I work with aggressive dogs. I have used a number of techniques over the years but one that I have been using a lot lately is called LAT or the Look At That game. The idea behind the LAT game is that rather than trying to get your dog to ignore the trigger, essentially you reinforce the dog for calmly looking at the trigger rather than aggressing at it.

Start at a distance where the dog isn’t acting like a complete lunatic. Remember you want to reinforce your dog for looking calmly at the trigger. Have a ton of really tasty treats on hand, cut into small, easy to consume pieces. Each time your dog glances at the trigger (person, skateboarder, other dog) mark that behavior either verbally (yes, good) or with a clicker (I prefer a clicker for this kind of work because it really stands out) and reward with a tasty treat. Remember that dogs don’t generalize behavior very well so you will have to practice this with a number of dogs (or skateboarders or people) before it really starts to take.

Once you have a dog that has learned that glances are rewarding, start to increase the amount of time that your dog must look at the trigger before being reinforced. Start with two seconds, then four seconds, then six. Raise your criteria very slowly.

Once your dog has really begun to catch on to the game, you can start to reinforce other socially acceptable behaviors: head turns, air scenting (sniffing in the direction of the dog or person), shake offs, paw lifts-all deference or negotiation signals.

If you have an animal that has serious aggression problems, don’t try to attempt this on your own. Consult a training professional.