Jason Major
Applied Animal Behavorist
Applied Animal Behavorist
989.858.1846
Behavior Consultation and Therapy
Off-Leash Training
Canine Companion Training
Private In-Home Training
Flush - Point - Retrieve
Clicker Camp
Day Training
Pet Containment Design - Installation - Training
Off-Leash Training
Canine Companion Training
Private In-Home Training
Flush - Point - Retrieve
Clicker Camp
Day Training
Pet Containment Design - Installation - Training
Behavioral Therapy Program
SongDog is the industry leader in the rehabilitation, management and extinction of aggressive behavior in canines. We have been sought out by concerned owners and treated dogs with behavioral problems from California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Holland, Russia and Sweden. SongDog specializes in the treatment of all forms of aggression: - Avoidance-motivated aggression (commonly referred to as human, dominance or impulse control aggression)
- Fear/anxiety aggression
- Possessive aggression (toward food, toys, resting space)
- Conspecific (dog-on-dog aggression which can be motivated by fear or hierarchical issues)
- Idiopathic aggression (commonly referred to as "rage" aggression)
- Predatory aggression (toward other animals e.g. a cat)
- Sport aggression (maintained through play reinforcement)
SongDog's goal is to provide the most innovative and scientifically sound training and behavioral therapy techniques available. I am an Applied Animal Behaviorist...not a dog trainer. There are many good dog trainers out there. However, behavioral issues are not training issues. Many times these behaviors are the result of a maladaptive pet with a genetic-predisposition toward these behaviors. SongDog's emphasis is on modifying the dog's behavior and teaching the owner how to maintain the new behaviors and keep the aggression on extinction.
The contemporary approach to treating aggressive dogs is to attempt to teach the owner to "be in charge" or "become the alpha dog or pack leader." There are many problems with this methodology. First, it is unreasonable to assume that the dog will never encounter someone who cannot "be in charge" such as a child. This method is predicated on the human controlling the dog. Secondly, there is a nature and nurture issue driving the aggressive behavior. The "pack leader" approach is a singular approach that does not take into account genetic and environmental effects on the animal's behavior. SongDog takes a much more realistic, multidimensional and extinction resistant approach. We have found that long term success is dependent upon changing the dog's behavior, not the behavior of all humans who come in to contact with the dog.
While some aggression issues can be solved on an in-home basis, this is rare. SongDog prefers to take a board and train approach. Many of our clients refer to this as a "doggie boot camp." Over the last several years there has been much debate regarding boarded training versus in-home training for the rehabilitation of aggressive behavior. SongDog's vast experience in dealing with aggression has shown the board and train option is much more effective. The therapeutic procedures require professional administration. The therapist must have considerable knowledge in classical conditioning, operant learning, ethology, psychology and physiology of emotions. In addition, some aggressive dogs can be very dangerous and dealing with them on their own turf gives them quite a home-field advantage. For this reason, a vast majority of behaviorists and trainers will only instruct you on how to modify the behavior and not handle the dog themselves. Removal of the dog from the environment will allow us to overcome retroactive learning cues. Cues that reinforce and facilitate the aggressive behavior in the owner's presence and in the dog's home.
Safety Training:
Safety training is the behavioral modification procedure employed by SongDog that can help you, your family and your dog by relieving and eliminating the physiological and environmental factors that contribute to your pet's aggression.Safety training will provide the tools necessary to control and eliminate unwanted and aggressive behaviors.
Behaviors such as:
- Barking, growling and even biting due, to becoming startled by a new object or loud, unrecognizable sound. Safety training will also allow us to control dogs that are prone to becoming aggressive toward people riding bikes, skateboards, roller-blades and running.
- Eliminating hierarchical and dominance issues that result in the dog becoming aggressive toward members of the family, guests of the family or other pets in the home.
- Eliminating confrontation over possessions such as food, toys or resting space. Safety training allows us to take objects away from our dogs without a fight.
