29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Okay, but better for trainers than owners, July 2, 2008
This review is from: Fight!: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-dog Aggression (Paperback)
This book has the right approach about positive reinforcement, desensitization, and counterconditioning. However, it really is geared towards a trainer who access to several dogs than for the every day dog owner with dog-on-dog aggression. I was *so* disappointed to read that most lessons involved having access to many dogs (3-6) who are well-behaved so that you can socialize your dog to be friendly with them. I simply do not know that many people with dogs. Plus, how are you supposed to ask someone to help you with your aggressive dog? Surely, most folks would be reluctant and not want to risk a fight.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Start!, November 14, 2008
This review is from: Fight!: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-dog Aggression (Paperback)
I was stuck with a fear aggressive dog, which is hard as is. Then let's add in the fact he's 80lbs of solid muscle and deaf! I needed help, and thankfully, was working at the SF SPCA, where Jean Donaldson was working, and so I purchased her book.
It was a huge help, because up until that point I was lost on what to do, I'd never had a fear aggressive/aggressive dog before, and my deaf boy had been the perfect dog park dog, until he was beat up by two related dogs (and no, they were not pitbulls)- my dog is the pit. He was terrified, and would not fight back, it took several minutes before I broke it up (other owner was totally oblivious). After a trip to the pet er, he was sutured up, and returned to the park a week later. At that point I noticed cautious/fearful behavior, and when a small dog mounted him, he freaked out. Not knowing how to respond, I made his fear worse, by tightening the leash when we approached dogs.
The book gave us HUGE progress! He went from being so scared of any dog he saw, and wanting to kill them a block away, to actually being able to walk past dogs, and/or say a quick hi without a problem. It's taken us a long time, but this book was tremendous help (in fact, more help than our $500 trainer!)
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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
fight! good for most cases, but not too helpful for the extremes, March 17, 2008
This review is from: Fight!: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-dog Aggression (Paperback)
This book is amazing if your dog is within a reasonable aggression range. It has good tips on how to deal with unwanted behavior and is quite smart in it's honest approach.
If you have a very dog aggressive animal, however, this book will do little to help except provide a quick comment of a single success story involving a pitbull and a trainer who devoted herself for six months to the dogs' rehabilitation. How that trainer approached the situation is not explained. What caused the success is a mystery.
Given that people at their wit's end may purchase this book and hope for an answer, understand that it may not contain what you are hoping.
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