Yes! The vast majority of aggressive can be rehabilitated with proper behavior modification that involves operant and classical conditioning. We rehabilitate aggressive and reactive dogs at our Austin Dog Training Center and help their owners live more confident, safe lives with them.
Some of the issues that we look at in evaluating aggressive dogs are bite inhibition and bite threshold.
Bite threshold looks at what factors or combination of factors will cause the dog to use its mouth and bite. A dog has a low bite threshold if they are triggered easily and use their mouth frequently. For example, some dogs snap at people if a person just reaches towards them or snap at other dogs if the dog just sniffs at them in a normal dog greeting ritual. These dogs woul dbe said to have a low bite threshold. Other dogs have a higher bite threshold, meaning it takes a lot more to make them snap or bite. For example, they may only bite a person if the person enters their home while there is also another stressor, such as a thunderstorm or construction noise nearby. If a dog is easily triggered and has a large array of things that would trigger a bite, the dog's behavior modification will likely take longer and require more work. We work with dogs with a wide range and variety of triggers at our Austin dog training center.
Bite threshold looks at the intensity or severity of the dog's bite once they decide to use their mouth. In analyzing bites to humans, we rank them on a scale of 0 to 7. If a dog is biting in the 0 to 2 range of the scale, it means that they are not doing a great deal of harm and the risk involved in working and living with that dog is low. If a dog is biting in the 3 to 4 range of the scale, the risk is much higher and some dog owners will not be comfortable working with their dog at that level of risk. For levels 5 and above, the injuries will be severe and city or state officials are generally involved in the decision making regarding rehavilitation or euthanasia. A similar scale is used to analyze bite to other dogs. At our Austin dog training center, we always help our clients to understand their dog's bite level and what risk this poses for them and their family, neighbors, and other members of the community.
If you're dealing with aggression in your dog, a professional who works with dog aggression can help you understand your dog's bite threshold and bite inhibition and help you understand how these factors will affect your dog's behavior modification. Don't wait - seek professional help for your dog's aggression today!
Cara Shannon
Cara Shannon is an expert in dog bite analysis and in behavior modification for dogs. She runs Buddy's Chance Dog Training and Behavior in Austin, Texas and teaches other dog trainers and veterinarians and their staff around the country. You can reach Cara at http://buddyschance.com/.
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