If you have a problem dog, contact a professional dog trainer before you take drastic action. You may be surprised how quickly an experienced trainer can turn a bad situation around.
When you bring a dog into your home, you do so with the belief that the pet will be a part of your family for the rest of his life. But, if serious behavioral problems develop, you may believe you have no other option than to surrender the pet to a shelter or rescue.
Fortunately, dog training professionals understand how to work with and – in many cases – overcome problem behaviors.
Why Pet Owners Believe They Must Surrender a Problem Dog
When a dog owner fears for their own safety or the safety of family members or other pets in the home, they may develop feelings of desperation and urgency. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons that dogs are surrendered to shelters.
Sometimes, however, owners surrender a pet because they can’t overcome behavior problems related to housetraining, destruction, obsessive barking, etc. Prey drive is another common reason for owner surrenders, especially if you have cats or small dogs that are being threatened.
Unfortunately, owners often take the drastic step of surrendering their pet without giving professional dog training a try.
How a Professional Dog Trainer Can Help You Avoid Surrender
Although no one should leave a pet in the home if they truly believe the dog poses a threat, dog trainers can give you options. For example, trainers who offer boarding or boot camp programs may accommodate the pet at their facility during the training process.
If that’s not possible, your trainer can help you develop a management plan that could work in your household. This may involve enlisting the help of a friend or neighbor, setting the dog up in a separate location temporarily.
Depending on the problem, managing the situation is usually no more complex than restricting the dog’s access and keeping him under control at all times. If he’s chewing up the woodwork while home alone, keeping him crated in your absence will prevent this from happening. If he’s chasing or threatening small pets, restrict his access to them while unrestrained.
Yes, this might involve a little extra effort on your part, but it can also help you avoid having to surrender your pet over behavioral issues.
Dog Trainers Understand How to Address Problem Behaviors
Problem dog behaviors that seem overwhelming to you are – at least most of the time – fairly standard to professional dog trainers. Using evidence-based methods, trainers can overcome most behavior problems in short order. This is especially true if you are willing to try a dog training boot camp.
At Innovative K9 Academy, we work with behavioral problems of all kinds, including aggression, excessive fear and prey drive. We can customize our boot camps and intensive training courses to address your concerns and your pet’s specific behavioral issues.
Although training will not work for every problem dog, it’s rare that our experienced trainers cannot resolve serious behavioral issues. Before you surrender your pet, contact our Salt Lake City dog training facility to discuss your situation with one of your professional dog trainers.