Books about Dog Aggression and Training Reactive Dogs

This forum is all about training and behavior. Everything from potty training to working titles!

Postby Marinepits » January 4th, 2007, 10:20 am

How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong (a Roadmap for Rehabilitating Aggressive Dogs) by Pamela Dennison

from Amazon: Book Description
How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong will help anyone with a dog that has aggressive tendencies, whether it is a young dog that shows aggression when you remove the food bowl, a dog-aggressive dog that you are afraid to walk in the park, or a dog that is aggressive towards family and friends. Readers will gain an understanding of the causes of aggression and the various ways of dealing with it. Finally, they will learn a step by step program of rehabilitation that has been used successfully on hundreds of dogs, large and small, in all breeds.

From the Inside Flap
Pam Dennison's naturalness and blue-collar training approach tackles the signature symptoms of canine aggressiveness head-on. Written with a crisp, seamless approach, this briskly-paced manual gives you the tools with which to douse the fires of frustration on a combustible relationship lacking trust and control. The lessons you can take from "How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong" can potentially save a dog's life and leave you feeling mighty proud. Does pet ownership get any better than that? (Ranny Green,Seattle Times)



Outwitting Dogs by Terry Ryan and Kirsten Mortensen (also has great tips on training in general)

from Amazon: Book Description

Training dogs has traditionally been done by using negative reinforcement and brute force (take the choke collar as an example). But the tide is turning, and Terry Ryan, well-known dog trainer, is at the forefront of a revolution. OUTWITTING DOGS draws on her twentyfive years of hands-on experience helping people understand and train dogs, and solve dog behavior problems using kinder, gentler methods. OUTWITTING DOGS uses more brain than brawn to motivate dog behavior with positive training techniques, and helps readers truly understand the minds of their canine friends (and even enemies).

Chapters cover: . outwitting puppies . housebreaking . curing the chronic chewer . how to cure the leash puller, the dog that jumps on people, the dog that hates to be left alone, the dog that won't come, the dog that barks too much, the biter, the aggressor . how to outwit the neighbor's dog . how to teach your dog tricks . how to outwit dog trainers . and even a chapter on outwitting dogs and kids at the same time, and much more.

No sensible dog owner will want to be without a copy.


Scaredy Dog! Understanding and Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog by Ali Brown

from Amazon: Book Description
When dogs growl at other dogs, lunge at people, and bark at everything it's often mislabeled as "aggression." But most aggression is fear-based and should be treated as such. The appropriate term for this constellation of behaviors is "reactivity."
This book helps the trainer and dedicated dog owner to understand the reactive dog and help him change for the better. The process is not an easy one, but once the changes begin to take shape, owners become so encouraged that the rest of the process suddenly becomes easy!

All training methods and classroom techniques are based on fun and on the development of a ‘working relationship’ with your dog. 125 pages, with over 50 photographs and illustrations to help you recognize and solve problems.


The Canine Aggression Workbook 3rd Edition by James O'Heare

from Dogwise: *New 3nd edition! An exploration of the etiology, diagnosis and systematic treatment of aggression in pet dogs. Written for owners of aggressive dogs and professional dog behavior counselors, it offers detailed and comprehensive advice on dealing with aggression in pet dogs. Chapters include: Understanding Aggression, Preventing Aggression, Diagnosing Aggression, Treating Aggression, Children and Dog Aggression. Well-written and understandable.


Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs by Jean Donaldson
from Dogwise: *Award Winner, Dog Writer's Assn. of America, 2002, Training and Behavior Book. A practical how-to guide on resource guarding/aggression - food bowl, object, bed, crate, owner, etc. - in dogs. Contents include: aggression basics, nature of resource guarding, kinds of resource guarding, Behaviorist vs. medical models, recognizing guarding, prognosis, safety tools, treatment overview, management, desensitization and counterconditioning, resource sample hierarchies, generalization, troubleshooting, body handling desensitization, operant conditioning.


Fight! A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-Dog Aggression by Jean Donaldson

from Dogwise: From the award-winning author of Culture Clash and MINE! A practical guide to the treatment of dog-dog aggression. This down-to-earth manual will teach you how to use behavior modification to retrain a dog that bullies other dogs, or becomes fearful when approached by other dogs. Includes descriptions of common types of aggression, assessing prognosis, remedial socialization, on-leash manners training, proximity sensitivity, play style and skills, resource guarding, and prevention.


other books:

