely comfortable Jon, it didn’t mean she would be comfortable with Ted. Also, if Tara was comfortable with Jon sitting. It didn’t meant that Tara would be comfortable with Jon standing or walking.

You need to practice counter conditioning with every common scenario that your dog will run into. This takes time and commitment.

However, the more you do counter conditioning the faster your dog will generalize being calm in the new scenarios. You won’t start at square each time. Your dog does remember something from the previous scenario.

If your dog is highly aggressive, we alway recommend that you work with a professional reward-based dog trainer to ensure safe and positive results. Using punishment can actually make your dog more aggression. I highly recommend that you avoid training methods that involve the following:

  • shock collars
  • yelling
  • hitting
  • spray bottles
  • choke collars
  • prong collars
  • leash popping

You can also read this article on “How to find a good dog trainer.”

Using a muzzle helps lessen dog aggression

A muzzle can ensure more safety. Your dog can still bite while wearing a muzzle but it is much harder for your dog to do so. With Tara, we used a baskerville muzzle.

This type of muzzle allows the dog to eat, drink and pant. Angela worked on counter conditioning with the muzzle. We used baby food as a reward.

When Tara put her nose into the muzzle she received baby food. We worked on having Tara hold her head in the muzzle for longer time periods as we strapped the muzzle around her.

We took the terminal behavior and broke it into easy approximations so that it was easy for Tara to learn and be happy.

Tara’s happy ending

I noticed Tara decompress much faster after working with me. Tara wanted to react at the mail carrier and Angela did some Tellington Touch. Tara calmed right down and didn’t have her normal stressed out reaction.

The entire family knows how to read Tara’s subtle stress signs and know how to reduce Tara’s stress. They also know how to train her so that she gets used to new people faster.

Tara responds to all of the above commands very reliably so the owners’ have great command control which has increased their confidence in getting Tara to listen.

The muzzle is also helping so they have a management tool for those people that are more stressful for Tara.

Lastly, the owner’s know that for some circumstances management is best. It is okay to keep away Tara away if she isn’t ready to be introduced to a particular person.

Most of all Angela is feeling more relaxed and empowered. No more endless amounts of fear.

Four Legged Scholars LLC serves Southington, Ohio and can help with dog aggression

I love training dogs and helping families in distress. An aggressive dog creates much pressure on the entire family. I enjoy relieving this stress and giving the family the positive tools that they need so that they can feel much more relaxed and empowered.

I recommend in-home dog training for aggression. I can personally show you what to do step by step in your home.

As a result, you will get effective results and feel peace of mind. I currently live in Middlefield and serve the surrounding areas including Southington where Tara resides.

Click here to read other success stories or contact us by filling out the form below.

