Elfie is an adult dog that is aggressive towards people, especially around her house. I have worked with her in her crate because she would lunge and bark at me when I entered her home. After several sessions I can now come in and she is better and I have been able to pet her. I have taught her to take a breath because she becomes anxious when she sees people. When she begins to get anxious, I can cue her to "breathe." She will take a breath and we can see her begin to relax as she exhales. As in people, when we take a deep breath and then exhale we release endorphins and it makes us feel better. This can also occur in dogs. I have noticed that she will now do it without the cue if she is in a stressful situation. Taking a breath is just another tool to help heal the aggressive dog.
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