Scout – Puppy Training Case Study 

When a puppy is brought into this world, the best thing we as dog lovers and owners can do is give it a safe, loving home. The second best thing we can do for them is training these puppies so that they might discover a life of obedience and happiness.

Some people think training is unnecessary. Some people try training their puppy on their own, which is wonderful and many have great success with their own techniques. However, I have come across many puppy cases where training was attempted, but even afterward, there are still underlying behavioral issues with the puppy. Professional dog and puppy training is not necessary all the time, but for some, it is the best way to find and utilize a consistent structure that both the puppy and owner can succeed at.

My latest puppy client is Scout, a sweetheart that was originally trained by her owner, Sarah. Scout learned the standard commands and was soon housebroken, thanks to Sarah’s training. However, Scout started becoming more willful, and Sarah soon realized Scout was exhibiting some persistent behavior issues, and as an owner, she was unsure how to approach and conquer these issues.

Scout rocked and overcame the basic puppy problems, but Sarah was becoming concerned with Scout’s nipping and protectiveness. Playful nipping is very common with puppies, but in Scout’s case, it was becoming too much, where it even bordered on aggression. She was also becoming very protective of Sarah, where if another person or dog approached her owner, Scout would bark and occasionally, display aggressive signs, such as growling and snapping.

With many puppies, aggression may never enter into the picture. However, it is not extremely uncommon, as a puppy is still learning and they must always be consistently taught about boundaries and what is and is not appropriate behavior. With Scout showing protective behavior over her owner, Sarah thought it was okay that she was a little guarded over her. She also assumed that Scout would eventually “grow out of it”. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, but rather the dog grows more into the bad behavior, if that behavior is not addressed.

While dogs are very willful creatures and want to please themselves, they do also seek a leader from their owner (think of the pack theory). If the owner is unable to demonstrate that leadership, the dog will either take it upon themselves to be the leader of the pack, or the dog will become confused and very nervous, as they do not know who/what to follow. If the dog wishes to become a leader though, and the owner is not establishing proper behaviors for the dog, then everything is basically fair game, including aggression.

My Cincinnati puppy training program will cover the basics if need be, such as housebreaking, good leash behavior, manners, basic commands, etc. However, if more serious problems are developing, those can be addressed too. My reward-based program is designed to stop these issues, and also prevent them from ever coming up as the puppy grows older.

In Scout’s case, we worked on setting her up for success and confronting the behavior issues. We worked on empowering Sarah and having Scout recognize that while being protective of her owner was fine, it was NOT acceptable to display aggression to other people or dogs. Scout learned better behaviors and learned how choosing these behaviors ended with reward and praise. We did not wish to bribe or dominate her into these behaviors – she is now choosing them because she wants to!

If you are interested in pursuing puppy training, give me a call at my office at 800.649.7297! Whatever training goals you may have for your puppy, we will reach them together!