Rayleen reached out with an Australian Shepherd who was incredibly reactive and showing early aggression. Just leaving the house with him was a challenge.
Aussies are smart and high-drive, and that combination cuts both ways. Channel it well, and you have one of the most responsive dogs on the planet. Channel it poorly, or leave it unchanneled, and you have a dog who builds intense, brittle reactions to the things that scare or frustrate him. That was Rayleen's starting point.
Slow it down. Build the language.
The program started where it always starts: marker training, engagement, and a clear baseboard of communication. Once the dog has a way to ask "what do you want from me right now?" and a way to be told "yes" or "no" without the world ending, the reactivity has somewhere to go. The dog can choose to default to the handler instead of defaulting to the explosion.
Real-world reliable
From there, the work was about taking that language and proofing it: in the driveway, in the neighborhood, around the things that used to set him off. Real environments, real distractions, real wins.
I cannot recommend High Caliber Working Dogs enough. My Australian Shepherd was incredibly reactive and even showed some aggression, making leaving the house with him a challenge.