Customer Reviews

How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong: A Road Map for Rehabilitating Aggressive Dogs

5 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For reference, I would suggest the reader check out my other two reviews I have written to date about books on canine agression, for "Grrr!!!" by Margolis and "Agression in Dogs" by Brenda Aloff. This book is intermediate between the two -- definitely more useful than "Grrr!!!," which is esentially just a primer on basic obedience, and a much easier read than the very complex book by Brenda Aloff.

My one complaint about this book is that I feel most of the exercises and training regimens are primarily geared toward dog-on-dog agression. While they might be universally adaptable to treating all types of agression, I would have liked to have seen more about dealing with other types. But, having said that, this book is not particularly expensive, and if it gives the reader even a little insight or a few tips which they can use on their own dog, it would be well worth the cost of the book. While I don't forsee using the book on a daily basis until the spine is ruined and the pages fall out, it's not the type of book which is going into the box for the local library's fundraiser used book sale, either. I guess I would advise the undecided buyer to get a copy and glean what they can from it.

Having read a number of books on the subject, this is one that I have found both useful and user-friendly. (For my taste, some of the other books on the subject were too heavy on theoretical talk, others fell short of useable training exercises.)

I would recommend this book in combination with 2 others for a comprehensive but concise library: Pam Dennison "Bringing Light to Shadow: A Dog Trainer's Diary," and Turid Rugaas, "Calming Signals."

These 3 work synergistically to help trainers as well as dog owners understand their dogs and develop a sensible approach to managing and rehabilitating their dogs.

This is a no nonsense concise guide for training and rehabilitating an agressive dog and also their owner. Pam Dennison gives precise step by step positive training techniques that will create a lasting bond between human and dog. It is a must read for the agressive dog owner, but is also common sense training for any dog owner. Her use of positive reinforcement of good behavior rather than punishment for bad will make many dogs' lives happier. Her suggestion to keep a daily log of training is a great tool and she supplies a template. I've already seen great results using her techniques with both my dogs. This is a must read for all dog lovers, easy to read, and full of valuable information and insight.

This book was very well written and had a lot of information about re-training aggressive dogs. I purchased the book because I have a leash reactive dog and wanted to try something different than what I know, and this book sounded promising. This is where the disapointment comes in. Well it does tell the reader a lot about aggression and how to re-condition your dog to realize other dogs equal good things not bad things, it says nothing about how to stop your dog from reacting in the first place. All it says is not to let your dog practice the behavior, basically by avoiding what sets them off which is very hard to do when you live in an apartment and can't AVOID the stimuli, i.e.: other dogs, as the author says to do. If it had more information on how to stop your dogs reaction, aside from turning and walking away, walking the other direction, which is not practical when you have a 100 pound German Shepherd mix on the leash, it would have been more help to me, but overall it wasn't much help. For readers who's dogs just get aggressive if a dog gets too close, this would be a good book, but if your dog is lungeing and barking at just the sight of another dog, it's just a waste of money and your money would be better spent on a trainer.

I liked this book and feel it will help. Some other resources for some specific types of aggression not mentioned in the other reviews are "Fight!" by Jean Donaldson, for dogs that aggress toward other dogs, "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson, for dogs that guard their food bowl or other items of value (to the dog), and "Feisty Fido! Help for the Leash Aggressive Dog" by Patricia B. McConnell and Karen B. London. The techniques in these practical, reasonably-priced pamphlets would mesh well with the other resources mentioned.

It took the author 4 YEARS to rehabilitate her dog using her method, and its easy to understand why. Nowhere in this book are you taught how to nurture trust and respect from your dog. The advice on training specific commands is worth reading, but probably not what most people that buy this book are looking for. The books I bought after reading this one were so much better. I would highly recommend the books by Patricia McConnell instead. Her 'How to be a Pack Leader' booklet is awesome and sets the stage for success with her other books, Feisty Fido and the Cautious Canine.

Book is decently written and information logically presented. However, it does not really provide adequate details for application of techniques. It indicates that basic obedience is the fundamental method of correcting dogs who show aggression, but does not give adequate in-depth specifics to support the title's promise.

I have a human-aggressive dog and with this book, I have already seen a huge difference! This book is great for a human and/or dog-aggressive dog.

This book covers: the causes of aggression, how to prevent aggression, foundation behaviors and designing desensitization program. It also provides information on controlling your dog in a variety of settings such as: walking on a trail, getting safely into the vet's office, having someone touch dog, guests coming to the door, people/dogs walking past your window, and driving in the car. This book also provides a log sheet for you to record progress.

Also, I saw a review saying if your dog lunges at people, this book isn't for you. I completely disagree. The key is to start the dog far enough away from people so he doesn't react and this is covered in the book.

Overall this is a great book for a dog at any level of aggression. It starts you out with people very far away for a highly reactive dog and takes you step-by-step to how to let someone get near and even pet the dog when you advance. I believe that with this book, as long as you read it carefully and put in the practice time, eventually your dog can be rehabilitated!

So you have a beloved but aggressive dog and want to rehabilitate it before a lawsuit or injury happens: the first place to turn to is Pamela S. Dennison's How To Right A Dog Gone Wrong: A Roadmap For Rehabilitating Aggressive Dogs. Pamela is founder of the hugely successful Camp R.E.W.A.R.D. for aggressive dogs and has developed a host of rehabilitation techniques for them using attention desensitization, diversion and positive rewards. Re-train your wayward pooch with the help of this fine resource.

A useful book with straight forward explanations about "aggressive" emotions in dogs. A humane approach to management of these dogs and also helpful ideas to prevent people from making the situation worse and aggravating the anxious animal. A good book for new pet owners who find

dog handling to be more hazardous than anticipated.