This is our most common service. We will conduct the behavioral evaluation (detailed above) and set you up on a modification program to start helping you improve the situation.
After the evaluation segment, we will explain what is causing your problem and why it is occurring. We will then develop a modification program, custom designed for your specific situation. Unlike a cooking recipe, a modification program should never be generic or set up ahead of time. Each dog and case is unique in some way and requires individual planning to resolve.
We will explain and go over the modification program, giving you exercises to begin conducting. After the consultation, we will email you a reminder detailing all these instructions.
Next, we do require you to contact us with progress reports, letting us know how your dog is reacting to the specific modification techniques and exercises. This allows us to track your progress, identify any problems / setbacks and alter / add on new exercises as needed.
We will also advise you if follow ups are required and if so, what package we would recommend for you.
5 Sessions or 10 session – Contact us for pricing
Modification versus Management
There are two main approaches to handling aggressive problems. A behaviorist can implement a management program or they can design a modification program.
In simple terms, a management program teaches owners how to avoid triggering the dog’s aggression, where a modification program changes the way the dog reacts when exposed to a situation.
While there is a time and place for both approaches, many people utilize management programs without incorporating a modification program into the equation. The problem with this approach is that it does not teach the dog a different reaction. As an example, if a dog has food aggression a management program may involve feeding the dog in another room; but what happens when someone accidentally drops something on the floor and goes to pick it up; often a bite occurs. This is not a failure on the dog’s part but on the human’s part since they never taught the dog to react differently. A modification program should determine what type of food aggression the dog has (there are many different types), design a program to safely start having the owners teach the dog a different association with the food and finally have the dog not display aggression when humans approach or take their food.