Dogs Behaving Badly: An A-Z Guide to Understanding and Curing Behavorial Problems in Dogs [Paperback]

Nicholas Dodman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2000

Written with wit, wisdom, and compassion, this easy--to--use A--to--Z reference is a godsend for dog owners and prospective dog owners.

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, expert animal psychologist and acclaimed author of The Dog Who Loved Too Much, gets us inside the minds of our pets to learn what makes them do the crazy things they do.

From aggression to zoonosis and just about everything in between, Dr. Dodman draws on case histories from his own practice at the prestigious Tufts University Veterinary Center and offers fresh and incredibly useful tips that apply the latest discoveries in canine behaviorism and pharmacology. Here are simple, sensible, step-by-step instructions on diet, exercise, environment, and lifestyle changes that any pet owner can safely implement to effect seemingly miraculous improvement in their dog's behavior. Authoritative, entertaining, and immensely practical, Dr. Dodman proves that when it comes to caring for man's best friend, he's the best friend we have.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A bestselling author, practicing veterinarian--director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, no less--and passionate animal advocate, Dr. Nicholas Dodman's pioneering work in the field of animal psychology has made him a favorite with admiring colleagues and "problem" pet owners worldwide. His first two books, The Dog Who Loved Too Much and The Cat Who Cried for Help, presented alternative treatments for undesirable pet behavior that, prior to advancements in animal psychology, were treated with severe training methods or, worst case, euthanasia. Now, in Dogs Behaving Badly, Dodman addresses 26 of the most common canine behavior problems and offers practical treatment plans that focus on understanding what your dog is trying to communicate through his behavior--which, according to Dodman, is the key to effectively treating our pets. Arranged alphabetically and incorporating case studies as well as the most recent discoveries made in animal psychology, this exceptional guide covers a wide range of perplexing problems, including aggression, barking, compulsive behavior, "X-Files" (unexplainable behavior), yawning, and zoonosis (the transmittal of disease from dogs to humans). Also included is a thorough appendix of behavioral modification techniques as well as invaluable information on drug therapy and how to recognize when your dog requires professional help. Informative and extremely practical--right down to the easy-to-use A-to-Z reference format--Dogs Behaving Badly proves that "when it comes to caring for man's best friend, Dr. Dodman is the best friend we have." --Stefanie Hargreaves --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

An international expert, Dodman (veterinary psychology, Tufts Univ. Veterinary Ctr.; The Dog Who Loved Too Much, LJ 2/1/96) sets out to increase awareness of canine behavior problems and what can be done to treat them. He offers a practical approach and is quick to remind us that many perceived "problems" are normal behaviors for dogs. Using examples from his own practice, he presents suggestions and case studies with refreshing humor. He focuses on understanding what a dog is trying to communicate through its behavior. Many of the concerns discussed here are similar to those experienced by humans: aging, separation anxiety, irrational fears. An appendix offers step-by-step programs that may be used to address specific behaviors. The book is organized in an easy-to-follow A-to-Z format and will be welcomed by dog lovers and trainers. Recommended for all libraries where interest warrants.?Deborah Emerson, Monroe Community Coll. Lib., Rochester, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (June 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553379682
• ISBN-13: 978-0553379686
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nicholas H. Dodman is a world-renowned animal behaviorist and the best-selling author of the immensely popular The Dog Who Loved Too Much, The Cat Who Cried for Help, and, most recently, The Well-Adjusted Dog. He has appeared on Oprah, the Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, and CNN, among many other television and radio programs. He is a professor and the director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Format mandates a full read, thumbs down, September 14, 2000

By 

James Roche "cooljames" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dogs Behaving Badly: An A-Z Guide to Understanding and Curing Behavorial Problems in Dogs (Paperback)

This book is arranged in an a-z format but is VERY difficult to find what you are looking for. At first glance, it may seem like the arrangement of topics is a benefit, almost like a dog behavior encyclopedia. It's quite the contrary, I'm afraid.

There is but one topic for each letter of the alphabet and, thanks in part to the limited and lacking index, requires practically a cover-to-cover read to find all of the potentially useful topics in this book. Dog behaviors are like allergy symptoms in humans, no two dogs will have the same set of defects in their behavior. It's a waste of time to have to page through each of 26 chapters highlighting and focusing on your own dog's behavior, while tripping through chapter after chapter of other people's dog's problems.

Perhaps the worst part of the format is the series of chapters idiotically placed where other dog behaviors wouldn't fit. I? Imprinting problems (what?). K? Kissing. Q? Quarreling (doesn't that require the dog to be able to speak?). G? Geriatric Behavior Problems. X & Z? I'll let you ask somebody else, because you might not believe it from me. Come on, Dodman!

We bought three books to help us through our newly-adopted dog's troublesome first few weeks at home, and this is completely useless by comparison. The other 2 books we bought were 'Help for your Shy Dog' by Deborah Wood and 'The Dog Whisperer' by Paul Owens & Norma Eckroate. Both of these books have much better info, arranged for readers who aren't interested in random, sometimes bizarre topics.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of understanding behavior problems, little curing, August 27, 2003

By 

Katherine Maddox "katebeth" (Littleton, CO) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dogs Behaving Badly: An A-Z Guide to Understanding and Curing Behavorial Problems in Dogs (Paperback)

I was quite disappointed in this book. It is full of interesting stories of dogs and their troubles (like Maggie the German short-haired pointer and her false pregnancies), but I was looking for solutions to specific behavior problems. As another reviewer pointed out, some of the topics were quite bizarre and weren't intuitive (X-Files?) so I had to read the entire book to find what I was looking for. Based on the title (A-to-Z Guide), I was expecting quicker look-ups. In fact, the behavior-modification techniques are actually in the appendix, which is less than 20 pages long.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not helpful, just interesting, unless you have a BullTerrier, April 21, 2004

By A Customer

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This review is from: Dogs Behaving Badly: An A-Z Guide to Understanding and Curing Behavorial Problems in Dogs (Paperback)

While I found the stories and chapters very informative and interesting, this book was almost utterly useless as a tool to help those with the problems. The actual appendix in the back was really short and that's where the solutions were. Bad placement. I found the book hard to use, hard to find your problem, and even harder to figure out what Dodman was "sort of, kind of" recommending. The title was very misleading A-Z, more like alphabet soup see if you can find it...

I found the chapter on prey drive particularly useless. I was so terribly disappointed. This was the one problem for which the author offered absolutely no solutions or recommendations at all. Of course this was my problem.

I loved THE DOG WHO LOVED TOO MUCH, and found it helpful, but this book was not as useful. And a lot of time was spent expounding on Bull Terriers which while very interesting didn't really fit into the title.

I'm glad I read the book, but disappointed that I expected help and didn't get it.