08/24/2026
While dogs have been domesticated, we’ve got to remember that mother nature made them predators first, and pets second. HOT TAKE: Violence has always been part of their repertoire and the animal kingdom doesn’t concern itself with ethics over effectiveness.
Clearly, if your dog bites someone, then there is a serious issue that needs to be resolved. But in almost all bite cases, there are signs before the bite happened that should not have been ignored. So, at what point does a pet owner need to call a professional?
Whether you call it “aggression,” “reactivity” or anything else, there is a tremendous amount of grey area here.
Andrew, our Lead Trainer, has been remediating aggressive dog behavior for almost three decades, which is long enough to have seen nearly every fact pattern of aggression and reactivity, including the attempts that owners put forward to curtail the behavior.
Fundamentally, there are two different profiles: Dogs that demonstrate a willingness to employ violence at their own discretion (think lunging, growling), and dogs who have already performed an act of violence (like a bite). The “not yet” category is the group where you can teach them your new expectations, and will have a reasonably high probability of success. The “already did” category comes with a prognosis that is much more complicated.
The problem with these types of training reforms is that you need an extremely rapid learning curve, combined with a level of reliability that is nearly flawless. In other words, you need behavior improvements immediately and permanently.
To learn more about common mistakes in addressing aggression in your dog and what we at black belt canine academy do differently, check out our Learning Center at www.blackbeltcanineacademy.com, purchase Andrew's book, Black Belt Canine Academy: The Ultimate Guide to Dog Training from amazon (https://amzn.to/4xiapKR) and if you are in the greater tucson area looking for help from a professional, call today at 520-276-9261.
