My dog is fearful around strangers and becomes aggressive, what type of training program would work best for him?

Hi, my dog is fearful around strangers and will become aggressive when they get too close. What training program would work best for him? I'm stuck between two types 1. Board and Train (4 weeks at facility with field trips and at home follow up session) 2. Hybrid (9 week home self-study, coaching at a facility, Group Classes). My concern for option 1 is that he he may not listen to me or will revert back to his over protective habits because I wasn't the one training him while he was away. My concern about the 2nd option is that, he will not get the 1:1 attention with the trainer and he will not get the real world distractions. Any feedback would be helpful. Thank you.

Leerburg's Answer

I'm not sure I can give advice on this because I am not a fan of board & train programs UNLESS I personally know the trainer and how the dogs are housed and worked with. There are many good B&T programs out there but without knowing the trainers personally I can't really give an opinion. For reactivity, I feel one on one lessons with you, your dog and trainer may be a better choice. I can take a dog and it will behave perfectly for me but often that behavior doesn't transfer to the owner as well or seamlessly with a board & train.

Of course, I don't know you, your dog or the trainer you are considering so this is a broad generalization.

We offer some online options to help understand and deal with reactivity. If your dog is fearful, building his confidence in your leadership is the foundation for working on this issue.