Are Aggressive Dogs Beyond Help? Case Study by Boston Dog Trainer

At Colonial Dog Training, we come across owners who have been advised to put their aggressive dogs down far too often. Friends, family, certain organizations, and even other trainers sometimes believe this is the only option. The dog is a threat to society, and therefore it needs to be removed from society.

I don’t believe any dog is beyond help. If an owner is willing to put in the time and effort to help their dog become a trustworthy and well-behaved part of the family, failure is nearly impossible.

Take Zeek, for example. Zeek’s owner called me just a few months ago because she’d been told he needed to be euthanized. His leash aggression and territorial behavior couldn’t be fixed—he was a lost cause. Luckily, Zeek’s owner didn’t agree and decided to look to Colonial Dog Training for help.

Zeek was very excited to meet me during the in-home consultation. He did not immediately show aggression, but when he realized I would be staying in his home for more than a few minutes, he began growling. His owner and I spoke outside instead, and Zeek seemed to have no problem with that.

The owner informed me he was aggressive toward other dogs when she took him for walks, and that was also a problem that needed to be addressed.

I learned a few things during my visit: First, aggression was not Zeek’s first reaction. Second, he was capable of controlling his aggressive tendencies.

All we needed to do was figure out how to communicate with him, which was where my expertise came in. The result of effective training isn’t just a well-behaved dog—it’s effective communication between dog and owner. We began with basic obedience training, which taught the owner proper leash handling techniques and taught Zeek to listen and respond to his owner’s commands. Once this was consistently working at home, Zeek’s owner could take him out for walks around other dogs, reinforce the training, and control Zeek’s instinctive reactions.

Creating a structured schedule, a schedule Zeek could count on and his owner could uphold, was also important. This gave Zeek a sense of security and allowed him to trust his owner more, taking the stress of controlling his environment off his shoulders.

After just five sessions, Zeek’s owner saw a vast improvement—without resorting to drastic measures.

To see how Colonial Dog Training can help your dog succeed through in-home training, call us at 800.649.7297.