HELP for your aggressive dog

I was invited by Mary Zacharatos at Five Star Dog Training in Kamloops to do a seminar about aggressive and reactive dogs. Of course I said YES right away. This is one of my favourite topics, and Five Star is where I received HELP and support for my own aggressive dog.

I should note how uncomfortable I am writing the words “my own aggressive dog”. Maxwell is actually soft, affectionate, cuddly, happy, enthusiastic, energetic, silly, smart, loving, polite… except when he feels threatened. Then he’s fearful, reactive, alert, aroused, and… aggressive. How can he be all of these things?

These are all words we use to describe how our dogs appear in certain contexts.

Aggression is not by any means a personality trait. And it’s certainly not a display of vindictive or vicious intention. It is simply a set of specific behaviours that we humans label as aggressive. If dog handlers can anticipate and avoid situations where our dogs display those behaviours, or work toward making our dogs feel more comfortable in those situations, then we will see less of the “aggressive” behaviours, and more happy, enthusiastic…etc. There, doesn’t that make you relax a little bit?

Mary and I settled on the title “Help for your aggressive dog” because it is meaningful to our target audience — caregivers who notice that their dogs are behaving in a way that seems, well, aggressive.

I’m really looking forward to this seminar. There are some educational side benefits as well.

1. I’ll share handouts, slides, and any other resources related to this seminar using a creative commons license.
2. In keeping with my interest in Teaching Dog Trainers how to Teach People, I’ll document the planning process as I prepare for this event, and reflections on how it went.
3. Proceeds of the event will be used to develop educational materials for caregivers of rescued dogs (copyright also creative commons) 

HELP FOR YOUR AGGRESSIVE DOG

(To help us anticipate numbers, please RSVP via Facebook if you can. Thanks!)

When: Saturday, February 27, 2 – 4pm
Where: 5 Star Dog Training, 340D 12th Avenue, Kamloops

Does your dog’s reaction to other dogs or people concern you? Do you wonder why your sweet, calm couch potato becomes anxious or unruly in certain environments?

In this seminar we will explore:
• what’s behind that lunging, barking and growling
• how to prevent the problem behaviour from occurring, and
• ways to HELP your dog to cope in the world

Sylvia Currie, MA, BEd, devotes much of her time to learning about, and improving, dog-human relationships. She is an active member of the Pet Professional Guild and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and volunteers time and expertise to helping dogs at Angel’s Animal Rescue in Merritt. More info: sylviacurrie.ca

Proceeds will go toward developing educational materials for caregivers of rescued dogs.

5 Star Dog Training, 340D 12th Avenue, Kamloops (behind the Lampost near the tracks)

$20 individual, $30 family rate
This is a people-only event. Please leave dogs at home or in your vehicle.

e-transfer to maryzacharatos@shaw.ca, or pay at door (cash or cheque)

(photo credit: Brett Davies CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 https://flic.kr/p/9n3DQ5)