We exclusively handle cases of aggression or anxiety issues.
Behavioral Evaluation
If you are unsure how severe your problems are and if you can realistically resolve them, this service is for you. We will conduct a detailed and scientific evaluation of your situation. We will honestly inform you if you have a true problem, how severe it is, how much work you are looking at to resolve it and if it is safe for you to resolve it in your specific family situation. Often people are unsure if they should conduct work with their dog, re-home their dog or euthanize their dog. After the evaluation, we will give you a detailed and honest opinion; explaining why the problem is occurring and what would be required to resolve it. We will also provide your general veterinarian with a functional behavioral assessment report, scientifically detailing your situation.
Court Evaluations
If your dog was involved in a bite case, requiring a court appearance, this is essential. If the dog bit or injured another dog, a human or even a child; an evaluation will be required. We will conduct a detailed and scientific evaluation, providing the court with a functional behavioral assessment report and recommendations. Often with modification work, the triggers that caused the incident can be altered and rectified. Once resolved, restrictions or designations (dangerous dog designation, muzzle restrictions, etc), can be changed. More importantly, a dog that the court might want to euthanize can be saved after an evaluation and commitment to conduct the appropriate work.
Dog-to-Dog Aggression / Inter-species Aggression
Some dogs display aggression towards other dogs or other animals. There are many causes for this behavior, ranging from lack of socialization, learned behavior, traumatic experiences, a medical problem or simply high prey drive.
We first determine what type of inter-species aggression your dog has, how severe the aggression is and then implement a modification program with the assistance of one of our dogs, to begin reducing the aggression.
Our most successful cases, the dog is transformed from a dog that instantly attacked other animals to a dog that happily plays with other dogs.
We cannot guarantee this for all cases of inter-species aggression. There are some dogs that will not look to interact with other animals but even with these cases we can usually teach the dog to ignore or tolerate other animals, without displaying aggression towards them.
Behavior Modification
5 Sessions or 10 session – Contact us for pricing
Geriatric Consultations
As dogs age, behavioral problems can occur. Dogs can begin to display inappropriate behaviors that never occurred, dogs can begin fighting after living together for years or they simply can appear to be ‘acting old’. Many times this can be rectified with minimal work.
We highly encourage people to be proactive in this area. Having us conduct one session with you can often prevent any of these problems or cognitive declines; allowing you and your dog to live with the best quality of life possible.
Expert Witness Testimony for Court Cases
varies depending upon location and details of the case, call for pricing.
For the Animal Care Professionals
- We conduct regular training seminars for many Veterinary offices, Humane societies and Animal Control Officers
- Veterinary Offices: This segment discusses how to handle an aggressive dog, how to recognize escalating signs of aggression before a bite / snap, how to handle anxious dogs, how to handle kenneled dogs, how to handle a problem dog when more invasive treatment than normal shots are required and how to avoid redirected aggression. This is followed by a question & answer period.
- Humane Societies: This segment discusses various types of leads and collars, how to get a dog from a kennel, how to give a dog to a dog walker, how to present a dog to a prospective owner, how to reduce food aggression, how to reduce dog to dog aggression, how to deal with an aggressive dog or an anxious dog and how to recognize escalating signs of aggression.
- Animal Control Officers: This segment discusses how to identify an aggressive dog and determine what type of aggression is occurring, how to deal with it in order to safely secure the dog, how to deal with an anxious dog to safely secure the dog, how to handle a dog fight, how to handle a human directed dog attack in progress and what should be considered for a court hearing (dog bite case) as well as how to prep for court testimony.
What is a behaviorist & what do they do?
A behaviorist is formally educated in the field of applied canine behavior. We utilize scientific methods to evaluate the dog and determine the underlying cause of the behavioral problem. We then custom design a modification program to resolve your specific case, utilizing behavior analysis techniques to track your progress. As we continue to analyze and track your case we adjust your modification program to continue helping you improve.
Why is identifying the underlying cause of the problem such a big deal?
When only the symptom is addressed, it often re-occurs or manifests into other areas. This is like placing the cap on a tube of toothpaste but not sealing holes in the tube. When you squeeze the tube, the paste squirts out through the other holes. By addressing and resolving the underlying cause of the behavior, you are preventing future problems from developing.