Living with Canine Aggression - The Nature of Things
Originally posted 07/23/2019
So it happened… the moment every trainer who works with aggression cases dreads: the phone call, email, or tearful visit from an owner to tell you their aggressive dog had an “incident.”
Despite your warnings. Despite the management protocols provided. Despite, in fact, the training they’ve been doing with you. As you learn the details of the “incident” – which is nearly always some variation of “I made a mistake, I let my guard down, I thought he’d be ok with (insert person, animal, situation)” – you put your head in your hands as you vividly recall that “Come to Jesus” discussion (or three) you had with your client about the dangerous behaviors of their dog.
As a trainer, I can’t lie to you: in that moment I’m really frustrated. I told you this would happen. I gave you my honest, expert opinion that you paid me to give. I provided you with a safety plan. And yet in a single moment, it all went out the window. Why?!?
It’s a question that keeps me up at night. There are plenty of trainers who just write it off as client laziness or complacency, and to be sure there may be a few cases where that criticism is justified. But for the vast majority of my clients, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Most of my clients are conscientious pet owners who love their dog and don’t want him to hurt anyone, who are willing to put in a ton of time, energy and money into helping their dog. They fully acknowledge that the fault of the dog’s “incident” lies with them.
So where’s the disconnect?
While I don’t know for sure, I suspect it lurks in our human nature – those parts of us who want to forgive, who want things to be a certain way, who want to believe the best of others, including our beloved dog. And I think, that part of us that needs to learn certain truths the hard way. I can tell you something fifty times, but until you experience it you don’t really believe it. You might even hear my voice in your head telling you put his muzzle on, but your heart whispers, “maybe he’ll be ok” and you make the decision to give it a try.
And then it happens, and the force of truly knowing hits you like freight train. Your perspective fundamentally shifts and will never be the same again. In that moment, you suddenly understand what terms like “always” and “never” mean to your relationship with your dog. There are no more “what ifs” or “maybes,” just reality staring back at you from the eyes of the dog you still love but can no longer trust. That is the moment when you become the responsible owner of a dangerous dog…but unfortunately that realization often comes with a heartbreaking price tag.
If you still harbor hope for a normal dog… or wonder if safety protocols will really always be necessary… or hear that whisper “maybe he’ll be ok” – you aren’t there yet.
I’ll do my best to help you, but I’m still trying to figure out how to impart to you that for the sake of your dog and others, you have to get there faster.
Don’t risk the safety of others because you love him, or feel sorry for him and/or yourself - certainly don’t risk it because you’re tired, or sick, or think your trainer doesn’t understand your dog. These aren’t mistakes you need to make yourself in order to learn how to safely handle an aggressive dog, but sadly far too many clients do.
When you decide to live with an aggressive dog, it comes down to a very simple choice: Be a responsible owner, or don’t.
Author Jennifer Pearson was Senior Trainer and Behaviorist at Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO from 2018 through 2020. She is an Applied Animal Behaviorist (Master of Science, University of Edinburgh's College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine), an animal-assisted clinical social worker (Master of Social Work, University of Denver), and teaches classes in the fireld of the human-animal bond (University of Denver).
Jennifer Hime is the Owner & Dog Training Director at Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO. She can be reached at: k9counselor.com