Animals in Translation -- Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behaviour by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson

from Amazon: From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Philosophers and scientists have long wondered what goes on in the minds of animals, and this fascinating study gives a wealth of illuminating insights into that mystery. Grandin, an animal behavior expert specializing in the design of humane slaughter systems, is autistic, and she contends that animals resemble autistic people in that they think visually rather than linguistically and perceive the world as a jumble of mesmerizing details rather than a coherent whole. Animals—cows, say, on their way through a chute—are thus easily spooked by novelties that humans see as trivialities, such as high-pitched noises, drafts and dangling clothes. Other animals accomplish feats of obsessive concentration; squirrels really do remember where each acorn is buried. The portrait she paints of the mammalian mind is both alien and familiar; she shows that beasts are capable of sadistic cruelty, remorse, superstition and surprising discernment (in one experiment, pigeons were taught to distinguish between early period Picasso and Monet). Grandin (Thinking in Pictures) and Johnson (coauthor of Shadow Syndromes) deploy a simple, lucid style to synthesize a vast amount of research in neurology, cognitive psychology and evolutionary biology, supplementing it with Grandin's firsthand observations of animal behavior and her own experiences with autism, engaging anecdotes about how animals interact with each other and their masters, and tips on how to pick and train house pets. The result is a lively and absorbing look at the world from animals' point of view.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Scientific American
Temple Grandin has been known to crawl through slaughterhouses to get a sense of what the animals there are experiencing. An autistic woman who as a child was recommended for institutionalization, Grandin has managed not only to enter society’s mainstream but ultimately to become prominent in animal research. An associate professor at Colorado State University, she designs facilities used worldwide for humane handling of livestock. She also invented a "hug machine" (based on a cattle-holding chute) that calms autistic children. In Animals in Translation, co-authored with science writer Catherine Johnson, Grandin makes an intriguing argument that, psychologically, animals and autistic people have a great deal in common—and that both have mental abilities typically underestimated by normal people. The book is a valuable, if speculative, contribution to the discussion of both autism and animal intelligence, two subjects on which there is little scientific consensus. Autistics, in Grandin’s view, represent a "way station" between average people, with all their verbal and conceptual abilities, and animals. In touring animal facilities, Grandin often spots details—a rattling chain, say, or a fluttering piece of cloth—that disturb the animals but have been overlooked by the people in charge. She also draws on psychological studies to show how oblivious humans can be to their surroundings. Ordinary humans seem to be less detail-oriented than animals and autistics. Grandin argues that animals have formidable cognitive capabilities, albeit specialized ones, whereas humans are cognitive generalists. Dogs are smell experts, birds are migration specialists, and so on. In her view, some animals have a form of genius—much as autistic savants can perform feats of memory and calculation far beyond the abilities of average people. Some dogs, for example, can predict when their owner is about to have a seizure. Delving into animal emotion, aggression and suffering, Grandin gives tips that may be useful for caretakers of pets and farm animals. She also notes that humans seem to need, and thrive on, the proximity of animals. Indeed, she states provocatively, in the process of becoming human we gave up something primal, and being around animals helps us get a measure of that back.
Kenneth Silber --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


For the Love of a Dog -- Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend by Patricia B. McConnell

from Amazon: From Publishers Weekly
Animal behaviorist, dog trainer, syndicated radio talk show host and prolific author on all things canine, McConnell (The Other End of the Leash) presents a compelling combination of stories, science and practical advice to show how understanding emotions in both people and dogs can improve owners' relationships with their pets. This is more than a simple dog-training book: much of what McConnell discusses concerns how dog owners can learn "the language" of dog by recognizing important signals and reading them correctly. She provides numerous helpful examples of how owners can observe dog behavior, especially differences in posture and facial expressions, in order to help dogs be better behaved and help dog owners to be better handlers; her discussion of the meaning of a dog's "tongue flicks" is alone worth the price of the book. Her overall goal is to help owners provide their pets with "a sense of calm, peaceful benevolence," and she skewers current dog-training fads that emphasize "dominance" over a dog. "Don't fool yourself: if you yell at your dog for something he did twenty seconds ago, you're not training him; you're merely expressing your own anger." (On sale Aug. 15)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Understanding what drives the behavior of our pet dogs is McConnell's goal. She teaches readers to understand the emotional environment of their dogs' actions and helps them to reprogram undesirable behaviors. This is not a book on how to train dogs, but McConnell's examination of cases from her veterinary practice, backed up by her scientific study of animal behavior, will help readers better understand their closest companions. Whether discussing separation anxiety, fear biting, or simple canine happiness, McConnell explains the emotional state of each dog and how this drives the observed behavior. One gentle Labrador was traumatized by an aggressive boy and had begun to growl and snap at all human males--he was cured by simple therapy involving habituation to nice behavior and treats from men and boys. A dog that was terrified of thunder was trained to go to his safe place--a heavily insulated, very quiet doghouse. McConnell's main message is for readers to observe their own dogs and to understand the emotions behind their actions, both good and bad. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


All of these books can be found through either http://www.amazon.com or http://www.dogwise.com

I am partway through most of these books right now and I've found information that I think is wonderful and some information that I don't care for, but I've enjoyed the learning process.
Last edited by Marinepits on January 4th, 2007, 1:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.
User avatar
Marinepits
Proud Infidel
 
Posts: 15621
Location: New England

Postby katiek0417 » January 4th, 2007, 10:33 am

Thank you for the suggestions....these all seem really good (I read the blurbs on Amazon)....

