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Aggression is a different conversation from leash reactivity, and I want to be straight with you about that up front. A reactive dog is overwhelmed and loud about it. A dog who is aggressive may have real intent behind the behavior, and that changes the plan, the pace, and the amount of caution everyone involved needs to bring.
I do work with dogs who have a bite history, and I do not take that on casually. Every case gets looked at on its own, because two dogs with the same history can need completely different plans. What works for one can be the wrong approach for another.
So this starts with a phone call, then an evaluation. I will not quote you a program or a timeline before I have seen your dog and heard what has actually been happening.
How this starts
Programs for aggressive dogs start at $3,600, with the exact scope set after the evaluation. The evaluation is $100 and is credited toward your program if you enroll.
Most people arrive at this page after being told one of two things, and both of them are usually wrong. Either the dog is fine and the owner is overreacting, or the dog is dangerous and there is nothing to be done. Neither is a diagnosis. It takes a real assessment to tell the difference, and the difference matters because it decides everything that follows.
A reactive dog is loud, but underneath that noise is usually fear, frustration, or overstimulation. The dog is not deciding to do harm. They are having a big feeling and no way to manage it, and the behavior is the overflow. That is unpleasant to live with, and it is often the more straightforward thing to change.
A dog who is aggressive may have a genuine intention behind the behavior, and that is what makes it a different scope of work. It calls for a different plan, a slower pace, more supervision, and a serious look at the environment the dog lives in. It is not a character flaw, and it is not hopeless. It is a problem that needs an accurate read before anyone touches it.
Plenty of dogs who lunge and bark are frightened rather than dangerous, and a lot of people have been given the wrong label for their dog, sometimes by a professional. A dog who sounds terrifying through a fence and a dog who would actually bite are two different animals, and treating one like the other wastes your money and can make the behavior worse.
I do not read a hard dog as a dog who cannot be helped. I read the behavior as information about what is driving it, and information is what a plan gets built from. Getting an accurate picture early is the whole reason the evaluation comes before any program, any price, and any promise.
The evaluation is not a formality and it is not a sales pitch. It is where I look at three things together and then tell you what I actually think, including when the honest answer is that I am not the right fit.
Serving Rocklin, Roseville, Loomis, Lincoln, and Placer County
A lot of what looks like a dog problem is really a communication problem, and it shows up in how the two of you read each other on a normal day. I want to see how you handle your dog, how your dog responds to you, and where the two of you are talking past each other.
I assess standard obedience, meaning what the dog can do reliably and under what conditions. This matters because it tells me what we have to build on. A dog with solid foundations to work from moves faster than a dog who has never been asked to do anything consistently.
How serious is this, and what is the realistic likelihood of reaching the results you are after within a timeframe you can live with? I would rather tell you the goal needs adjusting than take your money and chase something that was never going to happen.
You leave with a straightforward read on your dog and what I would do next. If that means a program with me, I will tell you what it involves and what it costs. If it means something else, I will tell you that too. The evaluation is $100, it is not refundable, and it is credited toward your program if you enroll.
I am not going to pretend this is the same price as a reactivity program, because it is not, and the reasons are real. Aggression work carries more risk, needs more supervision and more caution from everyone involved, and it is scoped around your specific dog rather than sold as a fixed package.
Aggression and bite history
That is the floor, not a quote. The exact scope and the final number are set after I have evaluated your dog, because the honest truth is that a dog with one hard incident and a dog with a long history are not the same job. You will know the number before you commit to anything.
Where the money goes
Aggression work is priced the way it is for reasons that are not marketing. It is harder on the dog, harder on you, and harder on me, and the plan has to be built around your specific situation rather than pulled off a shelf.
I would rather you read this before you call than find out on the phone. Saving you a wasted evaluation is worth more to me than booking one.
This is for you if
This is not for you if
I do, and every case is assessed on its own. Two dogs with the same history can need very different plans, so I will not quote a program or a timeline before I have seen the dog. Call me and we will talk through what happened, the conditions around it, and whether this is something I can help with.
E.D.G.E. is built for leash reactivity, which is overwhelm rather than intent, and it is priced and paced for that. Aggression is a different scope with different risks, so it gets its own plan and its own price. If your dog turns out to be reactive rather than aggressive, the evaluation will tell us that too, and that usually means a more straightforward path.
You probably do not, and that is normal. Plenty of dogs who lunge and bark are frightened rather than dangerous, and a lot of people have been told the wrong thing about their dog. Telling the difference is what the evaluation is for. It is also why I do not want to guess over the phone.
It is $100, it is not refundable, and it is credited toward your program if you enroll. I look at three things: the relationship between you and your dog, what your dog actually knows in terms of standard obedience, and how severe the issue is alongside the realistic likelihood of reaching your goals in a reasonable timeframe. You leave with an honest recommendation either way.
No, and I would be careful with anyone who says yes to that. Every dog arrives with a different history, a different nervous system, and different owners with different amounts of time to put in. What I can do is assess honestly, tell you the likelihood of reaching your goals, and tell you if I think the goal itself needs adjusting. I would rather be accurate than comforting.
I serve Rocklin, Roseville, Loomis, Lincoln, and the rest of Placer County, and sessions happen in your dog's own environment, on the routes and in the rooms where the behavior actually shows up. Training a dog only in a neutral space tells you very little about how they will behave at home. There is no travel charge inside Placer County.
The E.D.G.E. program
Four stages built for leash reactivity: Engage, channel Drive, Guide, Execute.
See the programPlacer County
Leash reactivity coaching for adult dogs across Placer County.
View pageRocklin
Leash reactivity coaching for adult dogs in Rocklin.
View pageAbout Derek
Experience, certifications, and how the coaching actually works.
Read the storyCall or text and we will talk through your dog, the history, and what you are dealing with. If it makes sense, the next step is an evaluation.
Programs for aggressive dogs start at $3,600. The exact scope is set after the evaluation, and you will know the number before you commit to anything.