Mooresville Huntersville Davidson Cornelius Denver Charlotte
BEHAVIOR TRANSFORMATION
IMPULSE CONTROL
For dogs who can’t stop, won’t stop.
What It Looks Like:
Jumping, barking, pulling, counter-surfing, mouthing, bolting out the door, stealing objects, and general “bull in a china shop” behavior.
Why It Matters:
Lack of impulse control creates daily chaos, makes walks miserable, and increases the risk of injury, destruction, or running off.
How We Fix It:
Our program teaches dogs to think before acting through structured routines, calm behavior reinforcement, and impulse drills like “wait,” “leave it,” and “settle.” It’s about building self-control and making good choices the easy choice.
CONFIDENCE BUILDING
For shy dogs who need a little swagger.
What It Looks Like:
Hesitation on walks, reluctance around new people or places, tail tucked, low posture, or refusal to engage with unfamiliar stimuli.
Why It Matters:
Fearful dogs are more likely to become reactive, bite from panic, or shut down completely. Confidence is the foundation for a well-adjusted life.
How We Fix It:
We design a customized, phased program focused on safe exposure, success stacking, and creating positive associations with new experiences. The dog leads the pace; we shape the progress.
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REACTIVITY
For dogs who lose their minds on leash, through a window or behind a fence.
What It Looks Like:
Explosive barking or lunging at other dogs, people, bikes, or cars. Often misunderstood as aggression, but it’s more about over-threshold emotional overload.
Why It Matters:
It makes daily walks a nightmare, creates tension between dog and owner, and prevents meaningful social interaction or training progress.
How We Fix It:
We help dogs learn to observe without reacting. Through desensitization, counterconditioning, and calm reinforcement, we expand their tolerance window and teach them to regulate their responses.
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AGGRESSION
For dogs who mean it when they growl.
What It Looks Like:
Growling, snapping, biting, guarding resources or people, lunging at guests or animals, and escalating warning signals.
Why It Matters:
Aggression isn’t about dominance —i t’s a communication breakdown often rooted in fear, confusion, or over-arousal. But it’s dangerous and needs immediate, skilled intervention.
How We Fix It:
We start with management and safety protocols, then dig deep to understand the root causes. From there, we rebuild trust, structure behavior, and change emotional responses — without force or fear.
Scope of Behavioral Issues
Aggression: Addressing aggressive behavior towards people, other dogs, or animals.
Fear and Anxiety: Helping dogs cope with and overcome fears and anxiety triggers.
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Excessive Jumping: Teaching dogs not to jump on people.
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Leash Pulling: For dogs who are uncontrollable on walks.
Excessive Barking: Training to reduce unnecessary barking.
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Chewing/Destructive Behavior: Redirecting chewing habits to appropriate items and preventing destructive behavior.
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Resource Guarding: Addressing possessiveness over food, toys, people, space or other items.
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Separation Anxiety: Assisting dogs that exhibit distress when left alone.
Socialization: Introducing dogs to other animals and environments in a positive manner.
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Reactivity: Navigating your dogs reaction to stimuli, such as dogs, people and items.
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Recall Training: Teaching dogs to reliably come when called.
Counter Surfing and Stealing: Discouraging dogs from taking items from counters or stealing food.
Mouthing/Nipping: Teaching appropriate bite inhibition and discouraging rough play.
Shelter Integration: Introducing a rescue to a new environment, family members and existing pets.
Attention/Focus: Training dogs to pay attention and focus on their owner's commands.
Handling Sensitivity: Helping dogs become comfortable with being handled for grooming, vet visits, etc.
Boundary Training: Teaching dogs to respect boundaries indoors and outdoors.
Crate Training: Introducing dogs to crates and making them comfortable spending time in them.
Custom Behavioral Issues: Addressing specific individual problems not listed here.
Mike's Behavior Management programs involve strategies and techniques used to address issues by essentially creating an alternative behavior. It encompasses a variety of methods aimed at preventing, shaping, and altering a dog's actions to encourage desired behaviors and eliminate unwanted ones.
Here are key aspects of his Behavior Management programs:
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Prevention: Anticipating and preventing undesirable behaviors by creating an environment that minimizes the likelihood of those behaviors occurring. This might involve using barriers, redirection, or management tools to avoid situations that trigger unwanted actions.
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Defining Thresholds: It is not practical to shield your dog from the triggers that prompt reactivity, such as other dogs. We strive to bring your dog closer and closer to what triggers them, without having them react.
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Positive Reinforcement: Encouraging desired behaviors by rewarding them with treats, praise, toys, or other positive stimuli. This technique reinforces good behavior and increases the likelihood of it being repeated.
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Correction and Redirecting: When a dog exhibits undesirable behavior, rather than using punishment, we redirect the dog's attention to an appropriate behavior and reward that instead. For instance, if a dog starts chewing on furniture, redirecting them to a chew toy and rewarding them for using it.
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Consistency and Routine: Dogs thrive on consistency and routine. Establishing consistent rules, commands, and schedules helps in managing their behavior as they learn what is expected of them.
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Understanding Triggers: Identifying triggers that lead to undesirable behaviors is crucial. Once recognized, steps can be taken to manage or desensitize the dog to those triggers through gradual exposure or counterconditioning.
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Our Behavior Plans: We develop structured plans that outline specific steps and techniques to address and modify problematic behaviors in a systematic manner.
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