I also like Jellybean vs. Dr Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde....
User avatar
katiek0417
pointy ear hoarder
 
Posts: 6280
Location: Glen Burnie, MD

Postby Marinepits » January 4th, 2007, 10:34 am

You're welcome! :wink:
Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.
User avatar
Marinepits
Proud Infidel
 
Posts: 15621
Location: New England

Postby dogged » January 6th, 2007, 11:35 am

Aggression in Dogs by Brenda Aloff. I have it sitting on my desk right now and it has been a favorite of mine for ages. She also has a DVD seminar of the same name, which is about six hours long.
User avatar
dogged
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
Posts: 275
Location: GA

Postby pocketpit » January 6th, 2007, 5:02 pm

also like Jellybean vs. Dr Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde....


I enjoyed that book too!

Thanks for all the great tips on books, great idea. I'm planning on purchasing a couple of these and can't wait to dive into them.
User avatar
pocketpit
Supremely Bully
 
Posts: 1201
Location: WA

Postby pitbullmamaliz » January 7th, 2007, 11:27 pm

I must be like the only person in the world who didn't like "Animals In Translation." :|
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

http://www.pitbullzen.com
http://inaradog.wordpress.com
User avatar
pitbullmamaliz
Working out in the buff causes chafing
 
Posts: 15438
Location: Cleveland, OH

Postby Judy » October 13th, 2008, 8:02 pm

This is an excellent list, and I see Brenda Aloff mentioned again. I'm going to have to check that out.
Due to a forum glitch, I am now 30 years old. :woowoo:
User avatar
Judy
Loyally Bully
 
Posts: 748
Location: MA

Postby SisMorphine » October 13th, 2008, 8:37 pm

"Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons

"Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France
SisMorphine
They're like service dogs gone wrong.
 
Posts: 9233
Location: PR

Postby pitbullmamaliz » October 13th, 2008, 8:40 pm

Get Connected by Brenda Aloff
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

http://www.pitbullzen.com
http://inaradog.wordpress.com
User avatar
pitbullmamaliz
Working out in the buff causes chafing
 
Posts: 15438
Location: Cleveland, OH

Postby TheRedQueen » October 13th, 2008, 9:02 pm

SisMorphine wrote:"Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons

"Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt


I second these two...and seeing either in action is a wonderful thing...:-)

CU has some really great exercises that any person can do with their dogs...with fun "titles" that you can remember. :)

I have to add too...about Pam Dennison's book...she's VERY big into obedience, so some of her stuff can be hard to do with just any dog. I like Pam a lot, I've met her twice...but she loses me when she does obedience stuff! I like CU because it's very user-friendly. :D
"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw
User avatar
TheRedQueen
I thought I lost my Wiener... but then I found him.
 
Posts: 7184
Location: Maryland

Postby MegN » January 9th, 2010, 2:26 pm

OK, so my new dog is protective over me toward my husband, at time. There seem to be triggers, ex: food, towels, paper towels. On a scale of 1 - 5, 1 being a low level of excitement and 5 being highest, he been to nothing more than a 3. It is very controllable, within 1 minute he will stop but is still at an excited state? How can we work with him to not become triggered. We have a 3 pit clan, the other 2 dogs have been to easy and we have not had to work on anything like this. We have patience with him and are coming to the point that we know we have no idea how to help him so we need some help.
He is not dog aggressive at all, gets a little over excited with kids at times as well.

:?
MegN
Just Whelped
 
Posts: 21
Location: Pittsford, New York

Postby maberi » January 9th, 2010, 3:32 pm

MegN wrote:OK, so my new dog is protective over me toward my husband, at time. There seem to be triggers, ex: food, towels, paper towels. On a scale of 1 - 5, 1 being a low level of excitement and 5 being highest, he been to nothing more than a 3. It is very controllable, within 1 minute he will stop but is still at an excited state? How can we work with him to not become triggered. We have a 3 pit clan, the other 2 dogs have been to easy and we have not had to work on anything like this. We have patience with him and are coming to the point that we know we have no idea how to help him so we need some help.
He is not dog aggressive at all, gets a little over excited with kids at times as well.

:?


Hi Meghan, you may want to start a new thread specific to Woody's behavior in the training section. Can you give some specific examples of situations where Woody seemed as if he was guarding something? If Woody is getting aroused when he is near you and you have food, he may not be guarding you, but rather the food you are eating.

I can send you some information about NILF (nothing in life is free) which would be a good start. I would also make sure that Eric starts working with Woody (feeding him at dinner time, learning new behaviors, walks, etc...). NILF basically requires the dog to provide a behavior (sit, stay, down, etc...) to earn something in life (getting let out of the house, getting fed, getting attention, etc...). We want to make sure Woody understands that all of the good things in life (food, walks, attention, etc...) don't necessarily just come from mom but from dad as well.

--Matt
Look beyond what your own eyes see
User avatar
maberi
I Save My Empty Calories For The Bottle
 
Posts: 2781
Location: rochester, ny

Postby MegN » January 9th, 2010, 5:36 pm

ok, I made a new topic
MegN
Just Whelped
 
Posts: 21
Location: Pittsford, New York


Return to Training & Behavior

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users