An Air Horn Approach to Dog Aggression

Last week we took Ben for a consultation with a dog trainer near Tom's Brook. Mr. Kirby Hill let us know that we were not demanding enough of Ben and could not let him continue to threaten us and our guests.

I made the appointment because Ben had scared Frank's grandchildren and tried to bite Susan. The trainer suggested that we buy an air horn and blast the dog with it when he starts the ferocious barking-growling that frightens everyone. I found one at Wal-Mart's sporting goods section and tonight we had our first reason to use it. I accidentally stepped on poor Ben's foot and of course he reacted angrily, like he might eat us both! Mr. Hill had made it clear that we cannot tolerate biting NO MATTER WHAT, so while Frank was throwing water on Ben to shush him, I hit the button on the air horn and the barking stopped immediately. Within a few minutes the dog was calm enough that we could wipe up the water from the floor without a reaction.

We are also working with Ben on better leash behavior (no lunging!) and longer stays. And we must remember to release Ben from each "stay" with "Okay" so that he becomes clear on how long he must hold the position. This seems to be helping.

Postscript: A tin can with 6 pennies in it is another noise-maker that helps make Ben behave!