ft. Romeo
Help for Dog Behavior Problems
Humane, Skilled & Professional Help
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with Anthony De Marinis & Vinny Viola
Your dog has a behavior issue, now what?
Start by setting up a Comprehensive Behavior Consultation. All consultations take place in the comfort of your home with Anthony De Marinis, who is an IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant. Behavior modification and safety & management programs are designed to meet the needs of each dog and household. (Online Virtual Sessions are available as well.)
What is behavior modification?
Behavior modification is a treatment approach for changing the undesirable behaviors that your dog exhibits. Behavior modification uses counter conditioning and desensitization approaches, a variety of training skills as well as implementing management and safety protocols. Behavior modification can address a broad range of issues. After discussing your dog’s issues and learning why they might do the things that they do, plans and protocols are created to help manage and modify the behavior(s) of concern. Behavior Modification programs are designed to meet the specific needs of each dog and household. Services typically take place in your home, however services can also be provided at other locations of your choice. (Online Virtual Behavior Sessions are also available).
Behavior Modification addresses issues such as:
- Aggression to people, dogs and other animals
- Reactive behaviors on walks, such as barking and lunging
- Generalized Anxiety and/or Fear
- Resource Guarding and Territorial Issues
- Fear of noises, people, other animals, and storms
- Aggressive, reactive and fearful behavior towards children
- Difficult Decisions: Consulting on difficult situations and potential outcomes
- Separation Anxiety and other issues when home alone
- Destruction
- Excessive attention-seeking
- And Much More!
During the Comprehensive Behavior Consultation, we will:
- Get to know you and your dog with an in-depth & thorough behavior history form
- Discuss your goals and concerns to develop a plan
- Introduce training concepts
- Provide helpful suggestions and information
- Observe and evaluate your dog
- Discuss options for behavior modification and how we can help
- Discuss safety &/or management strategies
- Implementation of strategies typically begins during the consultation
URGENT APPOINTMENTS:
If you have an urgent matter, urgent appointments can be made available by request. These can occur in-person &/or virtually. (Additional Fees Apply). Please inquire to learn more.
Online Virtual Behavior Sessions are Available
Aside from in-home consultations, Anthony also provides Online Virtual Behavior Sessions as another option for clients locally and across the country. If you do not have a qualified behavior professional near you, you can get help no matter where you live!
Session Clips
Leash Reactivity Skills
Body Handling Issues
What are triggers?
Spatial Pressure
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes behavior issues in dogs?
Behavior issues in dogs can be a result of many things. Some common reasons behavior issues occur include:
- Lack of proper, early and appropriate socialization
- Fear, anxiety and stress
- Lack of training
- Traumatic experiences
- Rehearsed behaviors: when a behavior is practiced over and over
- Improper training and/or use of tools, such as: electric collars, chokers, fear tactics, and physical force
- Genetic predisposition (poor breeding)
- Medical and physical issues
- Reinforcing inappropriate behaviors
How long will it take to fix my dog's behavior issues?
The answer to this question really depends on a variety of factors. These include:
- What the behavior issue is
- The severity of the problem will determine how long it can take to address a problem
- How long the issue has gone on
- How the issue may have been addressed prior, if at all.
- How long it will take your dog to process and comprehend behavior modification protocols and training
- If the owner chooses to follow through on implementation of training and behavior modification protocols
Helpful tips for behavior change
Upload Video Footage
If you have any videos of the problem behaviors, it is helpful to upload them to your computer. You can also upload a couple of videos where your dog is just being him/her self, regardless if it shows any of the behavior issues. If possible, please upload videos on Youtube and make sure to select it as “Unlisted” so that it is not public. Once your appointment is scheduled, you can send Anthony an email with the links to each video. You can also upload video to Google Drive if you prefer. If none of these options work for you, just save them to your computer and Anthony can share the screen view option together during the consult. All videos will be reviewed together during the consult. If you do not have video footage of the issues, do not worry. It is NOT worth trying to provoke your dogs behavior or put yourself or your dog in harms way for video footage.
Keep a Behavior History Journal
In a notebook, you should be writing down specific incidents when the problem behavior(s) happens is key! You should also include what happens before and after the behavior(s) as this provides valuable information. Include as much detail as you can.
Understand What Your Dog Is Saying
Our dogs are constantly communicating through their body language and behavior. Understanding canine body language and communication signals is important because it can help us learn about how our dogs are feeling and why they are doing the behaviors they choose to display. Taking the time to learn about canine body language and communication signals is the first step in treating any behavior issue. Here are some credible sources of information to learn about canine body language and communication:
- ispeakdog.org
- whole-dog-journal.com
- positively.com
- Book: On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas