29/07/2026
Today's blog
My dog has been declared dangerous-part 2.
Not Every Declared Dangerous Dog Is Actually Dangerous
In most cases, dogs make bad decisions because they perceive they are allowed to.
Here’s a great example. My newest addition, Garry, is a 6-year-old Staffy cross. He recently came to me because he was a client’s dog, and unfortunately his previous family are dealing with some very serious health issues. Garry is now with me for the rest of his life. I had already been training him for the past few years.
He’s a soft-temperament little boy, yet his previous family were way too gentle with him. As a result, he perceived that he was allowed to behave aggressively towards strangers and other dogs. When he first arrived around six months ago, his training had gone backwards. For the first few weeks he would lunge at dogs and people. With concentrated training and consistency — particularly on our daily morning and evening walks — this soon stopped. He still doesn’t like strangers at first, but after a few meetings he’s happy to meet them again.
His behaviour changed for three main reasons:
1. I took the time to give him strong replacement behaviours with solid impulse control.
2. I taught him that being aggressive was unacceptable, and because he had a replacement behaviour he knew what to do when he felt uncomfortable.
3. I am extremely consistent with all my dogs.
Garry’s behaviours were a result of no socialisation as a pup. He was found on the side of the road with his littermates at around 16 weeks of age. They were handed into the RSPCA, where his previous family bought him. Surgery to desex him only added to the trauma. It’s not that his family didn’t try with trainers — the RSPCA recommended positive-only methods, yet this just reinforced all his fearful behaviours. They tried three or four trainers before finding me.
When Garry displayed aggressive behaviour it looked rather intimidating, but this was simply an indication of how scared he was. He’s never bitten anyone and I seriously doubt that he would have. He had simply learnt that acting aggressive kept the perceived threat away. The older he got, the stronger the behaviour became — and it was compounded by the fact that he was being inadvertently rewarded for it, which is exactly what his family had been told to do.
Because Garry has now been taught impulse control, he has learnt that strangers won’t hurt him. Very slowly his confidence is building and life is far less stressful. He gets multiple walks (on and off leash) and training sessions every day, and he lives side by side with my other two dogs. This is something his previous family never thought would have been possible.
Dogs can learn a lot through observation, yet if they aren’t in a calm and somewhat concentrated state it won’t happen for them. Garry has learnt a great deal simply by being around Thor and Artimesia.
If he had been in the wrong situation and had bitten, nipped or lunged at the wrong person, he could quite easily have been declared dangerous. But my little Garry is very far from a “dangerous dog”.
I consistently display clear and defined leadership. Garry is also the lower member in my pack (or family), and he’s fine with that. He knows he is safe and that his pack will protect him.
In almost every dog I see, there is a clear lack of strong leadership and pack structure. Using bribery and begging with a dog — which is what pure positive methods are — only teaches the dog that it is weak and that it can disregard its family’s requests, particularly when it counts.
While these groups and individuals engage in a lot of virtue signalling and moral posturing, this falls nothing short of narcissistic manipulation. These types will use all sorts of schoolyard bullying techniques, which are purely predatory — particularly online, where they use character assassination or personality smearing to try to convince others they are correct. All it does is expose how toxic these people are. Unfortunately, in community groups when people are genuinely seeking advice or help, these types are always present with their delusional thinking. Because of the lack of face-to-face communication that was once the norm, we now face a new type of cowardice. This pseudo dog training only adds to the problems we have today.
Some dogs are genuinely dangerous, and they are most commonly found in fighting breeds. Not all dogs that come from fighting breeds are dangerous — I’ve met many that are absolute sweethearts. But more often than not I see dog-to-dog and human aggression in those types of breeds. People will often downplay the fact that their dog has a serious behaviour problem until it’s too late. Hence why we now have a dangerous dog policy.
In my professional opinion, most of the dogs I see are not dangerous — they are just scared. Because of the lack of effort on the owner’s behalf, the dog is a result of its environment.
I have trained dogs to use aggression purposely, and through education and experience I know how to shape and best manage those behaviours. Well-trained dogs do not use their aggression randomly. I have trained in martial arts for a very long time, which has made me skilled in this area. Because of my instructors and maturity, I can control my abilities and aggression even in the most difficult circumstances. This is exactly what proper training does for a dog too.
I have assessed many dogs over the years that I have declared dangerous, and a number of those dogs were euthanised because they presented a real threat to society. In some cases it was also because the owner clearly demonstrated a complete lack of care and responsibility. It’s a shame that paedophiles, wife-beaters and child-beaters don’t face the same fate. I can assure you that in almost every instance, if those dogs had been sufficiently socialised and trained, this would not have been the case.
What’s the best way to move forward once a dog has been declared dangerous?
Clearly, obedience training is just the start. In my sessions I first start with correct handling, timing of rewards and corrections, and pairing commands with behaviours. These dogs have to be muzzled when out and about. Every dog will hate the muzzle at first, yet conditioning a dog to love the muzzle isn’t difficult — it’s quite easy to teach. Once good solid behaviours are taught and the handling skills are proficient, we can begin working around and training around other dogs. Ive had numerous dogs that were declared dangerous, training amongst very large groups of dogs.
To be honest, I was reluctant to use muzzles for a long time (I can’t really say why), but that is not the case anymore. The muzzle is a great tool for aggressive dogs undergoing rehabilitation. It blocks the behaviour — the dog knows it can’t bite, so it lowers the desire to even act aggressively. It also allows the dog to see that other dogs, animals or people aren’t a threat. Because the dog is in a lower, calmer state, the training and management become far easier. The other side effect that it has, people see the dog with a muzzle on so they give you the wide birth and it helps furthers the opportunities to help to teach and manage your dog.
While the experience of going through court and the financial expenses is stressful, it will pass. Training the dog and putting it through a proper rehabilitation program is essential to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Leaving a dog in a secure pen or yard without any training or rehabilitation will only leave a ticking time bomb.
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