Cyndi Istre
Cyndi Istre
14:34 20 Apr 24
Johanna has been a God send inhelping us learn not only the basic ways of dog training but in how we as humans contribute to our pups behaviors. Biting, jumping and potty training were our biggest challenges and accomplishments. Johanna provided us with the training and informational tools to be successful. She also provided guidance in changing our behavior and reactions to achieve the positive results we were looking for.
Christina Fleck
Christina Fleck
18:11 15 Mar 24
Johanna has been super helpful and knowledgeable in helping me train our puppy. We went over several techniques including practicing not pulling while on the leash. Our puppy is very responsive to the training tools Johanna has taught my children and me. She’s a wonderful person and a terrific trainer! Highly recommend!
Caleb Edwards
Caleb Edwards
19:11 20 Dec 23
Working with Johanna was an absolute pleasure and my crazy Corgi Skye enjoyed it very much as well. Johanna was extremely diligent and patient with her and myself throughout our learning process. She explained the concepts very well and broke them down into simple to understand steps, which was super impactful for me. It’s a lot of information to learn at once but taking it a step at a time truly helps comprehension. She has helped us get Skye on track to being a calmer and more welcoming household dog and also helped us find better ways to get Skye’s energy out when she needs to. If you need assistance or advice on training or just being better connected with your pets, I would highly recommend Johanna!
Rosemary Krupar
Rosemary Krupar
18:04 01 Dec 23
Johanna's positive training system has not only helped our dog but has also helped us to be better pet owners. By learning our dog's body language and applying our own calm demeanor and positive reinforcement, we can help her maintain her own level of calmness during what used to be stressful situations for her. The knowledge and the tools we have gained with Johanna have brought about a more peaceful and pleasant relationship with our dog, Ginny. We highly recommend Johanna for your dog training needs.
Kathleen Clyde
Kathleen Clyde
17:25 22 Sep 23
Johanna is a really special trainer. We signed our rescue dog Scout up for training because she almost ran away chasing deer in our neighborhood. Scout also pulled really hard on the leash and I was afraid someone might fall when walking her.Johanna helped us fix all that and more. Scout is a boxer hound mix, so her smell/chase instinct is really strong. Using all positive reinforcement, we were able to train her to go "easy" on our walks and not pull the leash. Scout also comes when we call her, even facing tough distractions like other dogs or food. We can now walk her off leash on trails and be confident she'll stay near or next to us and not run off chasing something. She also learned other commands like sit/stay, go get it, and lay on your bed.We humans were trained too! We learned what harness and leashes to use, which treats were best, when to treat her, how to get her interested in training, how to progress through a more complex command, and more. Johanna really knows both animal and human psychology, and working with her was such a fulfilling and rewarding experience — well worth the investment. Scout loved her and we did too. We cannot recommend her strongly enough!
Christi LaPrairie
Christi LaPrairie
17:58 16 Sep 21
I felt pressured to pay prior to services.
Donna Shaffer
Donna Shaffer
19:51 04 Sep 18
Our dog, Bella, was skittish around new people. She would bark and growl. Our veterinarian recommended training. We contacted Johanna from Ohio4LeggedScholars. Johanna taught us counter conditioning and commands paired with treats. Bella has responded well to the training. She has become more comfortable with new people and new situations. We learned to watch Bella's body language to know when she is feeling confident and comfortable.Thank you Johanna!
rachel downey
rachel downey
19:32 23 Aug 18
I love them. Before they came, my dog max, didnt know how to sit for anything, he kept pulling on the leash when we went for walks on our road, and he kept not waiting when we tried to take him out. He would bolt out. Now he sits a waits for the leash to get it on him. Hes such a great listener now.
Stacey Brazie
Stacey Brazie
00:23 26 Jul 18
We were ready to rip our hair out when I found Johanna online. I contacted her and discussed our problems with our 1 year old Lab Laney. She was jumping on us, afraid of people, barked at everyone/everything that walked by, walked horribly on a leash, and barged at the door when someone was there. Johanna immediately reassured me that she could help! She taught us the different signs that our dog gives us. She also taught us about counter conditioning. She gave us the tools we need to change Laney’s behavior. It is not an overnight fix. You need to be able to work with your pup until it sinks in. Laney has made much improvement in all areas! We are grateful to have found Johanna!!!
David McCoy
David McCoy
02:49 21 Jun 18
Four Legged Scholars provided our family with the expertise and guidance needed to train our new puppy Drew. Trainer Johanna Teresi was the perfect person to help us. Johanna's calm demeanor, excellent knowledge and organized approach allayed any fears that we had about dog training. Drew responded well to her weekly training visits and our ongoing daily training routines. My family wholeheartedly recommends Four Legged Scholars and Johanna Teresi as fantastic and caring solutions when one considers the best method to train your dog.Dave McCoy Ravenna, Ohio
Karen A
Karen A
20:25 10 Jun 18
I contacted Johanna when Cooper was almost 6 months old. He had major issues with jumping on people and constantly barking at other dogs. I was impressed with her persistence and patience when training. She probably spent as much time training me as we spent training Cooper. Classes are over for now and Cooper has met all but one of the goals that we set for him. Johanna has given me the tools and techniques to continue to train him, and I am confident that he/we will someday be able to walk in the park without his barking at every dog he meets. Taking the class has and will continue to benefit my relationship with Cooper for years to come. Thank you Johanna.
