Buddy was born November 26, 2001. He lived with another family and was a customer at our kennel until he started biting their children. When his mom called in tears looking for a new home for him, we took him in.
His food aggression was bad. When putting his bowl down, he would turn to us, bare his teeth and growl. It wasn’t just a little “shoo, get away” kind of growl, it was more of a stare you down, toothy “take one small step closer, and your face is gone” kind of growl.
We immediately got him fixed. And we immediately worked on his food aggression.
We did everything. We talked with our vet. I took a course from Sue Alexander, who specializes in rehabilitating aggressive dogs, and read about Ian Dunbar and Jean Donaldson positive training techniques. We treated him with Bach Flower Remedies. And we did as Ceasar Millan would say, acted in a calm assertive manner.
It took a lot of time and even more patience. Today he’s better, but not perfect. He’s our couch potato snuggler, and we love him dearly.
Dan and I are sure that Buddy came to live with us to teach us about what other families deal with. So there’s our silver lining.
If your dog shows aggressive tendencies, please don’t give up. You’ve got lots of options – try many and use the ones that work.
Here are some resources to start you on your journey:
- Ian Dunbar - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOW0IKO_zfM
- Jean Donaldson www.jeandonaldson.com
- Sue Alexander www.dogsinthepark.ca
- Bach Flower Remedies www.bachflower.com
- Ceasar Millan www.cesarmillaninc.com
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