Should You Send You Reactive or Aggressive Dog to a Board and Train Program?

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Discover how to transform your reactive or aggressive dog with insights that could make a life-altering difference. Join me, Will Bangura, Arizona's only certified canine behaviorist, as I share the critical truths about why traditional board and train programs might be failing you and your furry friend. We'll unravel the misconception that aggression is the problem when, in reality, it's merely a symptom of deeper issues such as fear, anxiety, or stress. Rather than settling for quick fixes, I emphasize the importance of long-term behavior modification to achieve lasting change.

In this eye-opening episode, I challenge the prevailing myth that punishment-based training methods are effective, explaining how they can actually worsen the situation by ignoring the root emotions causing aggression. Learn why tools like shock collars and choke chains are temporary patches that don't address the underlying emotional turmoil. With over 24,000 pets trained under my belt, I'll guide you through understanding the emotional communication of your dog and why patience and consistency over several months is the only real path to relief. Whether you're a seasoned dog owner or facing new challenges with your furry companion, this conversation promises invaluable insights that can lead to a peaceful coexistence.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Raised by wolves with canine DNA in his blood.
Having trained more than 24,000pets, helping you and your fur
babies thrive, live in studiowith Will Bangura answering your
pet behavior and trainingquestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, pleasewelcome your host and favorite
pet behavior expert, willBangura.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Would you like to go on?
Y'all ready for this?
Good day, dog lovers.
I'm Will Bangor.
Hey, thanks for joining me foranother episode of Dog Training

(00:49):
today.
Real quick, this is going to bea short, short message, but
powerful About 10 minutes.
I hope you'll listen to theentire thing, but if you've got
a dog that's reactive, if you'vegot a dog that is aggressive,
you absolutely need to hear this.
I just got off the phone.

(01:09):
Just got off the phone withsome individual I won't say
their name, keep them anonymous.
Where I mentioned, I just did,this podcast, which talks to the
problem that they're dealingwith, because I get calls every
single day from pet parents thathave dogs that are reactive and
aggressive, that have sent themaway to board and train

(01:33):
programs, only to have them comeback and the aggression comes
back.
That it might have gone awaytemporarily, but it always comes
back.
That it might have gone awaytemporarily, but it always comes
back.
And also the use of aversivetools and methods for trying to
deal with aggression andreactivity, which never work.
So I want to get straight intoit.

(01:55):
Here you go.
I hope this is helpful.
Hi, I'm Will Bangura, the ownerof Phoenix Dog Training and
Arizona's only certified caninebehaviorist.
I specialize in complexbehavioral issues, including
aggression, reactivity, fears,phobias, obsessive compulsive

(02:19):
behaviors and much, much more.
Today I want to addresssomething that could make a life
or death difference for yourdog, especially if you're
dealing with aggression.
So I hope you'll take the next10 minutes to go through this
entire video.
I promise you the informationin here is invaluable.

(02:42):
There's a crisis in dogtraining and there's a crisis in
sending dogs to board and trainfor aggression.
Right now in dog training,particularly for dogs with
aggression and reactivity, I getcalls every day from pet
parents who have sent their dogsto board and train programs

(03:03):
hoping to resolve these seriousissues.
Let me tell you up front boardand train is the worst possible
option for dogs with aggressionor reactivity.
Why?
Because these are deep-rooted,complex behavioral problems that
require months, usually threeto six months of consistent,

(03:25):
focused behavior modification.
A two-, three or four-weekboard and train program simply
cannot address these issues.
At best you're looking at atemporary fix.
At worst it can cause more harm.
Let's talk about what drivesaggression.
Before we talk about solutions,it's crucial to understand what

(03:46):
drives aggression.
Aggression is not the problemitself.
It's a symptom of an underlyingissue In almost every case,
aggressive behaviors are drivenby fear, anxiety, stress or
discomfort.
These are emotional states thatlead to outward expressions

(04:06):
like growling, snapping, lungingor even biting.
Aggression is a form ofcommunication for the dog.
It's their way of saying I feelthreatened.
Whether that threat is real orperceived doesn't matter.
If a dog feels afraid oruncomfortable, their fight or

(04:26):
flight response is triggered andaggression is often their
chosen strategy.
Let's talk about why punishmentfails.
Many board and train facilitiesuse punishment-based methods.
They'll just say it's acorrection, but correction is
just a nicer word for punishment.
They use punishment-basedmethods shock collars, prong

(04:47):
collars, choke chains tosuppress aggressive behaviors.
But punishment is a band-aidsolution and here's why it
doesn't address the underlyingemotional state.
It merely stops the outwardbehavior for a short time.
Oh sure, you might suppress thegrowling or the lunging, but

