The Grumpy Growlers Group  

We are delighted to be able to announce a new dog training course specifically for dog aggressive dogs. This course is unique and will only be available on veterinary referral as there are medical causes of aggressive behaviour which need to be ruled out prior to undertaking behavioural modification.  

The Grumpy Growlers group is designed specifically for dogs which are aggressive towards other dogs. The cost is £95.00 for a six week course and involves a workshop without dogs where we will discuss over refreshments the purpose of aggression, why and how it develops. We will also be discussing how to reinforce appropriate responses and how not to reinforce aggressive responses. We will be discussing the equipment to be used and covering muzzle training etc.

Thereafter, classes will be run in a private field on Saturday afternoons with the use of two stooge dogs, two trainers and a behaviourist. Class size is set to approx 7  in a large open private field.

Outdoor training for dog aggressive dogs is better than indoor classes for two main reasons. Indoors there is less space, more confinement and more stress which increases aggression. Also, dogs learn contextually and do not generalise training well. Since dogs are mainly going to encounter other dogs in an outdoors context, their rehabilitation training should be delivered outdoors as this will have the optimum rehabilitation value.

£95.00 is an excellent price as a full behavioural consultation costs £75.00 for two hours. This course enables a consultation plus 5 x 45 minute sessions of practical rehabilitation. We are offering this because we feel it offers a more effective and cost effective solution to dealing with dog aggressive dogs than a standard behavioural consultation.

This is a summary of the outcome of the first course we ran in this way.

7 attendees at the beginning of the course. All owners rated their dog 1 out of a possible 5 (My dog growls/barks or lunges at most dogs). By the end, 6 rated their dogs 3 (my dog has improved but growls and lunges at some dogs sometimes) and 1 rated 4 (my dog is playing with some dogs). Three months on and this dog is living a good life interacting with other dogs, please see testimonialbelow)

At the end of the course 4 of the 7 dogs were able to wait in a vet waiting room with one other stooge dog without showing discomfort or aggression. We did not try with 3 of the dogs as they clearly were not ready for that.

By the end of the course, we removed the muzzles from 4 of the dogs to evaluate whether or not they were actually tolerating other dogs that well or the muzzle was inhibiting their behaviour. We found that the muzzle made no difference to their behaviour. These dogs were equally accepting of other dogs off muzzle as on muzzle.

During the course 3 of the dogs were able to weave through a line of people and dogs off lead (distance approx 3-4 feet) whilst muzzled without showing any discomfort or aggression by week 4. The other dogs (except one) were able to weave whilst on lead (not because of risk of aggression but because they had not learned recall). By the last week the other dog was also able to walk between people and other dogs without showing aggression (on lead for control reasons).

All 7 finished the course and all 7 improved by at least 2 categories on their progress chart.

Following the course, 1 dog is going through the practical classes again to make further progress. 1 dog is now attending our regular outdoor classes and shows no sign of aggression. 3 of the group are meeting regularly to further their rehabilitation together whilst keeping in touch with us about their progress.

Testimonial. 

I was referred to Grumpy Growlers and Denise by my local vet when my bitch Roxy started to show increasing levels of aggression to other dogs following a bite by another dog. The initial evening talk by Denise was very enlightening for me and made me realise that Roxy had been exhibiting signs of nervous aggression far longer than I had been aware and we had only just reached an extreme point in her behaviour. The outdoor classes were a great help to me. Roxy, although nervous, was able to interact at a safe distance and be around other dogs in a very calm and controlled setting and gradually I was able to put the techniques and lessons we were both learning into practice outside the class. By the end of the course Roxy was able to be in the company of other dogs without showing much nervousness let alone aggression. We moved onto the general social class that Denise holds where she can meet other dogs in a far less controlled setting. It has been some months now since Grumpy Growlers finished and Roxy is now back to full integration with other dogs. She is still wary of some and dislikes close contact with most dogs but I have learned to read her warning signs and am able to extract her from situations when she becomes too overwhelmed. She has become a much happier dog and thus has much happier owners since doing the course. Catherine and Roxy (3 year old Border Collie/Whippet cross)

This is wonderful news but I feel I should say that complete rehabilitation is not the norm and we are exceptionally delighted with Catherine and Roxy's prgoress, which was above and beyond what even we hoped for. Most cases we expect to be able to help the dog to cope by learning to just ignore other dogs or to feel comfortable around a few dogs. Occasional blips are normal. So, generally, do not expect a miracle after a 6 week course but do expect to know how to handle your dog, how not to make him worse and how to help him to learn to tolerate other dogs. It is usually a life long commitment to continually working with your dog to build confidence and manage any blips. Also some breeds rehabilitate more readily than others which is also a factor to be aware of.  

If you are interested in these classes please telephone Denise Nuttall on 01202 861340 or 07764 250554