Customer Reviews

Behavior Problems in Dogs

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ever since we got our dogs ... we have been reading and reading dog related books ... mostly out of interest and sometimes because we needed advice with particular issues we're encountering with our canine family members ...

Some books were far too general, a few (fortunately very few) actually contained bad or poor advice ... most were reasonably good & useful ...

But by far ... this is the best we have come across ...

The author makes no pretence at offering quick or instant solutions ... in the first few chapters and without emotional tangents (we all think our dogs understand us *laughs*) he takes the reader through the psychology and mindset of a dog, ... it becomes very clear that the author believes a dog cannot be effectively trained simply by rote, punishment or treats ... but through a process of learning to understand their true nature and positive healthy reinforcement ...

But what makes the most difference is that ... the author is prepared, without fear of alienating his readers, to require dog owners to delve into their own psychology and inner nature ...

This approach makes the book all the more useful ... it made me realise the futility of trying to train our dogs, without first considering how I might be affecting them, with my behaviour and reactions (conscious & subconscious) ... I was asked to consider how my own understanding or lack ... might be causing or contributing to the dogs' good as well as bad behaviour ... The book also provides useful case studies and plenty of practical advice.

It does require a little more concentration than one would normally devote to the reading of a pet training book ... but the effort is well worth it ... any dog owner, new and experienced will benefit ...

When faced with problem behaviors in a rough collie back in the 70's, I read every dog behavior book on the shelves at the time. William Campbell's book was the only reference which addressed the issues I needed to understand. Campbell's description of 'active defense reflex' vs 'passive defense reflex' dogs made all the difference in my understanding of Shasta's behavior. He gave me all the advice I needed to turn this behavior around with very specific instructions which worked to perfection. We went on, after reading this book, to earn a CD in obedience whereas before I could not even touch his body without being bitten ('active defense reflex'). I recommend this book to anyone I contact who is dealing with dog behavior problems and I'm very interested to see how this new edition compares to the one I purchased in the 1970's!

This is an excellent book detailing behaviors and causes, as well as corrections. This is one of the few books around that shows medical causes and remedies for certain conditions. For those problems that are truly behavioral, and not medical, in origin, Dr. Campbell details owner/handler behaviors designed to correct, rather than punish, those involved. This book should be the dog-trainer's bible, and it wouldn't hurt potential owners to read it, either. I read the version published in the seventies, and would like to check on any modifications which may appear in the 1992 edition.

A book is only as good as it is useful. I wanted to copy something for my sister, new to dogs, but gave up after 5 minutes of not being able to find it. Because the author really only has 3 recommendations for any given problem (leadership exercises, counter-conditioning ("Jolly routine," in his verbiage), and distract-and-redirect), he should have laid those out somewhere in the book and then applied them to the problems he discusses.

That said, the very strong "pros" of this book are:
(a) one of his first tasks is to explain how dogs perceive the world (and, thereby, show why they don't instinctively understand people!);
(b) he speaks in terms of "leadership" instead of "dominance";
(c) he does not compare dogs to wolves or human children -- they are neither!;
(d) he very importantly points out that almost every dog "misbehavior" is due to frustration, and that a dog's basic temperament will determine how it responds to this frustration (outward or inward); and
(e) his solutions are practical, humane, and focused on altering the cause, not punishing the effect.

The "minuses" include:
(a) poor presentation of his methods;
(b) criminal lack of proofreading;
(c) some unfortunate outdated terminology (I cringed at every use of the term "correction");
(d) presentation of his "pet" issues of a high-protein diet, and treatment of hyperkinetic dogs.

The buyer should also know that he expects you to have trained your dog basic obedience, as he uses basic commands in some of his solutions.

... This is a very good read ... this book offers much more than the usual approach of `tell the dog to sit, and reward it with a treat' ... the author approaches the problem of bad dog behaviour from the owner's perspective, as well as from the dog's perspective ... a holistic approach that avoids harsh punishment ... The author tells us that in order to correct a dog, oftentimes we must first as owners correct ourselves, our approach ... our whole attitude ... we are encouraged to try and learn the nature of dogs, their instincts and propensities ... the numerous case studies are also extremely useful ... All in all, a very good book, informative, sensible and effective.

This book opened my eyes in several ways. At the time I read it I had been looking for an approach to dog training that didn't rely on the harsh corrections recommended by proponents of the alpha theory, which were all the rage at the time. Campbell was only the second author I read who claimed that the alpha theory wasn't relevant to training. (Kevin Behan, author of NATURAL DOG TRAINING, 1992, was the other.) What's even more brilliant is that Campbell wrote his book in the 1970s, long before we all found out that the alpha theory is a total myth! (The top wolf experts don't even like to use the word alpha anymore because, as Dr. L. David Mech puts it, "it falsely implies a hierarchical system in which each wolf assumes a place in a linear pecking order," (Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2002).)

I especially like Campbell's "jolly routine" exercise and his distraction/praise approach to stopping a puppy from doing natural, though destructive, behaviors, as opposed to using physical corrections or scolding the pup.

That said, I've found that many of the other exercises-like "no free lunch" (now called NILIF)-don't really work. And some-like the exercise for keeping the dog from going through a door ahead of you-are completely unnecessary. That's why I'm only giving BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN DOGS three stars. It's still worth reading though, especially if you're a dog trainer.

... This is a very good read ... this book offers much more than the usual approach of `tell the dog to sit, and reward it with a treat' ... the author approaches the problem of bad dog behaviour from the owner's perspective, as well as from the dog's perspective ... a holistic approach that avoids harsh punishment ... The author tells us that in order to correct a dog, oftentimes we must first as owners correct ourselves, our approach ... our whole attitude ... we are encouraged to try and learn the nature of dogs, their instincts and propensities ... the numerous case studies are also extremely useful ... All in all, a very good book, informative, sensible and effective.

Not much value here. Countless pages spent discussing food, drugs, health issues all possible contributing factors leaving the reader with too much information, unfocused information and tedious reading. Will not recommend to clients.

Great book...how to understand what is truly going on in your dog...Read this book and re-think how your house works. Amazing book, huge turn around for you and your dog.

Campbell is a well known and respected positive trainer of dogs. This book is a must have primer on the subject with entertaining illustrations and easy to read instructions to the common dog owner on how to best live with a happy dog.