Customer Reviews

Understanding and Handling Dog Aggression

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I bought this book because our Australian shepherd puppy (rescued at 3 months old, now 9 months old) has very strong dog-dog aggression. Or you can call it nervous plus predator aggression. I saw a reference to this book on one of the border collie websites and decided to give it a try since aussies and border collies are both herding breeds. However, the book should be good for any breed (not surprisingly since they are all dogs). I have read a few other books on dog aggression and this is the one that I like most so far. You will have to read other books as well but this one has put everything in perspective for me. It is a relatively short book, which is good because it is better to read the whole book instead of browsing through it. The author has a very good concept, which is basically shared by other trainers I have talked to or taken lessons from. I have started applying her methods to my dog and hopefully it will work - too early to say. But everything makes perfect sense and it is also common sense. The author gives some nice study cases as examples that illustrate her point well. The beginning of the book is a bit messy and not very informative if you have already spent some time thinking and dealing with your dog aggression, but the rest of the book is wonderful. There are no harsh methods but no "clicking" either.
There are many good points - one of the best is that a dog can be good in obedience/agility but has no good manners and no respect for her owner. So this book is about getting your dog's respect back and not how to train her to heel etc. If the dog respects you the logic is that when there is a problem (other dog), the dog will stay behind you (physically and mentally) and listen to you.

I read tons of dog training books. I have lots waiting to be read and Today when I got this book out I was so disappointed this is a book all about the pack leader mentality, not all positive training. If I would have been more aware I would not of purchased this book! Definitely a step back.