aggression

This semi-private training class focuses on managing dog aggression and reactivity, accommodating two dogs at a time. The setup includes partitions or draping such as the ones you see above which we utilize to minimize visibility during the first session, allowing dogs to gradually desensitize and counter-condition. We work under the dogs’ thresholds, starting with small stuffed animals, progressing to larger ones, and then introducing my own non-reactive medium-sized dog. As the sessions continue, dogs will learn to tolerate the presence of another dog, eventually walking past each other at a distance of 5 feet without growling or reacting, significantly enhancing their ability to assess threats.

All participating dogs must be equipped with a gentle leader to help control their heads, plus a muzzle—preferably the Baskerville Ultra. This equipment will continue to be useful beyond the 8-session class for ongoing training.

A key component of this class is educating owners on how to effectively desensitize and counter-condition their reactive dogs, keeping them under threshold level to prevent escalation to lunging or biting. Through this process, dogs learn to trust their owners for safety and improve their threat assessment skills, leading to reduced reactivity as they interact with more people and dogs while remaining under threshold.

We employ no shock or prong collars. Positive reinforcement ONLY.

Your instructor: Susan Bernhart, CCPDT Certified and Knowledge Asssessed with special education and testing in Aggression.

The cost for the 8-session course is $250. Since this is a progressive skills class, no sessions can be missed so please plan accordingly.