Job Michael Evans trained dogs for many years with the Monks of New Skete. After leaving the monastery, he started his own dog counseling business. This book is the distillation of many years of experience. Sadly, the author has passed away,so no new books by him will be forthcoming.
This book is an easy to read, and has a lot of practical advice about training your problem dog. He uses case histories of actual clients' problems to make his points. He outlines a program he calls RRRR - the Radical Regimin for Recalcitrant Rovers. It's a 20 step program that you institute for a month with your problem dog. It includes things like not letting the dog sleep on your bed, (while simultaneously insisting that your dog sleep in the same bedroom, just on the floor), a 30 minute long down each day (untrained dogs can be restrained by a leash which you sit on to keep control of the dog if it gets up, whines, etc), not allowing the dog to precede you out the doorways, plenty of exercise (and not just turning the dog out in the backyard), obedience exercises etc. Susan Garrett outlines something similar in her book, Rough Love. I can only assume she borrowed the idea from this author as his work predates her.
He has good advice on dealing with marking, inter family dog aggression (keep both dogs in the same room, on lead so they can't get to each other. By allowing or making one dog leave the room, you are giving in to the dogs demands). He also deals with dogs that growl at their owners (a growl is just a bite waiting to happen). He discusses the four alternatives you have for an aggressive dog: Live with the behavior as it is, try to train the behavior out of the dog, give the dog to someone else, or euthanize the dog. He clearly prefers to train the dog. By mentioning euthanasia, he tries to explain to the owner of an aggressive dog what the failure to address the dog's aggression will ultimately lead to. For the record, he isn't in favor of giving the dog away as he thinks it just passes the problem onto an unsuspecting person, resulting in the potential for real harm to a person or another dog.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of all of the great,, sound advice that is in this book. Buy it now for your library, if nothing else. The book is out of print, and it is unlikely to ever be reprinted or revised due to the author's passing.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from other countries
Laurie F.
is one of the best dog trainers there ever was and has great advice ...
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2016