Defensive Dog Program (DDP)

The Defensive Dog Program (DDP), a specialized board and train program designed to address your dog’s defensive or reactive behavior. The average duration of DDP varies based on the severity of your dog’s issues, typically ranging from 5-6 weeks for on-leash training to 6-8 weeks for *off-leash training.

It’s important to note that many clients mistakenly believe their dog is aggressive when, in reality, the dog is merely defensive. Aggressive and defensive drives or behaviors are often misinterpreted, not only by inexperienced owners but also by some dog trainers and behaviorists. Accurately identifying these drives requires a highly experienced K9 handler or trainer.

Defensive dogs can pose serious risks, even potentially fatal ones. We have assisted numerous clients who turned to us as a last resort after trying various options provided by other canine training facilities. Regrettably, owners of aggressive or defensive dogs may face legal issues, disputes with neighbors, or even the heartbreaking decision to euthanize their pet. Despite these challenges, we assure you that it is possible to rehabilitate your dog.

Defensive behavior towards people or other dogs can stem from various factors, including poor temperament or genetics, fear, negative associations, lack of socialization, inadequate training, or an ill-defined pack hierarchy. Addressing defensive behavior towards other dogs may involve clarifying household rules, improving dog introductions, or managing multiple dogs in one area. It is crucial for owners of defensive dogs to remain committed to their pet’s training and consistently reinforce desired behaviors.

Choose our expert Defensive Dog Program to confidently and effectively address your dog’s unique challenges, fostering a safer and more harmonious relationship between you and your canine companion.

Our Defensive Dog Program (DDP) will Teach/Enhance the Following Behaviors:

Manners

  • Establishing boundaries through pack hierarchy.
  • *Curbing excessive barking.
  • *Teaching dogs to wait patiently at the door.
  • Preventing pulling on the leash during walks.
  • *Discouraging jumping on furniture.
  • Stopping dogs from jumping on people.
  • **Offering optional housebreaking and potty training.
  • Familiarizing and socializing dogs with public places and other pets.

Obedience

  • Recall (on or *off-leash)
  • Heeling (on or *off-leash)
  • Sit (on or *off-leash)
  • Lay (on or *off-leash)
  • Bed (on or *off-leash)
  • Crate (on or *off-leash)
  • Leave it (on or *off-leash)
  • Fetch (on or *off-leash)

DDP Overview

Our tailored Defensive Dog Program (DDP) begins by identifying the root causes of your dog’s aggressive behavior, allowing us to create a customized plan to address wrong associations, bad experiences, fears, and stress. The DDP starts with a foundation phase where we establish pack hierarchy, teaching your dog to trust us as leaders and food providers. This approach helps to eliminate many common conflicts related to potty and crate training, handling, walking on different surfaces, walking on-leash, and accepting the wear of a collar. We also introduce food luring and emphasize familiarization and socialization, exposing your dog to diverse people, pets, large animals, loud noises, moving objects, and environmental distractions.

Once your dog has learned foundational skills, we focus on teaching obedience basics, such as Come, basic Heel (walking on a loose leash), Sit, Lay, Crate, Bed, In, and Out. All commands inherently include basic Stay, ensuring your dog remains in the last command until freed. We also work on housebreaking and reshaping unwanted behaviors, like *chewing, *digging, *excessive barking, *bolting, jumping on people and *furniture,*counter surfing, and pulling on the leash.

Throughout your dog’s enrollment in DDP, we will maintain a private Google Drive folder to share photos and videos, keeping you informed and involved in their progress.

Upon completing DDP, your dog will receive a training certificate. Once the program concludes, we will schedule a drop-off date and time, returning your trained dog free of charge. We will provide a 90-minute orientation, demonstrating how to correctly command your dog and enforce training collar use for on-leash training or E-Collar use for off-leash training, as needed.

As the owner of a newly trained dog, understanding and applying their new skills is essential to success. Upon drop-off, you and your family members will demonstrate your ability to enforce desired behaviors, ensuring a smooth transition and reinforcing your role as your dog’s leader and food provider.

Our board and train programs are backed by lifetime support, offering assistance through voice or video calls, texts, emails, or visual learning aids. We will assess if an on-site visit is necessary for addressing more serious concerns or issues that may arise, ensuring continued success for you and your canine companion.

Who may Benefit from our DDP?

  • Owners who seek peace of mind, knowing their dog won’t bite them, others, or other animals.
  • Owners who want to confidently include their dog in everyday activities without fear of aggressive behavior.
  • Owners who desire a higher level of control over their dogs for improved safety and enjoyment.
  • Owners who enjoy an active lifestyle and wish to include their dogs in activities such as camping, hiking, biking, and running.
  • Owners who aim to minimize the risk of their dog being involved in accidents (e.g., running into a street or highway) or engaging in fights with other dogs in public settings

DDP Prerequisite

  • Before enrollment, please ensure your dog meets the following requirements:

    • Potty and Crate Trained: If your dog is not potty and/or crate trained, we will automatically add our Foundation Package to their training, which includes potty and crate training.
    • No Food Aggression: For dogs with food aggression, will be we will automatically add our our Food Aggression Package, which focuses on reshaping food aggression behaviors.
    • Friendly toward Humans and Other Pets: This ensures a safe and productive training environment for all involved.
    • Up-to-date Vaccination Record and Rabies Certificate: Please provide us with your dog’s most recent vaccination records and rabies certificate for the safety of all dogs and trainers.

    Additionally, kindly provide the following items when enrolling your dog in our training programs:

      • A small bag of your dog’s current dry food: This helps maintain dietary consistency and prevents gastrointestinal issues.
      • Any additional medications or supplements your dog is currently prescribed or taking: This ensures we can continue administering the necessary treatments during the training program.

Pricing, Enrollment, Pick-Up and Drop-Off

  • We invite you to contact us by phone, text, email, or through our online interest form to learn about the most up-to-date rates for our Defensive Dog Program (DDP). While the initial cost of training may seem substantial, we encourage you to consider the time and effort required to properly train a dog, transforming them into a well-behaved and enjoyable companion. Think of training as a valuable investment in your dog, one that will bring lasting benefits throughout their lifetime.

    To guarantee the quality and effectiveness of our DDP program, we offer limited training slots, ensuring that each enrolled dog receives the necessary time and attention. New openings may be available as infrequently as every other week.

    To further enhance your experience, we provide a complimentary pick-up and drop-off service for all our board and train programs. This service allows us to better understand your dog’s behavior in their familiar environment, which is crucial for developing a tailored training plan for your dog and your family. Our clients appreciate the added convenience of our pick-up and drop-off service, making the training process even more seamless and enjoyable.

Register Now!

The presence of a single asterisk (*) indicates a requirement for off-leash training, which is provided exclusively through our Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Meanwhile, two asterisks (**) signify an add-on package.