- Arousal and/or emotionality that is to powerful to overcome in the presence of certain stimuli such as, other dogs, the mail person, visitors. Safety training will also allow us to combat what many label 'territorial' aggression, toward these stimuli.
- Controlling the dog at the veterinarian's office or groomer.
- Safety training will allow us control undesirable behaviors such as running away, chasing squirrels, chasing cars, barking at people and other dogs in public, and disobedience in the presence of unknown dogs and people.
Safety training eliminates aggression over the long-term. Avoidance and relaxation learning are easily maintained by the use of a periodic reinforcement schedule. Other training and therapeutic procedures inhibit or block the expression of emotion and antisocial or fearful behavior. However, the underlying factors that trigger the fear and/or aggression remain intact. In fact, this blocking could have an adverse effect long term, by increasing emotionality due to the lack of expression.
Safety training provides the dog with a learning set and coping skills, paired with a relaxation protocol. Popular procedures such as punishment, alpha rolling, pinch collar corrections and head halters do not tackle the real issue of decreasing arousal and emotionality.
Counter conditioning with treats and appeasement gestures when the dog becomes aggressive are definitely contraindicated, because they reinforce the undesirable behaviors and therefore increase the behaviors intensity, frequency and duration.
What is involved in the therapy when my dog is away?
The therapy involves a series of stages that implement progressively complex conditioning procedures, in which the dog learns how to handle increasingly difficult circumstances by successfully overcoming these challenges. Dogs are like people in that they all learn at different rates. It will be up to the therapist to determine if the dog is ready to progress from one stage to another. The time spent here at SongDog will vary from dog to dog and will be determined by the therapist and client.
Therapist Directed Treatment:
Stage I: The bonding stage. Develop attachment between dog and therapist. We want to relax the dog and build a relationship. We want to dog to trust us and know that we are there to help them. This is especially important with shy and anxious dogs. It is imperative that we have a good relationship and not to produce more emotionality.Stage II: The play training stage. The dog learns to respond to the operant commands, which are reinforced through play and relaxation. This associates pro-social emotions (playfulness and relaxation) with the commands. The commands therefore become a verbal way to control the dog's emotions. It also allows us to develop control over the dog's physical movement.
Stage III: The escape/avoidance stage. We will create a learning set in the dog that prioritizes responding to our safety signals to make a very desirable response (play and relaxation) occur. This produces dependence upon the handler and causes neotinization in the dog. The dog quickly becomes very attached to the handler for play, relaxation and safety.
Stage IV: Normalization of training and emotion. The dog is reintroduced to society. The dog is worked in public in the presence of distractions such as people, other dogs, squirrels, cars, bikes and loud unpredictable noises. In addition, the dog will be exposed and controlled in the presence of food, toys and other objects.
Transfer of Training and Reintegration (Stage V):
The Transfer of Training stage is arguably the most important stage of the therapy and one that sets SongDog apart from the pack. Dogs are 'place learners.' This means that there is a relationship between environmental cues and the animal's behavior. The animal has a specific set of behaviors that it uses to deal with situations it may encounter. These behaviors are elicited and reinforced by the presence of environmental cues. These cues could be the owner, someone in the family, another pet, a location in the home (i.e. the couch) or the yard.Once the therapy is complete, transfer of training is crucial to the success of super-imposing the new learning on the old environment. Transference of learning is an issue that a vast majority of behaviorists and trainers fail to understand. SongDog will personally transfer the training from the therapist to the owner and anyone else who may be responsible for handling the dog. Together we will teach the dog how to properly respond to the handler and teach the handler to control the dog. We will put the dog in situations that in the past would have elicited, an unwanted or aggressive behavior and teach the owner how to properly control the dog in each situation. Through practice we will not only teach the dog a new pro-social way to deal with stress but, also build and foster confidence in the handler. The Transfer of Training is mandatory for all dogs and owners who complete the Behavioral Therapy Program.
Follow-up (Stage VI):