Ooh, ohh! *waving hand* May I play this game of True Confessions too? Since I've been opening my big mouth here in the Training forums of late. . .
My first dog ever, ever, is still with me and she's 13 - I've had her since a six week old pup. However, since I went very quickly from first-time dog owner, to dog sports trainer, to casual rescuer, to full-time rescuer, to farm owner, to farm owner specializing in rehabbing "troubled" dogs, to professional dog trainer, I've had a pretty intense dog training experience.
Since my livelihood depends on sheep, I spend all the "Seminar" money I have on sheepdog training, with an occasional sport training class like the one I'm signed up for next month. However, I've read reams of canine behavior theory and while I'm still working out a style of my own to put it consistently into practice, I've done pretty well so far incorporating positive training principles with the sterner requirements of training on stock. Still working on that one - it's a complex puzzle.
As to aggression. Probably three quarters of my dog training experience has been specializing in aggressive dogs. I'm largely self-taught, but greatly appreciate the insight of Donaldson and McConnell. McConnell in particular has highly practical approaches to many types of aggressive triggers seen in BCs. 99% of aggression in rescue BCs has to do with fear and lack of structure. I use a technique developed by a woman who I'm amazed to realize now, thinking about it, really had no professional experience either. But it's a time proven method to "defuse" these highly reactive dogs and give them a framework to rebuild their shattered worlds. She borrowed it from a trainer in Germany, if I remember correctly - and now we are going back about thirty years.
I've related before how I'll take a dog and assign it a crate or kennel in a quiet place in the house. An aggressive dog will wear a chain leash (not chewable), so as to avoid any confrontations when its necessary to restrain the dog. The dog is taken out on a strict schedule, all needs met, but interaction is kept at a very gentle and minimal level. This is not punishment, it's a time for the dog to develop some expectations with regard to me ("She's not aggressive, good things happen when she's around, she's not forcing me to do scary stuff"). Depending on the dog, I may do this for as much as a week. It may take a couple of weeks to get a severely undersocialized dog through this phase.
After this I'll gradually incorporate tasks and training sessions for the dog. Everything stays very formal and low key until the dog clearly shows that he is comfortable with the routine and looks forward to it. Any sign of discomfort and we move back a step. There is usually a time, at around three to four weeks, that the dog will "break out" with a complete reversal of personality. Nice dogs may suddenly show nutty or pushy behavior, pushy dogs may suddenly become highly reserved and nervous. Aggression in aggressive dogs will break out at this point, almost without fail.
This is when I become The Person Who Says No. I deal with maybe one or two incidents with firm consequences (here a deliberate departure from pure R+, as it sadly takes too long for most rescues to avoid simply Saying No). After that the dogs are fine and ready to be rehomed with a knowleable and responsible handler. I think this has something to do with the extinction process, though I need to do some more reading on this.
How I handle individual aggressive events is highly variable, depending on the trigger, the dog's attitude during the incident, and how easy it was to quell it. I don't mess around with an actively attacking dog - I've only been bitten a couple times (many years ago) and don't intend to make a habit of it. I've learned to recognize precursers, signs of stress, and how to defuse these quickly. BCs are darned fast, faster than me so when the dog has decided to bite it's too late, usually! [
] Emergency restraint can include a thrown blanket, a leash looped around the head.
In a very severe emergency where another dog or person is at risk I'll take a dog by the back of the neck and throw him down FACE FIRST, with myself kneeling on the dog, one hand holding the head flat against the ground. Rolling an aggressive dog is about the stupidest thing you can do - you are freeing up all four legs and conveniently positioning the dog's teeth right by your face. A dog with its head flat on the ground cannot open its jaws, and with its legs folded up it cannot turn itself loose, as canine muscles have great powers to contract, but the extensors are very weak. This is a RESTRAINT not a punishment or an attempt at behavioral modification, and should never, ever be tried by someone who doesn't have experience doing this. Also never do this if another dog is involved, even if you are experienced.
Now I'll evaluate what happened and address the trigger though desensitization or impulse control exercises, depending on what the underlying trigger was. There are about as many different types of aggression and combinations of "types" as there are dogs, so I won't go into all that here. BCs also have a couple particular forms of aggression that can only be managed, not "cured", as they are pathological in origin. I'm familiar with the symptoms of these though it can take some very intense evaluation to be sure. Both are treatable through drug therapy, and one must be combined with intense and constant behavioral modification as well. Sometimes one type of aggression can lead to other types, and it's necessary to cut through all the layers of aggressive behavior with different approaches for each incident. It's a ballet you dance on a minute-by-minute basis, which is why one establishes a clean slate at the beginning and why we offer constant opportunities to "defuse" privately.
Notice that this is almost the exact opposite of the Leadership Walk, flooding, etc! I don't say this to say that Cesar is
Wrong, Wrong, Just Wrong, but to point out that there are many ways to skin a cat. His method is what I'd call "pulling off the band-aid quickly". It gets the job done, but it's a bit traumatic. Jack's methodology also follows the "quick band-aid removal" model. When I have the leisure, I use the "slow bandaid removal" methods as they transfer more easily over to ordinary mortals. [
] It's easier to explain clicker training, leadership-by-example, or lure training, than to explain the exact timing needed for correction-based methods (though I've done that too - I can offer both).