FirstBark
Do not go here. Trainer told us to euthanize our one year old puppy because she is dog aggressive. We are now working with another trainer, at another agency, that absolutely has proved to us our dog is trainable.
Business response
Dear Rachel and Jeff We are sorry that you did not like the recommendations that our Canine Behavior Consultant gave you. It is our mission to help people and their dogs, and it is a labor of love for us all. It is also our responsibility to keep the public safe and let you know when your dog represents a danger. Coming to The Canine Center was the right thing to do. We honestly believe that we have more experience, and are better trained in evaluating and mitigating aggressive canine behavior than anyone else in Central Texas. Having to make this kind of a recommendation is the most difficult situation that we face. We do so only after detailed examination of the facts you have presented to us, and observing what the dog has to tell us. According to you, your 1 yr old dog started attacking the smaller dogs in your home, and shaking them, while she still had puppy teeth. Since then, you reported that your dog has continued to attack the other small dogs in the home and has, in fact, killed one of them. During the course of the one hour evaluation with a Canine Behavior Consultant of 20 years experience in dog aggression, she let you know that she did not feel that your 1 year old female dog could safely share space with your 2 small dogs. She also let you know that she was concerned about her stalking of the two other dogs. She told you that maybe your young dog could be viable as an only dog, if you ran 2 completely separate households, but there would be some concern about her getting out and going after other dogs. At this point, you disclosed that she had darted out of your home and attacked the neighbor's Chihuahua. Ethically, and legally, our Behavior Consultant is bound to recommend euthanasia. This dog is a danger to others. She also told you that if you chose not to heed her advice, she would still work with you, as her concern would be that you get the best help available in a very fraught situation. She said this to try to mitigate any future failures and as an attempt to protect your other dogs and the public. So even though her advice is that you should euthanize an aggressive dog, she offered help so you would not be on your own. Again, we are sorry to have to deliver this hard news, we never want to have to do this, but we stand by this professional evaluation by a Canine Behavior Consultant who specializes in dog aggression. We also remain offering help to those who want it. With Kind Regards, The Canine Team