Shy Dogs, Aggressive Dogs, all in one group dog training class
Behavior modification, and rehabilitation are a big part of the dog training programs at That’s My Dog! Inc. Our Saturday group training class contained a number of fabulous dogs, but among the 27 dogs attending class were two cases that make us particularly proud; Basil, the Sealyham Terrier who struggled with human aggression issues and Bailey, the Basset Hound whose severe shyness kept her from allowing any human contact.
Basil was attending his first group class upon being reunited with his owners after a 3 week board and train program. He came to us after biting several people, including his owners. He was put through a significant process of rehabilitation over the past three weeks and participated in group class under the direction of his owners. He did awesome and we will be following up on his progress in the coming weeks.
Bailey has been attending training for a few months and came to us with severe shyness and submissive wetting issues. She would not seek attention from anyone and when approached would flea and attempt to hide. After laying a foundation of basic obedience we began working on counter conditioning and desensitization exercises. In our group class we have been working on people approaching Bailey while she remains on her place. Participants are instructed on how to utilize helpful body language in their approach toward Bailey so that she does not feel threatened. Bailey is now to the point that she does not attempt to run or flea. When strangers sit down next to her she is even reaching out to them with her nose and allowing petting. She is much less stressed by being in this active environment and it is a huge credit to her owner and the commitment to the training program that this pup will enjoy a life with much more confidence and less anxiety as she learns to enjoy the world around her.