Training Books
Click to Calm; Healing the Aggressive Dog, by Emma Parsons
Book reviewed by Patty Sontag
I would definitely recommend Click to Calm; Healing the Aggressive Dog by
Emma Parsons. If anyone is ever in a position to attend one of her
workshops, they would benefit greatly, since the workshops (and book) teach
you how to:
- Desensitize your dog to approaching stranger dogs
- Allow you to grab your dog's collar without him snapping
- Have your dog perform canine calming signals, instead of aggressive displays, on cue
- Have your dog turn and give you eye contact whenever another dog approaches, or you tighten on the leash
- Use your own body language when under stress as a cue for your dog to remain calm
- And many more creative and effective uses of managing behavior through clicker training
She, herself, had an aggressive golden retriever, Ben, whom she recently
lost to cancer.
For more info about her you can check her web site: http://creativecanine.com/
You can contact her through her web site link: emma@creativecanine.com
You can also read about her here:
www.clickertraining.com/node/340
or just google her name, and many links will come up.
I have met her, she is a wonderful person and trainer, very knowledgeable about dogs and their behavior. People are clamoring to get into her Reactive Dog classes. I believe she is available for private consults, and she regularly runs 7 week class sessions in Massachusetts.
I have to agree: often, we characterize a dog as aggressive, when in fact, it is reactive to certain situations, people or other dogs.
Catch Your Dog Doing Something Right, by Krista Cantrell.
Book reviewed by Natalia Samaj
This book is based on positive training method, but not clicker.
The book is set of exercises/GAMES to train your kerry the right way, keep
it mentally busy and get a rid of bad habits.
It starts with evaluation of the dog, so owner understands how much work your Kerry requires (as a number of repetitions, the kind of approach, treats vs. toys etc.)
I really love the part about how to get and keep dog's attention. I also like the set of games for tricks you want your dog to perform; from simply looking at you, to obedience. The purpose of everything is explained.
There ar plans for bad habit, such as digging, barking, jumping on
people or shyness.
For people who are interested in energetic massage, there is something to read about "chi" and application for your dog.
I found that many traning books require unfriendly pulling or pushing of
the
dog to get results. I absolutely do not agree with using prong collar for
traning and especially in puppies, although it is adviced by training schools
to "get dog's
attention". If a trainer is not able to show the owner how to get dogs'
attention in a friendly way, she shouldn't be called a trainer.
This book has a warning for owners of aggressive dogs and recommend seeing
behaviorist, if owner feels dog can be a danger.
The Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson
Book reviewed by Natalia Samaj
Another gem and "must own" for dog owner. It's a book focused on training based on understading of relationship between dogs and human (especially agressive dogs).
It includes valuable training ideas and also techniques for "mellow"
owners and
"problematic" dogs.
Aggression in Dogs, by Brenda Aloff
Practical management, prevention & behavior modification.
It has lots of great pictures, drawings, and good explanations. It's sort of long, but packed with good info.
How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong, by Pamela Dennison
Bringing Light to Shadow, by Pamela Dennison
Fight!, By Jean Donaldson
Mine!, By Jean Donaldson
Dogs are from Neptune, by Jean Donaldson
Dog Language, by Roger Abrantes
Has good pictures, but it is more difficult to see what the eyes & mouth are doing through fall & beard on terriers
On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, by Turid Rugaas
This book is commonly know as "calming Signals"
Some websites with book reviews:
Ruff Love: A Relationship Building Program for You and Your Dog, by
Susan Garrett.
It's available through Clean Run Productions, at www.cleanrun.com.
Don’t Shoot the Dog, by Karen Pryor
"Susan Garrett is a wonderful resource as is Karen Pryor - I still use my beat up little copy of "Don't Shoot the Dog." Sharon Burnett
So Your Dog's Not Lassie, by Betty Fisher and Suzanne Delzio
Subtitle: "Tips for Training Difficult Dogs and Independent Breeds."
"I have found it to be very helpful This is one author who gets the realities of breeds like Kerries." Janet G. McCallen
Canine Aggression Workbook, by Michael O'Heare
Dog Speak
"Has a section on dog body language. The sample drawings are of dogs
without falls or beards, so on a Kerry you can't always see what the book
describes. You have to watch closer for twitches in the nose and lips."
Sharon Barbee
"Training Your Dog: A Weekly Program for a Well-Behaved Dog,
by Jacqui O'Brien
"She's a British trainer who uses extensive photographs and captions
to explain her methods, begining with the pups first day home with foundation
training all the way to more advanced skills. Anyway, the book's intro has
a section dealing with communicating with your dog and understanding his
body language, like when a wagging tail isn't necessarily a good thing.
It ends with a section dealing with solving problem behaviors, which include
several forms of aggression. I find this book a good basic tool and I believe
both Barnes & Noble and Amazon have it. Hope this helps." Kate
Larson
GRRRR - Complete Guide to Understanding and Preventing Agressive behavior
in Dogs, by Matthew Margolis
"My first and foremost book on Dog Agression. Excellent book on signs
and how to identify them plus the 10 different sources of aggression like
Fear, Dominant & Territorial! Which we know have a lot to do with TERRIERS."
LM Wilkins
Agression in Dogs - Practical Management, Prevention & Behaviour
Modification, by Brenda Aloff
Dog Training for Dummies, by Jack Volhard, Obedience Trainer
"Has several excellent training books, and a website at www.volhard.com.
He and his wife Wendy have formulated a Canine Personality Profile based
on the basic drives of pack, prey, fight, and flight. The Profile is on
their website, and I think it's also been reproduced in their books. It's
an interesting tool for getting an overall picture of your individual dog,
so you can know something about where he's coming from. Answer options are
in the form of "almost always/sometimes/hardly ever"--best approach
is to answer quickly and not overthink each question." Diane
The Other End of the Leash, by Patricia B. McConnell
"This book is about how dogs interpret our body language and voice
tones, and how we MISinterpret theirs. I'm reading this now, and it's fascinating."
Diane
The Body Language and Emotions of Dog, by Myrna M. Milani,
DVM
"A good and thorough explanation of this topic." Diane
Dog Behavior, by Ian Dunbar
"Dunbar was one of the first to start exploring and explaining this
topic, and he's still one of the best." Diane
The Right Dog for You, by Daniel Tortora
" Paperback costing $10.50 at Amazon. A no-nonsense book
about the pros & cons of all breeds." Paul O. Gygi
What All Good Dogs Should Know, by Jack Volhard.
So Your Dog's Not Lassie - Tips for Training Difficult Dogs and Independent
Breeds, by Suzanne Delzio.
Last Update: 12/18/06, 18:09:15 Terms of Use and Disclaimer.
