RotNDog
Training & Behavior Consulting
Frequently asked questions
No. I cannot (nor can anyone) guarantee behavior to change 100%. We cannot always predict our own behavior in given situations and in certain contexts, let alone the behavior of an animal of another species. It would be unethical to offer a guarantee of your dog's behavior because you can NEVER guarantee the behavior of any living being’s brain. Also, progress depends largely on your compliance to my suggestions. However, I CAN guarantee to offer continued guidance and support along the way.
Considering that I have been working with dogs who display aggression/fear/anxiety for over 20 years, I come highly recommend, have published training articles, am a desired public speaker, have had my hands on tens of thousands of dogs, and book out appointments in advance - I’d say pretty good! I do not have numbers, as the success of my clients, while partially does depend on me and my recommendations, it is solely and wholly up to them to stay committed and implement my suggestions. Some people just can’t or don’t want to put in the effort, and that is not a loss on my end as I have no control over who wants to work with their dog and who doesn’t. But I am grateful that those people who chose not carry on make space in my schedule for those who do.
No. Since behavior problems - especially aggression, fear, and anxiety - are largely affected by the dog’s environment (home, lifestyle, daily routine, interactions with household members, etc) it is much more effective long term to work with the problems where they are occurring - your home and with you as the owner. When a dog is removed from their environment, they will often times stop displaying the “problem” behaviors as they are no longer in their territory (their home and neighborhood) or with their social group (owners and dog house mates). This can drastically change behavior. A board and train facility will likely not replicate your home environment where the problems are occurring. While board and train can be effective for dogs who are not upset and just need basic obedience, I hear from potential clients on a regular basis that they sent their dog away to a board and train program for aggression/fear/anxiety and when their dog returned, the behavior was unchanged or returned quickly. That’s because the dog came back to their old environment. Therefore, that’s where we put in the work.
SAFETY is first and foremost the top priority whenever making decisions about the behavior change plan. I always want to make sure that the dog, the owner, myself, and the public are safe in whatever it is that we are doing. All training plans are catered to each individual dog, household, and situation. The same problem behavior can be addressed in multiple ways across multiple homes, depending on the variables at hand. So there is not one “method” per se. That being said, all animals - including our dogs - should be treated with compassion and respect. So we abide by the LIMA principle in dog training which stands for “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive,” to meet your training goals. As a summary, this means that we focus on your dog’s medical, nutritional, emotional, and physical needs first; then management strategies second; positive reinforcement of desired behaviors third; extinction and negative punishment of undesired behaviors fourth; and fifth and finally positive punishment for undesired behaviors only if and when all the other efforts have been utilized and the undesired behavior remains unchanged. This approach allows for the dog (and owners) to be set up for success as much as possible and reduces overall stress while also doing the least amount of “work” needed to see behavior change.
At this time - no. I was a member of several independent certifying bodies for 15+ years. However, due to extreme politics and wars within the dog training industry that have tainted these organizations enough where they started making blind assumptions, I have made the decision to allow my certifications to voluntarily lapse as I do not wish to be a part of unethical drama.
No. We aim for as much of a reduction in displays of aggression, fear, and anxiety, as possible. True anxiety and true aggression can never (usually) be fully removed from a dog’s personality as we cannot change their history, trauma, genetic makeup, etc. It is part of who your dog is as a hard wired, adaptive trait of survival - ie aggression, fear, and anxiety are actually part of NORMAL dog behavior. It is not something that can be "fixed" just as a person with anxiety cannot be "fixed” like a toaster or a car. We can however, work on plans to provide your dog with his/her basic biological needs, work on changing your dog's emotional responses, controlling your dog’s behavior in certain situations, altering how you interact with your dog, decreasing your dog's stress levels, and manipulating the environment in order to prevent future displays of aggression. In order to see success with your dog, you must first be able to accept and embrace that this is who your dog is.
No. I am a firm believer that the only people who should make the decision to euthanize for behavioral reasons are the people who take care of the dog every day. That being said, I understand that everyone has a limit on their resources, whether that be physical, emotional, or financial. As long as clients are still willing to move forward, I will continue to move forward with them. And if they decide that they have exhausted their resources, I will stand by their decision.
My services are very different from other training services because not only do I work with dogs with challenging behavior problems such as aggression, fear, and anxiety, but I live with them too! It’s very different for someone to give advice on working with aggression/fear/anxiety and then they go home to well bred, well socialized dogs at the end of the day without truly knowing the small, intricate details of living with these types of dogs, let alone the depth of the emotional component of being frustrated, stressed, and even scared of what your dog may do. I personally only adopt dogs who are going to be euthanized for aggression - almost all of my dogs over the years (living with up 2-8 dogs at once) have come to me with multiple, previous severe bites. And most of them have owner directed aggression (my favorite issue to work with!). One of my current dogs actually bit his last owner’s finger off. So yes, I understand what it’s like to live with dogs who display these issues, and therefore I understand that details matter through and through. And that, is what most other dog trainers are lacking in this line of the field.
There is no such thing as licensing in the dog training industry as it is an unregulated field. I have a well rounded background of being self taught, having mentors, attending an online school, as well as attending an in person school. Learning never stops though - so I continue to engage in continuing education all of the time.
The initial consult is roughly 1-2 hours in length which includes: meeting in person, going over a detailed history on your dog's behavior (I will email you a questionnaire ahead of time for you to fill out. It is REQUIRED that you return it to me PRIOR to the appointment), discussing your realistic goals as an owner so we're all on the same page, an overview of safety/management strategies, an overview of basic biological needs, an overview of training foundations needed to achieve your goals, working with your dog on the necessary foundation behaviors in which we have the time for, handouts, and a detailed email on what we went over during the session. Please note that this first session is focused primarily on educating YOU as the owner/caretaker of the dog, and what will be needed as far as lifestyle changes moving forward to ensure success. Sometimes, we may not even do anything with the dog! Building a strong foundation is crucial. The humans have to be “trained” first.
No. I am a firm believer that the only people who should make the decision to euthanize for behavioral reasons are the people who take care of the dog every day. That being said, I understand that everyone has a limit on their resources, whether that be physical, emotional, or financial. As long as clients are still willing to move forward, I will continue to move forward with them. And if they decide that they have exhausted their resources, I will stand by their decision.
The initial consult is roughly 1-2 hours in length which includes: meeting in person, going over a detailed history on your dog's behavior (I will email you a questionnaire ahead of time for you to fill out. It is REQUIRED that you return it to me PRIOR to the appointment), discussing your realistic goals as an owner so we're all on the same page, an overview of safety/management strategies, an overview of basic biological needs, an overview of training foundations needed to achieve your goals, working with your dog on the necessary foundation behaviors in which we have the time for, handouts, and a detailed email on what we went over during the session. Please note that this first session is focused primarily on educating YOU as the owner/caretaker of the dog, and what will be needed as far as lifestyle changes moving forward to ensure success. Sometimes, we may not even do anything with the dog! Building a strong foundation is crucial. The humans have to be “trained” first.