I would recommend that everyone with a dog attends a training club, however you MUST be extremely careful which one you attend as many can actually exacerbate the problem by their methods, and you may end up with a more aggressive fear biter! In looking for a training club, I would initially ring round and ask the trainers about their experience, their methods for dealing with aggression, whether they have ever dealt with a dog of similar nature/breed before, how many cases and the results. I would also recommend that on the initial visit, you turn up WITHOUT your dog so you can fully concentrate on the methods used; are the dogs happy, are their tails wagging, is physical punishment used, are special training aids encouraged e.g. halti’s etc. If you like, you could tell me the area where you live and I could try and find out these details for you and assess which one would suit you best! Training clubs can, and SHOULD be an enjoyable experience for you and your dog. You should be encouraged consistently by the trainers and the use of high value treats is paramount! In my experience, sausage and cheese work wonders!!!!!!!!! IN SMALL PIECES!!!!

I personally disagree with punishment on all levels and regard it as a hindrance to behaviour modification and training! I believe that teaching dogs that are already aggressive, in whatever form, simply teaches the dog that in order to rectify a situation that is not acceptable to them, then aggression works best! It can make already aggressive dogs worse or teach them to bite in fear! But, never fear, with patience, tolerance and kindness, this behaviour CAN be rectified! Firstly, I would just get her checked over at the vets to ensure that there is no physical reason behind her aggression - illness and sore areas can often make a dog grumpy. That checked, you can start to embark on a behaviour modification program. This will be best achieved if it is carried out for 2 x 10 mins or longer every day for a month or so, and even better if a friend or trainer can assist! The whole idea is to encourage your dog to SUCCEED at all time, never allowing her to fail, at ANYTHING!

Initially, I think that perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of retraining is for you to exert dominance over your dog! YOU are the pack leader, and she should see this, as it is the pack leader (you) which protects the pack, not the underdog (her). At the moment, she is the alpha/pack leader. Reducing her pack status is simple and does not rely on any physical harm as many trainers believe, such as lying your body weight on your dog etc etc! This is barbaric and useless.