Cousin Mike called for some help because– despite already using the prong collar– his new Labrador-mix “Abby” was still ignoring him and showing aggressive dog behavior. After talking with Cousin Mike for 20 minutes or so, he sent me this email the next morning. It’s a good example of how the right knowledge combined with the right tools can produce fantastic results:
“Hi, Adam: I just wanted to let you know that taking a link out of her prong collar seems to be doing the trick. While she still wants to go after dogs or squirrels, after a firm tug-and-release on her leash she is submitting and not continuing to fight to get to the dog or squirrel. So, that tells me she is thinking twice about it. Still have a ways to go with this, but I am seeing difference.”
“Also, I’ve been doing the crate training… and while she is not 100% comfortable going into the crate without a little tug on her tab, she does go in by herself if I can get her to within 10 ft or so. I’ve been leaving her in for incrementally longer periods when I train her and she has not been whining or crying. We’ve been putting her in when we leave the house and she is excited when we return– but nothing too bad.”
“Thanks for the pointers. My ultimate goal is to be able to take her outside the house off-leash. I’ll keep working on it. I’ll keep you posted. – Cousin Mike.”
You might also be interested in reading more advice on Aggressive Dog Training.