Sandy Bailey
Sandy Bailey
00:19 12 Mar 18
Johanna Teresi with Four Legged Scholars helped my husband and I so much with our Chocolate Lab, Autumn. It has been years since we have had a puppy and forgot how much work they can be. Our major concern was how excited Autumn would get when we would get company or our grandchildren would come over. Autumn would jump on everyone. The little kids would get knocked down. My husband and I finally said, we're calling for help and called Four Legged Scholars and spoke with Johanna. Johanna was able to see what we were doing wrong and how we were causing more stress for Autumn by being stressed ourselves and within a few sessions we could see a hug change in Autumn's behavior. Johanna showed us how to react to Autumn"s jumping on our guest. We let all our guest know how to respond if Autumn tried to jump on them and they were all great about helping with the training. We providing a video to Johanna that my grandson took while having a birthday celebration with a house full of people. Johanna was able to look at our video and see that her techniques were working and she could see the improvement in Autumn the next time she came to our door. Autumn's behavior is so much better and we are not afraid for guest to come over or be embarrassed at Autumn"s behavior anymore. The leash training was also extremely helpful. Autumn was constantly biting at her leash and actually had bitten them to the point of breaking her leashes. I was amazed at how the clicker training works, but it was great.Thank you Johanna!
Portage Rescue
Portage Rescue
16:39 24 May 17
Johanna has been volunteering her time at the County Dog Warden for several months. I love her positive methods. She is very patient with the dogs even when they are acting hyper. Johanna explains everything to me and takes notes so I know what she has done with each dog. I strongly recommend her progressive and positive methods. She has helped me learn so much.
Jamie Flanders
Jamie Flanders
19:34 17 May 17
Johanna was a mentor for me when I was first starting out as a dog trainer. I took my very first puppy class through her with my very first puppy. Johanna is unfailingly kind, not only to the dogs that she works with but the people as well, which is a great trait for a dog trainer to have. Many trainers can work with dogs but have very poor people skills but if you want to make a difference for the dog you have to be able to reach the person. Johanna helped shaped me into the trainer I am today and with her initial guidance my puppy turned into a great companion and muse.
Robyn Jones
Robyn Jones
01:26 13 May 17
Johanna Teresi with Four Legged Scholars is an incredible trainer. She constantly goes above and beyond the expectations of her clients. I watched her train her own dog in the kindest of ways. She thinks so easily from the perspective of the dog, and is always making sure that the dogs needs are being met as well as the owners needs (both emotional and the training goals). Her classes move smoothly as she is very knowledgeable about all things positive reinforcement. She uses the clicker training and it works magically. She really knows her stuff and uses those skills fantastically. She is the only trainer I'd let help me train my dog.
Ruth Weisman
Ruth Weisman
20:22 12 May 17
I had the opportunity to observe Johanna's work for about two years. She is committed to ethical training through humane practices and tuning herself and her clients to their dog's behaviors and needs. In her own home she focused on addressing even the comfort level of her dog as her family grew, making sure that he felt safe with an over excited toddler as well as successful training to lessen his barking at the door. I highly recommend Johanna for both basic dog training and specific needs. She'll tailor the training to suit your pet and your family.
Angie Kieffer
Angie Kieffer
16:05 11 May 17
I met Johanna about 8 years ago, and I was a full-time parent. I had four kids and four animals. One of my dogs needed training. I see my animals as equals, so I was looking for a positive way to connect with my dog that didn’t involve alpha rolls. One of my dogs, Karma, was very skittish.I had Johanna come to my home. She taught me that my feelings of anxiety were being projected on my dog. I learned to shift and let go of my thoughts and emotions especially around fear and anxiety. I was then able to be more present and focused with Karma. She was able to release her anxiety. Karma has gained more confidence around people, places, dogs, grooming, and other animals such as horses and cows. Johanna taught me how to allow Karma to have her own experience and to not project my own life experiences and thoughts onto my dog.Working with Johanna was a rewarding opportunity. I would recommend Johanna to anyone looking for a successful option to positive reinforcement training with their dog.
Susan Steinwand
Susan Steinwand
17:28 10 May 17
I volunteered with Johanna for about one year, attending and assisting in her group courses. Having met numerous dog trainers using varying training techniques, I can say with confidence that Johanna truly cares about her clients, both human and canine, and will work together to ensure a happy, understanding relationship between pet and owner. She teaches with positive methods that help owners understand how to effectively and kindly communicate with their dog, which results in better training outcomes. One thing that makes her training unique is that she not only focuses on how to modify the dog's behavior, but also helps owners understand how their actions can affect the dog's behavior, and how changing them can help the dog to learn more quickly.I have been using Johanna's training methods with my own dog, Aspen, and in the short time we have had her, she has already learned so much and we have clear, mutual understanding of each other. Whenever I have difficulty with training a behavior, or get frustrated, I think back to Johanna's words and am able to re-approach the situation and get better results.I highly recommend Four Legged Scholars for anyone seeking help training their dog. Johanna creates an open, fun, and accepting environment where owners can learn how to have a loving relationship with their well-behaved dog.
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