He has been showing fear related aggression towards humans and other dogs since he was 6 months old when he was severely stung by a hornet.
Unfortunately Buddy has had to endure a series of incompetent trainers who have used aversive methods to try to stop his aggression. This has actually made him even more aggressive.
He has bitten people so often that his owners have lost count and the attacks are getting more and more unpredictable and vicious. He goes from being quiet directly to the bite.
The reason for this is because he has been punished every time he has shown discomfort in a situation. Dogs have what is known as a warning ladder which begins at the bottom step with a slight warning like a stare or a growl and ultimately ends in a bite.
Most people will punish their dog for showing these warnings thus teaching them that this behaviour is not allowed and so forcing them to jump directly to the next step up the ladder, when the scary situation arises again.
The next time he is once again punished he will only learn to jump that step and ultimately go from zero directly to the bite.
We have now started a protocol of desensitisation and counter-conditioning with positive reinforcement methods.
This kind of deeply rooted fear driven behaviour takes time and dedication to be reversed, so we are in it for the long haul.
This was our first session, in which Buddy spent the first hour fixing me and trying to bite me (had he not been on leash).
These pictures were taken after just two hours of working with him and once again goes to prove that positive reinforcement training (R+) works!
Well done Buddy! 🐾🐾
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