Aggression in Dogs

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Summary: Exercises for dealing with problem dogs
Review: Aggression In Dogs: Practical Management, Prevention & Behaviour Modification by professional dog trainer Brenda Aloff is an in-depth resource covering virtually all there is to know about aggressive dog behavior and how to modify or curtail it. Exercises for dealing with problem dogs, practical solutions to common problems, black-and-white photographs and diagrams, and much more pack this no-nonsense guide for lay pet owners and professional dog handlers alike. Straightforward, uncomplicated prose teaches the reader how to better understand and therefore train a dog with the practiced techniques of a true expert.



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Summary: DOG TRAINER SAYS A+++
Review: I am a dog trainer by trade and I cannot tell you how long I've waited for a book like this! It has protocols, steps, and best of all very clear interpretations of how, what and when!!!
Good job Brenda and keep on coming with the good books!

Rating:
Summary: excellent resource
Review: If you're coping with a dog who has problems with shyness, aggression, resource guarding, etc., read this book. I've read just about everything available (and I also recommend Patricia McConnell, Jean Donaldson, Ian Dunbar, Pat Miller, Melissa Alexander, and Karen Pryor), and this book is superlative. Very specific instructions, helpful illustrations, good examples. There is hope for these dogs. This book will help.

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Summary: Indispensible dog training Book
Review: This is one of the best dog training books ever written. It thoroughly covers many aspects of dog training -- both the general training goals every dog owner has (such as how to teach your dog to greet others politely, how to do sits and downs, and the like) as well as giving many protocols for retraining aggressive and at-risk-for-being-aggressive dogs. Thus, the title is a bit incomplete: I would recommend this book for EVERONE doing dog training, whether you have an aggressive dog or not (or, whether you know you do or not, as she also talks about early warning signs of aggression that most people miss and things that lead to aggression down the road).

The information is very thorough, yet also easy to follow. About half the book is how-to: step-by-step instructions on how to get your dog to give you his attention, how to get your dog used to being handled, how to get your snarky dog to tolerate being near other dogs, and much more. Yet there are also sections which are more theoretical and abstract, such as sections on learning theroy, different kinds of canine aggression, and excellent discussions of canine body language (which can alert you to impending aggressive behavior). So, it is very complete and well-rounded, useful and engaging for those wanting a how-to book and those wanting more general information on canine aggression.

The book also discusses management strategies: things you can do to prevent aggression or how to set up your dog's environment so as to reduce or eliminate the expression of aggression. I think that this aspect of the blook -- this discussion of managing the environment to reduce and prevent aggression -- is unique to this book, and is valuable.

Invaluable for retraining aggressive dogs, it is also my "go to" book when planning my lessons for teaching basic home obedience class and puppy class. As I said, it is a book for everyone with a dog, not just those with aggressive dogs, and it is also tremendously helpful for dog training instructors as well as dog owners. Anyone who trains others to train dogs needs this book, as he or she will invariably run up against dog-aggression problems. A must-read.

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Summary: Best practical workbook I know for "feisty fidos"
Review: We use positive methods (Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar etc.) and subscribe to Whole Dog Journal and Bark. Whether positive methods are best isn't something I care to argue -- they are best for our family. I hope some of the people who aren't convinced may become more open-minded by reading this non-fuzzy-wuzzy book (and that they read the book before reviewing it here).

Our pup was so protective of our family that we came to feel we couldn't take him to an outdoor cafe, market or other situation where kids might be present. Aloff's book differs from anything else I found in that it not only set out literally dozens of practical exercises to address specific unwanted behaviors (this alone would make the book worth the hefty price), but also explains, in practical steps, all the stuff that's not in the Pryor book about how to actually _use_ the clicker. It discusses things like the difference between working with a "release word" after the click and not using one -- this may sound like hair-splitting but cleared up a lot of the confusion I had had about how to put all those wonderful theories into practice. This book has become our main training book. It has been a large part of our dog's greatly improved public behavior and is an indispensable reference as well.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: Best practical workbook I know for "feisty fidos"
Review: We use positive methods (Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar etc.) and subscribe to Whole Dog Journal and Bark. Whether positive methods are best isn't something I care to argue -- they are best for our family. I hope some of the people who aren't convinced may become more open-minded by reading this non-fuzzy-wuzzy book (and that they read the book before reviewing it here).

Our pup was so protective of our family that we came to feel we couldn't take him to an outdoor cafe, market or other situation where kids might be present. Aloff's book differs from anything else I found in that it not only set out literally dozens of practical exercises to address specific unwanted behaviors (this alone would make the book worth the hefty price), but also explains, in practical steps, all the stuff that's not in the Pryor book about how to actually _use_ the clicker. It discusses things like the difference between working with a "release word" after the click and not using one -- this may sound like hair-splitting but cleared up a lot of the confusion I had had about how to put all those wonderful theories into practice. This book has become our main training book. It has been a large part of our dog's greatly improved public behavior and is an indispensable reference as well.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.