Reddit reviews How To Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication

Loved this book. Dr. McConnell had 2 or 3 border collies at the time of that book and has had them her whole adult life. she uses them on her sheep farm as herding dogs. She is also an animal/dog behaviorist.

Stanley Coren has some good ones too like this on on How Dogs Think, this one on How to Speak Dog, and this one on The Intelligence of Dogs.

Thank you for your reply. I still have some issues with your line of thinking, although I agree with you on some points.
> It's happened a couple of times over a long, long span. This is not, "never let your dog see another dog ever,' this is, 'train an out command so that when your dog engages in this INCREDIBLY RARE behavior, you can stop it."

At no point does the OP say this is "INCREDIBLY RARE" behaviour. Incredibly rare would suggest to me it happens less than once a year, but this is all conjecture until the OP can clarify exactly what she meant. Neither of us actually know how often this happens. She does say "It's very inconsistent and she rarely does this". But this language is vague and can be interpreted differently. Very inconsistent could be once a week? Once a month? Perhaps she does mean once a year. Who knows. At any rate, we know it is happening often enough for OP to make a post about it and ask for advice on how to resolve the issue. That information alone would suggest to me that we cannot treat the expressions "very inconsistent" and "INCREDIBLY RARE" as equals. But it is really pointless to argue this as neither of us actually know.

The important thing to note is that the dog's behaviour is inconsistent and unpredictable. The OP doesn't know when she is going to act this way and when she is not. Therefore, if she is going to attempt to curtail this behaviour by avoiding these situations, she will have to avoid any situation in which it might happen. She can never be sure when this will be, and this is the reason I felt avoidance alone was untenable.

>A growl is communication, not intent, and not always interpret-able by a lay human observer.

I completely agree that signals such as growls are often misinterpreted, and I commend your attitude towards this. If you are interested in dog body language and signals I recommend Stanley Coren's book How To Speak Dog if you haven't read it already. It is very entertaining and useful.

However, you should not assume blind ignorance on my part and believe that I routinely misinterpret many signals as aggression. I don't think the examples you cite regarding puppy litters and play are relevant here whatsoever. The OP specifically says "Callie will straight up attack them and start a fight. Blood has only been drawn once".
Regardless of the nuances of dog communication I would class this behaviour as unacceptable aggression and I stand by that.

> To tell this woman, whose dog has growled and mouthed another dog on a few occasions that she is dealing with aggression and resource guarding is disingenuous. You are putting big names to a small problem.

If you look at my reply to OP you can see that regarding her first issue I actually suggest the dog is not being dominant or aggressive but rather it may be an issue of overenthusiastic play behaviour.
>Are you sure this isn't simply an instance of overenthusiastic mouthing as a result of excitement/lack of boundaries?

I believe seeing her dog bite at the other dog's neck is a behaviour which could be misinterpreted as aggressive, when in reality it is simply natural dog behaviour which has gone unchecked. I do not suggest that this is necessarily "aggressive" behaviour. But of course I can't say for sure given the limited information OP has given. That is why I suggested contacting a local professional trainer, and I stand by that advice.
Edit - I want to add here, that regardless of whether this is "aggressive" behaviour, it is clearly unwanted behaviour. And there are training methods to address this if the OP chooses to do so.

As for the resource guarding, based on OP's description of the dog's behaviour, I still believe this could legitimately be a case of resource guarding. If that is the case, then it is sensible to address this matter through training. However, it could be another issue entirely, and so I would once again suggest the services of an in-person trainer.

>Avoiding the situation until you can come up with a solution, no matter what that solution is, is ALWAYS the right first step.

Again, I absolutely agree with you. However, my impression was that this was not what you were saying. I didn't feel that you were suggesting the OP avoid these situations until a training solution can be reached. But rather you were saying avoidance was a training solution in and of itself. The biggest issue I have with your statements is this
>train an out command so that when your dog engages in this INCREDIBLY RARE behavior, you can stop it.

The OP specifically describes a situation in which the dog is attacking other dogs and starting a fight. I don't believe that a strong stop and recall command is sufficient to address this. For one thing, if the OP is capable of teaching a strong enough recall command that she can immediately stop and recall the dog to her side when she is in the middle of play, then I believe OP is competent enough to address the root of the issue in the first place and train her dog not to exhibit these behaviours. Secondly, the dog has shown a willingness to instigate fights with other dogs. What if the dog starts a fight with another dog that decides to fight back? In that situation, how does the OP respond? Even if her "out" command is impeccable, that will not have stopped the dog from instigating the behaviour in the first place. And if the other dog decides to retaliate then it won't matter how good the "out" command is. Even if this behaviour is extremely infrequent, it has happened often enough for the OP to seek advice and it is still dangerous. I think the responsible thing to do is seek professional advice and focus on addressing the root of the issue as to why the dog is showing patterns of resource guarding and aggression. Avoiding situations and relying on an "out" command is not sufficient in my opinion. But I will happily discuss this further with you. However, I think this all a little pointless without more information from OP. Neither of us can give a fair assessment of the situation, and that is why my ultimate advice would have to be seeking professional local help if the OP feels it is necessary

Edit - I'm actually sleepy so I won't be responding any more. To reiterate, I believe that the dog is exhibiting unwanted behaviour that can be modified through training. I do not believe avoidance or reliance on an out command is sensible or sufficient to address this, and recommend the OP seek professional training help.

Virtually any dog in the universe can fit the criteria of what you described, but all breeds have their little variations.

For example, my favorite breed is the German Shepherd. And there are German Shepherds that do really well in apartment life, and others that don't. If you go to a breeder for your dog, you're going to want to find a breeder that emphasizes pet quality, safe, sane dogs. The difference between a Labrador from hunting lines and lines bred for therapy and service dog work is night and day. If you go to a shelter to adopt a dog, I would recommend taking a qualified trainer with you that's well-read on selection testing dogs, and most of all, use the resources at your disposal. Talk to the people who run the shelter and/or the rescue. They have the most experience with the dog. They will be able to help you the best.

With the two breeds you mentioned (Golden Retrievers, specifically) keep in mind the shedding issue. Labs shed too, but Golden's are just about as bad as Shepherd's (which are both, very bad.) If you have carpet, be prepared to vacuum everyday. If you intend to let your dog sleep with you on the bed, or chill on the sofa, be ready to clean your furniture daily. Your clothes will be covered in hair if you do not. Your boss will not like you showing up to work wearing your dog.

Also, please, if you haven't already, look into your apartments restrictions for pets and dog breeds, and keep in mind that if you intend on moving, you will be taking your dog with you. I love all breeds of dogs, but apartments do not. Rottweilers, German Shepherd's, Doberman's, Pitbulls (and mixes) come under notorious scrutiny when moving. For your future dogs sake, pick a breed or mixed breed that your landlords are cool with.


Some of my favorite books include:
Dog Training for Dummies which is a very basic introduction to how dogs learn, and explains the different methods available to you in an unbiased manner.

Some of my personal favorite books include:
How To Be Your Dogs Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete.
The Art of Raising A Puppy by the Monks of New Skete
The Divine Canine by the Monks of New Skete

If you haven't already guessed, I'm a huge fan of the Monks of New Skete. The put huge emphasis on calm, structured leadership and positive method obedience that works in real life situations. Plus, they're German Shepherd people. Double points.

Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin.

Dr. Temple Grandin is a high-functioning autistic that teaches at Colorado State University's veterinary science department. I've taken several classes with her, and her understanding of animals is absolutely impossible to challenge. This book is more about genetic theory and science-backed training methods. It's good reading material if you want to know more about animals (she discusses dogs and livestock in detail) but is not a training guide. She also has a lot of technical articles available on her website here.

Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Harowitz. This is a cursory introduction to canine ethology. It is not a guide, but if you want to know about how dogs think (how dogs can "smell time" for example) this is where you start.

How to Speak Dog by Stanley Coren emphasizes communication with dogs, backed in animal biology and evolution.

Canine Body Language: A photographic guide by Brenda Aloff describes in vivid detail what dogs are "saying." It's not a training guide, but will help you understand your dog much better.

Katz on Dogs by Jon Katz, a great common sense training guide to working with dogs in the home, and outdoors.
Soul of a Dog also by Jon Katz, which goes into greater detail on the personal side of working with dogs, with very helpful examples.

Imagine Life With a Well Behaved Dog by Julie Bjelland. Great book on structure and positive method dog training.

Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Dr. Pitcairn was one of my college textbooks and it's a great start for dog nutrition and chemical-free health care for dogs. This is not a training guide, but nutrition and health are just as important (if not more) than training, so I figured I'd share.


With the exception of the first book on the list, all of these books are fairly detailed. I would highly recommend the Monks of New Skete books before any of the others. But they're all very good.

Additionally, you can read many of the articles on the AKC.org website regarding dog training, and Leerburg has some great comprehensive advice on training the working dog, which can also be applied to training family pets. He also sells a variety of videos and ebooks on the same subject matter.

TL;DR How To Be Your Dogs Best Friend & The Art of Raising A Puppy explain everything you ever need to know about training a dog, ever.

That is the heart breaking part. Stay strong. Do lots of socializing during the day. Lots and lots.

Also, don't get in the habit of just saying No! Say the dogs name, then the command. Otherwise it's just a word. i.e. Cap'n: No!
Read this book.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Speak-Dog-Mastering-Communication/dp/074320297X?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0