We have recently experienced a rash of clients that have experienced problems with their dogs and have sought our assistance after working with other trainers. The issues that they initially had with their dogs was dominance, inattentiveness and otherwise unruly behavior. Again, they worked for some time with another company and followed the recommendations of their trainers. The clients explain to us that they were told by these trainers to growl in thier dogs face when it was necessary to get their attention, stop their unwanted behavior and to be the “pack leader”. They stated that it was explained to them that by growling in the dog’s face, the dog would quickly understand that they were in charge and that this would mimic a pack leader controlling them. Unfortunately, they were bitten in the face (and other places) while growling at the dog.

Growling is generally a natural behavior for dogs. Growling is a behavior that is used by dogs for a number of reasons and is not always a sign or act of aggression. Growling can be see in dogs when they are guarding, feel threatened and even in play. We do not recommend growling in a dogs face ever. This can easily get you bitten. There are many other ways to gain a dogs attention, control dominance and assert yourself as a pack leader that are safer and much more effective.

Another method of correcting behavior that was used by the other trainers was to take a bag containing a chain and to throw it at the dog when it was acting out. They explained that this would mimic another dog biting them on the neck and would teach the dog to stop the undesired behavior. This method of training did not work well for these clients. It seems as though they did more property damage in their home than they did dog training. We also do not recommend throwing chains at dogs. It can injure the dog and can cause phobic dogs to go over the edge. Not to mention that you can destroy your house if your aim is a bit off. Biting on the neck is a common correction utilized by dogs however, I personally, do not understand how throwing a chain, in a bag or not, at a dog can in any way mimic biting them on the neck.

There are a number of progressive method for training dogs these days and almost everyone has their own gimmic. Some of the work wonderfully and others, well, not so much. When considering any training method or trainer, always keep your safety and the safety of your dog in mind.