Dog Training & Behavioral Consultations in Greater Sacramento & Southern Oregon

Primal Needs - Best Aggressive Behavior Dog Training in Sacramento


A dog standing in front of a mountain with trees.

Dog trainers generally deal with aggressive dogs, and this is one of the most common reasons their services are required. When it comes to treating dog aggression, Primal Needs provides the best aggressive behavior dog training in Sacramento. Owners might be able to teach their peaceful dogs new tricks but handling aggressive dogs is difficult. Dogs suffering from untreated and unpadded trauma problems, fear symptoms, under socialization, and many others show aggressive behaviors. Before treating a dog, we should know about different types of dog aggression.

Different Ways of Aggressive Behavior Dog Training:

Aggressive behavior dog training takes place in the following ways at home or in training centers.

Basic obedience:

Aggressive dogs generally don’t listen to their owners irrespective of the situation they are in. To make them follow hard commands, it is necessary that basic commands like sit, stand, and stay are mastered. Dogs can sense emotions better than humans. If you are nervous, there is a high possibility that dogs will be agitated. This is why commands should be made calmly and assertively to make them listen to you. 

Agility training:

Agility training is a timed obstacle course completed by dogs with high energy. These courses have more than 10 obstacles which include tunnels, jumps, and ramps. Since aggressive dogs have high energy, agility training helps to stimulate their mental peace. For any aggressive dog, it is important to find out ways to spend its energy. Agility training provides a great exercise, reduces boredom, and misbehaviors that come along with it. These methods reinforce good behavior as dogs learn to follow commands from their owners and trainers. Their compliance level increases which help in strengthening the bond between them. There are various dog obedience trainers in Sacramento that helps dog overcome their aggression.

Positively use punishment:

Punishment methods usually associate unpleasant consequences with unpleasant behavior. This should be performed while the aggressive act is happening to warn the dog. However, sometimes using punishment methods can backfire. Direct interactive punishment methods like hitting or grabbing the dog should be avoided to avoid fearful aggression. 

Also, these methods don’t guarantee successful training because the dog might continue these acts in the owner’s absence. Punishment, if positive, can serve as an attention factor and a dog might continue the behavior even after applying these punishments multiple times. Training centers usually use punishment devices like shaker cans to disrupt inappropriate behavior without using human voice or physical features. 

Reinforcement:

Aggressive pets should be calmed down using positive and negative reinforcement to shape their behavior. Both should be used in equal amounts through discipline and affection. These methods are one of the common aggressive behavior dog training methods used. 

  • Positive reinforcement: Not to be confused with inappropriate rewarding, positive reinforcement methods follow balanced reward techniques to control aggression. The timing for reward should be perfect i.e., should be given within seconds of good behavior. The use of clickers helps mark timings and checks instances where the dog was previously misbehaving. Rewards should only be given to good behavior and consistent commands should be used. Positive reinforcement might not bring a drastic change in just a few days which is why repetition, consistency, and patience are important for treating aggression.
  • Negative reinforcement: Disciplining an aggressive dog is not a negative thing and doesn’t count as extreme punishment. Sometimes to control aggression, making the dog submissive becomes important. For example, if a dog keeps barking at your quiet neighbor, just petting it or giving them treats will not help. By doing this, owners unintentionally give pets attention and teach them that is one of the ways to get food. Negative reinforcement techniques like blocking, leashing, redirecting, and distracting dogs from their triggers are used commonly. By doing this, trainers teach their dogs how to behave and what consequences they could have if commands are not followed. For example, if a dog jumps on random strangers to bite, trainers apply leash correction techniques to control it. They tighten the leash for repeated barking and loosen it if the dog stays calm. 

Take professional help:

Animal behaviorists (certified), Associated Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (ACAAB), veterinary behaviorists, and certified professional dog trainers can help to treat your dog’s aggression. Generally, dog trainers are qualified to treat wrong behavior. Advanced help is only required in special cases of trauma or extreme aggression in dogs. 

Best Dog Trainers in California:

To provide a peaceful, aggression-free life for your dog, the best dog trainers in California are available. One such institute that provides excellent dog training services is Primal Needs. The trainers here have extensive experience with different behavior and breeds of dogs. They are certified trainers and are the best dog trainers in Sacramento. They constantly work with dog daycares, veterinary behaviorists, and have managed unique behavior patterns in dogs. 

Trainers follow an owner-inclusive approach and give them tools over a long weekend of training. Boarding and lodging are provided and both the dog and owners are trained. This provides hours of hand-in-skill work that prioritizes the pet’s emotional health and wellbeing. Trainers at Sacramento use the owner’s voice, body language to establish communication with an aggressive dog. They learn proper correction and redirection and help them nourish an aggressive dog’s emotional needs. Intensive programs of a few days have an equivalent effect that a program of many months would have. Trainers care about the dogs even after the training period is over. Training programs at Primal Needs assure unlimited access to trainers and lifetime commitment to the pets. 

Trainers in Sacramento have helped many owners reunite with their dogs and help change relationships between them. If you need to learn how to handle your dog, how to control their triggers, and identify underlying causes of misbehavior, you can get help from the best dog trainers in California.

For highly aggressive dogs, programs can go up to three weeks. For such dogs, training starts as soon as the dog is picked up and transported to the center. Trainers work with them one-on-one and focus on establishing a balanced behavioral pattern in them. Through on and off-leash training, the dog is encouraged for good behavior. 

After the training, in-home transition training is provided to allow the dog to remain the same back into its old boundaries. This is done so that dogs don’t relapse back to their old, unwanted behaviors. In case of further problems, owners can stay in touch with trainers even after the course is complete. 

Overall dog training is essential to challenge aggressive dogs into correcting their wrong behavior and maintaining a happy life with their owners. Professionals help you through weeks of training to establish good communications with your pet. They act as an external eye who observes the interactions between owners and aggressive dogs and devises a clear plan of action to transition dog behavior.

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