(05:09):
the dog's internal stress andfear remain.
In fact, punishment often makesthose feelings worse, leading
to what I call the pressurecooker effect.
When you punish a dog forexpressing aggression, you
suppress the outward signs, butthe anxiety and stress build up
inside.
Eventually the dog will explodeand the aggressive behavior

(05:32):
will return, sometimes evenworse than before.
That's why I often hear frompet parents who say, hey, we
sent our dog to a board andtrain and within two weeks to
two months the aggression cameright back.
The truth is the dog neverlearned to stop being aggressive
.
They just learned to suppressthe signs for a short while out

(05:54):
of fear of punishment.
We have to change the dog'semotional state.
If you want to resolveaggression, you must change the
dog's underlying emotional state.
This means moving the dog fromfear, anxiety and stress to
relaxation and positiveassociations with the things

(06:14):
that they find threatening,whether it's another dog, a
person or something else.
This process is calledcounter-conditioning and
desensitization, and that takestime.
You're looking at months ofcareful, systematic work, not a
quick-fix solution.
But throughcounter-conditioning we teach
the dog that the trigger theyonce feared is no longer a

(06:37):
threat.
Over time, as the dog'semotional state changes, the
aggressive behaviors disappearbecause they're no longer
necessary.
The dog doesn't feel the needto go into fight or flight
because they no longer perceivethe trigger as dangerous.
Here's why board and trainfails aggressive dogs.

(06:58):
Two weeks, three weeks, fourweeks is nowhere near enough
time to address deep-rootedaggression.
You're talking about a process,like I said, that can take
three to six months.
Aggression is not a quick fixsolution.
It requires long-term behaviormodification and, as I mentioned

(07:19):
, many board and train programsrely on punishment-based methods
.
This approach suppressesbehavior temporarily but does
not solve the problem.
In fact, as I said, punishmentcan worsen the underlying
emotional state of fear andanxiety, which then increases
the likelihood of futureaggression.

(07:39):
Sending a fearful, anxious dogaway from their familiar
environment into a high-stresssituation only makes matters
worse.
The dog is likely to feel evenmore threatened in a strange
place surrounded by new peopleand new animals.
This added stress canexacerbate aggressive behaviors

(08:02):
and make them harder to resolvein the long run.
Let's talk about what theexperts are saying, though it's
not just me saying this.
Leading organizations,including the American
Veterinary Society of AnimalBehavior, including the American
Veterinary Society of AnimalBehavior, the ASPCA, the Humane

(08:22):
Society, the American VeterinaryMedical Association, all
strongly oppose the use ofpunishment-based methods.
Over 40 scientific studies showthat punishment increases
aggression and anxiety in thelong term.
On the flip side, positivereinforcement methods using
rewards to change behavior arefaster, more effective and lead

(08:46):
to long-term results withoutcausing harm.
Positive reinforcement helpscreate lasting change by
addressing the root cause of thedog's emotional state.
It's about teaching the dog tofeel safe and relaxed around
triggers, not punishing them forexpressing fear.

(09:09):
You've got to do your homework.
If you're dealing withaggression, you need a
professional who understandsbehavior at a deep level,
someone with a formal educationin animal behavior and even
fewer, with real credentials.
You would never take your childto an unlicensed therapist or

(09:37):
psychiatrist.
Your dog deserves no less.
Look for professionals that arecertified by legitimate
organizations such as theCertification Council for
professional dog trainers,international Canine
Behaviorists, the InternationalAssociation of Animal Behavior

(10:00):
Consultants.
True certification alsorequires continuing education,
ethics and accountability.
Don't trust trainers who useshock collars or prong collars.
Legitimate certificationsstrictly forbid these tools
because they cause harm andthey're unnecessary.

(10:20):
Look anywhere else in the worldEurope, canada, australia those
tools are banned.
Those tools are illegal.
Only in America, only in ourfreedom-loving country, can you
put a shock collar remote insomebody's hand, take punishment

(10:43):
and dress that up as dogtraining and behavior
modification.
It doesn't take any education,it doesn't take any skill to
punish a dog, especially whenyou're just pressing a button on
a remote.
Do you really need to paysomebody hundreds, if not
thousands of dollars to do that?

(11:04):
That's not training.
That's not behaviormodification.
If you're considering sendingyour dog to board and train.
Please reconsider.
The best place for your dog isat home, working one-on-one with
a professional who understandsbehavior modification.

(11:27):
If you rely on punishment-basedtools, you risk damaging your
relationship with your dog andworsening their emotional state.
If we don't properly addressaggression, the consequences can
be dire.
Some dogs may end up beingrehomed or even euthanized.

(11:47):
But with the right approach,using positive reinforcement and
addressing the root cause, youcan help your dog overcome these
challenges.
Thank you for taking the timeto listen.
If you're dealing withaggression, reach out to a
certified professional who usespositive, science-based methods.

(12:08):
Your dog's life may depend onit.