Grrr!: The Complete Guide to Understanding and Preventing Aggressive Behavior - Hardcover

Margolis, Matthew; Siegal, Mordecai

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316790222 ISBN 13: 9780316790222

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2000

Synopsis

According to a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, dog bites cause 4.5 million injuries every year - that's one bite every 40 seconds! Finally, recognized dog experts & the authors of this book, offer owners advice on how to prevent & train aggressive dogs. Drawing upon years of experience, the authors provide concerned dog owners with important tips on how to prevent everything from bites to excessive barking. GRRRRRR! defines each type of aggressive canine behavior & examines its causes & potential for danger. Those looking for a puppy will find useful instructions on how to choose a new best friend for its temperament, as well as methods for training both puppies & older dogs. The authors also include invaluable information on confronting aggressive dogs. Written in the authors entertaining & accessible style, this new book from America's premier dog experts is perfect for everyone with a dog in their life.

About this title

Review

If your dog is displaying signs of aggressiveness, he's not the only one. Grrr!: The Complete Guide to Understanding and Preventing Aggressive Behavior in Dogs author and dog trainer Matthew Margolis says that more than 80 percent of his clients seek him out because of concern about their dog's aggressive behavior. The signs of an aggressive dog are obvious: one who growls, bites, jumps, barks, or nips without being provoked. Yet, as Siegal and coauthor Matthew Margolis explain, it's much more difficult to get dog owners to admit that there's a problem and that the owners may be contributing, even unintentionally, to the aggressive behavior.

Margolis identifies the major characteristics of an aggressive dog and the 10 different sources of canine aggression, including fear aggression, dominant aggression, and territorial aggression. Because each type of aggression stems from a different source, each requires a special treatment. The next step, then, is identifying your dog's aggression type, which dog owners can do using the book's definitions and tests. Once you understand where your dog's behavior comes from, Siegal and Margolis theorize, you can then begin to properly train, socialize, and desensitize him, processes that are covered in subsequent chapters. By retraining your dog, you can once again assert the proper ways for your dog to behave.

Along with helping aggressive-dog owners gain control over their animals, the book also advises prospective dog owners on what to look for when picking out a nonaggressive dog. Siegal and Margolis explain that aggressiveness sometimes stems from genetic behavior and can be identified as early in a pup's life as six or seven weeks. They outline several tests you can perform on a dog to pinpoint whether the animal has an aggressive tendency.

Siegal and Margolis's love of dogs and respect for caring owners is evident in the tone of the book. Grrr!'s sensitive and informative approach to dog aggressiveness should help owners retrain their animals and hopefully prevent some unfortunate situations.--Kris Law

About the Author

"Mordecai Siegal is the award-winning author of twenty-five books about dogs and other animals. He is president of the Dog Writers Association of America and is often consulted as an expert in the pet industry. He is a frequent after-dinner speaker, has appeared on many TV shows, and has had his own radio talk show in New York. He lives in New York City."

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0316790222
• ISBN 13: 9780316790222
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256