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Why is my dog so growly?: Book 1 Teach your fearful, aggressive, or reactive dog confidence through understanding
Are you at the end of your tether with your reactive dog?
Barking, lunging, screaming at people and other dogs?
Here you can learn proven, positive, and simple science-backed techniques developed by professional dog trainer Beverley Courtney through her years of study and working with thousands of dog-owners like you, both face-to-face and in her popular online coaching programs.This first book gives you the essential knowledge about WHY your dog does what he does. The training and techniques in Books 2 and 3 depend on this vital understanding. Skipping this knowledge and jumping into action without it is not going to work!
Picture the you’re walking along the road with your dog when - horror of horrors! - another person with a dog appears at the end of the street.
You start to breathe faster, your heart rate speeds up, you clutch the lead tightly to you, keeping your dog’s head close.
Your dog spots the other dog, and lunges forward on the lead, barking ferociously. You gasp out broken commands as you try to keep your feet on the ground. The other person sweeps by, looking down their nose at you.
Now shame enters the mix. Your dog has behaved badly, you were quite unable to control him, and now you’re condemned as a useless dog-owner with a nasty dog.
This walk has turned into a walk of shame and misery. Your dog is now on his toes, anxiously scanning for the next intruder to bark at. Your hands are sore, your throat is dry. You wish you could disappear into a hole in the ground, wondering where you have gone wrong.
Sound familiar? The first thing to realise is that you are not alone!
There are lots of people who have dogs whom they love dearly - dogs who are a pleasure and delight about the house, calm, biddable, great with the kids. But as soon as they venture out of the door, the horns and the forked tail grow.
Book 1 in the easy-to-read series Essential Skills for your Growly but Brilliant Family Dog shows you exactly what is going on with your dog - why he’s doing what he’s doing - and sets you on the road to make some changes born of understanding that will ultimately transform your walks. It’s important that you have this knowledge before you attempt to make the changes in Books 2 and 3.
“If you want to enter a phase of partnership and understanding with your dog then this is a book for you!” 5* review
Beverley writes with empathy for anyone whose dog has been labelled anxious, fearful, aggressive, or reactive - and the undercurrent of humour which flows through all her books will keep you smiling as you work through this entirely force-free program. Buy the book and start today!
Barking, lunging, screaming at people and other dogs?
Here you can learn proven, positive, and simple science-backed techniques developed by professional dog trainer Beverley Courtney through her years of study and working with thousands of dog-owners like you, both face-to-face and in her popular online coaching programs.This first book gives you the essential knowledge about WHY your dog does what he does. The training and techniques in Books 2 and 3 depend on this vital understanding. Skipping this knowledge and jumping into action without it is not going to work!
Picture the you’re walking along the road with your dog when - horror of horrors! - another person with a dog appears at the end of the street.
You start to breathe faster, your heart rate speeds up, you clutch the lead tightly to you, keeping your dog’s head close.
Your dog spots the other dog, and lunges forward on the lead, barking ferociously. You gasp out broken commands as you try to keep your feet on the ground. The other person sweeps by, looking down their nose at you.
Now shame enters the mix. Your dog has behaved badly, you were quite unable to control him, and now you’re condemned as a useless dog-owner with a nasty dog.
This walk has turned into a walk of shame and misery. Your dog is now on his toes, anxiously scanning for the next intruder to bark at. Your hands are sore, your throat is dry. You wish you could disappear into a hole in the ground, wondering where you have gone wrong.
Sound familiar? The first thing to realise is that you are not alone!
There are lots of people who have dogs whom they love dearly - dogs who are a pleasure and delight about the house, calm, biddable, great with the kids. But as soon as they venture out of the door, the horns and the forked tail grow.
Book 1 in the easy-to-read series Essential Skills for your Growly but Brilliant Family Dog shows you exactly what is going on with your dog - why he’s doing what he’s doing - and sets you on the road to make some changes born of understanding that will ultimately transform your walks. It’s important that you have this knowledge before you attempt to make the changes in Books 2 and 3.
“If you want to enter a phase of partnership and understanding with your dog then this is a book for you!” 5* review
Beverley writes with empathy for anyone whose dog has been labelled anxious, fearful, aggressive, or reactive - and the undercurrent of humour which flows through all her books will keep you smiling as you work through this entirely force-free program. Buy the book and start today!
122 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2017
140 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 1, 2018
Walked away with a better understanding of and more compassion for my literal angel child gift from the heavens Sunny-bunny. Can’t wait to read the next town books for more techniques to help him cope with his fear of other dogs!
January 17, 2020
It has good information but reads like a bad infomercial. The amount of "upselling" of a training method rather than just explaining the method makes it messy to read and digest the information.
March 2, 2017
Understanding my dog
It's good to know that's it not anyone's fault why he behaviours as he does.
I have read the book, which explains why dogs react as they do, but with changes to my approach I will be able change the way he thinks. Looking forward to putting what I have learnt into practice by doing the games mentioned.
It's good to know that's it not anyone's fault why he behaviours as he does.
I have read the book, which explains why dogs react as they do, but with changes to my approach I will be able change the way he thinks. Looking forward to putting what I have learnt into practice by doing the games mentioned.
June 27, 2018
This book is exactly what I needed to understand why my german shepherd is so reactive. There is so much knowledge packed into such a short span! Highly highly recommend to anyone with a growly doggo (:
February 9, 2020
This book has some great points that I would’ve never considered before. I can see a lot of mistakes I’ve made in the past and how it contributed to elevating the anxiety of my last dog. I’m looking forward to reading her next two books in this series.
December 19, 2018
Great Information
This book gave good and useful information that I can put to use in training my dogs. Worth reading it.
This book gave good and useful information that I can put to use in training my dogs. Worth reading it.
May 16, 2025
This book explores the root causes of reactive dog behavior and lays the groundwork for effective training. Focused on understanding over correction, it prepares owners to shift from frustration to confidence. It’s the first in a series designed to transform daily walks from stressful to manageable.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews