A dog bite prevention specialist from Melbourne visited the Border on Sunday to hold a workshop on reducing and treating aggression.

Brad Griggs, who runs Canine Services in Melbourne, was pleased at the response to the workshop, which included pet owners from as far afield as Melbourne and Canberra, as well as Albury City rangers, RSCPA officers and obedience trainers.

Members of Albury-Wodonga Animal Rescue used the workshop as a chance to equip them with the skill to identify aggression and how to turn it around so dogs can be re-homed.

“We will save a lot more dogs by having this knowledge,” group treasurer Stacey Swan said.

Mrs Swan said every dog had to be judged on its own merit but there were certain behaviours to look out for.

“When we get our surrenders we spend time with the dog to assess if they display any aggressive behaviour,” she said.

“We got to see a lot of different behaviours at the workshop and this will help us get dogs out of the pound.”

Mr Griggs explained aggression in canines was normal and people needed to be taught to recognise the signs and treat the behaviour.

“The No. 1 way we do this is by discouraging the behaviour and spending time with the dog to encourage desirable behaviours,” Mr Grigg said.

Albury dog trainer Brydie Charlesworth organised the workshop due to a lack of trainers in the area dealing with aggression issues.