To determine if you and your dog could benefit from support and guidance, it's essential to first recognize the behaviors you're observing. This guide focuses on more challenging behaviors, such as fearfulness and reactivity. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, nor is it intended to self- diagnose, as there are numerous individual factors that influence a training plan.

 

• Reactivity is an overreaction to something in the dog's environment. What you can see is aggressive barking, lunging - which can pull you off balance if your dog is on a leash and hyper focused on what is causing this outburst. This can be directed towards people, other dogs, other animals, moving vehicles/motorcycles, or novel things in their environment. Generalized fear can have a dog react to a wide range of stimuli, making them appear generally reactive.

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• Defensive Aggression is the dog's way of protecting themselves from what they perceive as a threat. Growling, nipping or biting can be directed towards people, other dogs, or other animals. There can be defensive aggression with resource guarding as well. 

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• Anxiety and stress in dogs can manifest in a variety of ways, reflecting their emotional state. Common signs include restlessness, pacing, excessive panting, trembling and sometimes making themselves look small. Dogs may also exhibit destructive behaviors, such as chewing on furniture, windowsills, or digging as a way to cope. Other signs can include excessive barking, whining, panic, learned helplessness, where a dog appears withdrawn and disengaged, or even aggression when stressed. Physical symptoms like loss of appetite, digestive issues, and increased shedding can occur.

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• Prey-driven dogs are often mischaracterized as aggressive when they chase cats, squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies, birds, farm animals, and sometimes even children. In reality, this behavior is rooted in their natural instinct to chase, driven by genetics rather than true aggression.  

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• Intra-household aggression in dogs refers to aggressive behaviors that occur between dogs that live in the same household. This can include behaviors like growling, snapping, biting or even just tense body language between the dogs. It can stem from various factors like resource guarding, territorial behavior, or even social hierarchy issues. It's a common concern in multi-dog households and often requires careful management and training. As someone who lives with three dogs, I understand the difficulties that come with multiple dogs getting along all the time.

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    Other behaviors that could signal stress and anxiety is excessive jumping. Many times, their aim is for the face. Excessive nipping, overreacting to being handled. This can be putting on walking gear, grooming, vet visits, or being touched. Leash biting on walks. Inability to cope well with change or new things. Separation anxiety, hypervigilance, quick to be overstimulated and difficult to settle back down. Clinginess, startles easy, shut down, avoidance behaviors, sudden aggression or defensive behaviors, or learned helplessness (appearing "calm" but disengaged). 

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 My mission is to meet both you and your dog right where you are, so whether you're navigating the challenges of raising a puppy, managing the antics of an adolescent dog, or addressing more severe behaviors, I'm here to help.  

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