During the consultation the woman became frightened that the dog would lose its aggressiveness and cease to protect her, and she refused to proceed. To break through the established responses of dogs with severe problems, many behaviorists employ medication, especially from among the drugs developed during the past decade for treating depression and anxiety in human beings. Behaviorists estimate that they help the dogs' owners in 50 to 60 percent of cases of extreme phobia or severe separation anxiety, and in 75 to 90 percent of cases of aggression. People grant their dogs a lot of leeway, Borchelt says, and success doesn't necessarily mean anything more than a perceived change for the better. Sometimes the dog and its owners need a divorce, and in cases of extreme aggression euthanasia may be the only option.
Some behaviorists refuse to treat a dog they consider to be a threat to life.
We control behavior. They never ask an animal to do something it cannot do, and as result they often coax outstanding performances from even the most retiring and timid dogs. In a sense, animal behaviorists are moving to expand and systematize that intuitive understanding, but much about the species' behavior is unknown. Since then researchers have made progress in particular areas without deciphering the complex relationship between nature and nurture. What is now clear is that genes lay down the basic blueprint for each dog, including a predisposition toward certain complex behaviors, such as retrieving and herding, and temperaments, such as fearfulness and sociability.