You should never use the collar as a punishment for aggression, he warned. Aggression often comes from dominance, territorial defense and fear. Using the collar as a punishment can make the dog more fearful. But you also shouldn t comfort a dog that is showing signs of aggression, because then you are only reaffirming the behavior. When using the collar in this type of training, Benson said he prefers to place the dog in a stimulus-free environment.
Common tools are a leash, remote collar and treats.
Training often starts with teaching the dog to stop a low level stimulation by sitting. Now the dog understands how to shut the stimulation off, he said. Knowing how to stop the stimulation, is a key step in the dog s training process, Benson said. Another technique he uses in this training routine for aggression is teaching the dog to watch. This means that on the command watch , the dog looks at the handler and nothing else, not even another dog.