BEHAVIOR ISSUES

Having a dog with serious behavior issues can be a stressful and challenging experience for humans (and dogs). At Dogsmartz, we specialize in working with dogs with serious behavior issues and many of us share our homes with dogs just like yours.

 

You may feel like you have exhausted all avenues, but we encourage you to speak with us to see how we can help you. We are the area's only facility with two Certified Canine Behavior Consultants, multiple certified trainers, and Fear-Free trainers. Our extensive background with aggression, fear, and anxiety, our expertise is unmatched.  

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Dogsmartz is the leader in behavior, and we understand behavior. Behavior issues are not obedience issues. Behavior issues are related to many facets including fear and anxiety. Whether your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, dog reactivity (aggressive displays) or has bitten you or someone else, contact us.  

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Our methodology is science-based, using pain-free and fear-Free techniques. We believe there is never an instance that you need to inflict pain to train a dog. That is a fallacy that has been debunked by countless ethologists, behaviorists and trainers.  You may ask why we don’t use equipment such as shock collars, tens collars, prong collars, bark collars or choke collars? Because they are not necessary, and they are used as suppression methods. Suppressing the response to a situation (shock the dog to stop the growl) does not change the reason the dog is reacting. This only change is what a human will see.  The behavior still exists, it just does not show itself the way it previously had. So, the risks are that it will resurface in other ways and damage can be done that is unrepairable.

 

Our strategy is to work as a team with you, your dog, and your veterinarian to develop a plan to manage and/or modify behaviors.  We will provide you with an honest evaluation and a clearly defined plan to help you work with your dog. In many instances, private, one-on-one training will be recommended however in certain situations our specialized behavior classes may be most conducive to the issues at hand.   

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Our goal is to change the way a dog sees a situation where we can. It is important to note that there are some behaviors that must be managed for safety, but our job is to provide you with an honest assessment.  

Behavior issues can be complex and time consuming. Let us help you as you embark on helping your dog live a better life.