Civilizing the City Dog: A Guide to Rehabilitating Aggressive Dogs in an Urban Environment - Softcover

Dennison, Pamela S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1577790898 ISBN 13: 9781577790891

Publisher: Alpine Pubns Inc, 2007

Synopsis

Residing in a large, congested city presents special problems to city dwellers who own aggressive dogs. There are few places to escape the constant stream of people, automobiles, dogs and other circumstances that may trigger an aggressive or reactive dog. Just walking out the door of the apartment can be a challenge.

Realizing the city dog is presented with constant action, with no room to avoid threatening situations, Pamela S. Dennison and Jolanta Benal have written a book addressing those very issues that make training an aggressive or reactive dog in a large city unique. With clarity, the authors guide the reader down the path to rehabilitation. They begin with recommending dry runs and having a helper, training indoors and working to prevent reactive behavior. Advice is included on what to do if the dog goes over the threshold or if a real catastrophe strikes, and how to become inventive in sticky situations. The authors also focus on teaching the owner/handler to learn how to handle their own anxieties or fears.

Although at times the authors refer to Dennison s previous book, How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong, this book is very capable of standing on its own. It is full of solid, well-thought-out information that the owner of an aggressive or reactive dog can put into use. With time, patience and dedication, readers will soon be walking their dog down a crowded street with confidence.

About this title

About the Author

Pam's work with aggressive dogs started when she adopted a one-year-old Border
Collie named Shadow. Unbeknownst to her, she had a human-aggressive dog on her
hands. It was through her work with Shadow that she was able to gain the observational and training skills necessary to work with aggression. In a mere eighteen months, Pam took Shadow from being a human-aggressive dog to one able to earn his Canine Good Citizen certificate and subsequent Rally Championship title (ARCH), RL3, CD, NA, NAJ, TSW.

Pam has been training dogs since 1992 and started her own business, Positive
Motivation Dog Training, in 1997. She teaches puppy kindergarten, beginners, Canine Good Citizen, musical Freestyle, Rally and competition classes at her facility in Belvidere, New Jersey. She works with every breed, from Dachshunds to Great Danes to every size in between, on a myriad of behavioral issues. Pam holds behavior modification classes for aggressive and reactive dogs based on her work with Shadow, as well as seminars and camps (Camp R.E.W.A.R.D.).

Pam started competing in 1996 and qualified and competed in the Eastern United
States Dog Obedience Championships in 1997. After switching to positive training
methods from traditional, punishment-based ones, she started her own school in 1997. At present she lives with three rescued dogs, all Border Collies. Her dogs have earned many titles to date, spanning Competition obedience, Rally obedience, and agility. Pam continues to compete for more titles in these sports, as well as training for sheepherding, tracking, carting and water sports. To date, her students have earned a multitude of titles and certificates in obedience, Rally, tracking, sheepherding and Canine Good Citizen and
Therapy Dog programs.

Pam is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training (Alpha
Books), Bringing Light to Shadow: A Dog Trainer's Diary (Dogwise Publishing), How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong: A Roadmap for Rehabilitating Aggressive Dogs (Alpine Publications) and Click Your Way to Rally Obedience (Alpine Publications). Pam also has two videos available, Camp R.E.WA.R.D. for Aggressive Dogs and Positive Solutions for Standard Behavioral Problems (both from Barkleigh Productions). Pam is a member of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), the NADOI (National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors), and the DWAA (Dog Writers Association of America). She is also a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the IAABC (International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants). Pam has published articles in the Blairstown Press, The Clicker Journal, various BowTie publications, Chronicle of the Dog (APDT newsletter), and Dog Sport Magazine, and is the training writer for the New England Border Collie Rescue newsletter, Have You Herd? She has been a regular presenter at various venues, speaking on a variety of topics relating to positive training and aggression. Pam also has worked closely with Sussex County Friends of Animals and Pet Adoption League and developed a retraining program for shelter dogs.

Edition details

• Publisher: Alpine Pubns Inc
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1577790898
• ISBN 13: 9781577790891
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 84