Aggression & Reactivity
Training in Dubai
Your dog lunges at other dogs on walks. Or growls at strangers who come too close. Or snaps when someone reaches for their food bowl. Maybe walks have become something you dread, or you have stopped having people over because you do not know what your dog will do.
This is not a personality problem. Your dog is not "bad" or "dominant." In almost every case, aggression is a response to something — fear, anxiety, past experience, frustration, pain, or something in the environment that is pushing your dog past what they can handle.
We are certified specialists in dog aggression and reactivity. We do not suppress the behavior with punishment. We figure out what is driving it and change how your dog feels about the situation. That is how lasting change happens.
What We Work With
Fear-based aggression: The most common type. Your dog is not trying to be threatening — they are scared and trying to make the scary thing go away. This shows up as barking, lunging, snapping, or growling at things that frighten them: other dogs, strangers, children, bikes, loud noises.
Leash reactivity: Your dog is fine off-leash or behind a fence, but on a leash they lose it when they see another dog or person. The leash removes their ability to create distance, and they go into fight-or-flight with no flight option. This is one of the most common problems we see in Dubai — tight sidewalks, busy parks, small elevators.
Resource guarding: Your dog growls, snaps, or stiffens when you get near their food, toys, bed, or even a person they are attached to. This is a normal behavior that becomes a problem when it escalates. We work on changing associations and managing the environment better to help your dog feel safer in these situations.
Dog-to-dog aggression: Your dog cannot be around other dogs without reacting. This might be frustration (they want to get to the other dog and cannot), fear (they want the other dog to go away), or a learned behavior from past negative experiences. We work on desensitization and counter-conditioning to change the emotional response.
Stranger-directed aggression: Your dog reacts to unfamiliar people — in your home, on walks, or in specific contexts. This is often rooted in fear or territorial behavior and responds well to a structured and a gradual exposure approach.
How We Approach It
We use the L.E.G.S. model of applied ethology — Learning, Environment, Genetics, and Self. That means we do not just look at the behavior. We look at:
Learning — what has your dog learned from past experiences? What habits have they formed? What good or bad experiences have they made with the world around them? What have previous training attempts taught them?
Environment — what in your dog's daily life is contributing to the problem? The apartment, the walking route, the way guests enter your home?
Genetics — what is your dog's breed predisposed to? What behaviors are you working with, not against?
Self — what is your dog's individual personality, health status, age, nutrition and hormonal balance?
This gives us a complete picture. From there, we build a behavior modification plan that works on the root cause — not just the symptoms you see on the surface.
Our methods are force-free. No punishment nor aversive techniques that will cause discomfort to your dog. We use counter-conditioning and desensitization — gradually changing how your dog feels about the things that trigger them, at a pace your dog can handle.
Enric is certified in aggression through Michael Shikashio's program and is an IAABC-certified dog trainer. This is not general dog training — this is specialist behavior work.
What to Expect
Assessment (first session): We come to your home and spend time observing your dog, talking with you about the history, and understanding the full picture. When did the behavior start? What triggers it? How severe is it? What have you tried?
Customized plan: Based on the assessment, we build a plan specific to your dog. This includes what to work on, how to manage the environment to prevent rehearsal of the unwanted behavior, and exercises for you to practice between sessions.
In-home and outdoor sessions: We work in the places where the behavior happens — your apartment, your building's elevator and hallways, the park you walk through, the street where your dog always reacts.
Owner coaching: You will be doing most of the hands-on work. We teach you what to look for in your dog's body language, how to respond in the moment, and how to set up training exercises on your own. The goal is that you understand your dog well enough to keep making progress after our sessions end.
Ongoing support: Between sessions, you can reach us via WhatsApp for questions, quick check-ins, or to share videos of something you are unsure about.
Common Questions
Is my dog too aggressive for training? In most cases, no. We have worked with dogs that bite, dogs that cannot be walked, dogs that cannot be in the same room as guests. The severity affects the timeline and the management plan, but very few dogs are beyond help. We will be honest with you about what is realistic during the assessment.
How long does it take? It depends on the dog, the severity, and how consistently the plan is followed at home.
Do you guarantee results? No. Anyone who guarantees results is not being honest with you. What we guarantee is that we will give you an honest assessment, a clear plan, and our full expertise. Most dogs make significant progress. Some have setbacks. We work with you through both.
Will my dog need medication? Some dogs benefit from medication alongside behavior modification — especially if the anxiety is severe enough that they cannot engage with the training. We do not prescribe medication, but we will tell you if we think a conversation with your vet is worth having.
Get Started
If your dog is showing aggression or reactivity, the first step is a consultation. We will talk about what is happening, assess the situation, and tell you honestly what we think the path forward looks like.
Do not wait for it to get worse. Aggression tends to escalate without intervention, and the earlier we start, the more options we have.
Call or WhatsApp: +971 58 828 4452
Email: info@wellbehaved.ae