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Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs: Proven Techniques to Help Your Dog Overcome Fear and Anxiety (CompanionHouse Books) Rehabilitate Your Anxious Dog to Be Calm and Stop Bad Behavior
Do you have an aggressive or reactive dog? Learn how to turn your dog's behavior around! Help your dog overcome problem behaviors and recover from fear, anxiety, and aggression! Canine professionals are seeing increases in troubling dog behaviors, and recent studies show behavioral concerns are a large reason why dog owners surrender their pets to shelters. This professional and practical guide gives hope and encouragement to dog owners trying to eliminate unwanted aggression, barking, timidity, fear, and reactivity in their dogs. A wide range of cruelty-free and positive reinforcement behavior training methods and technique exercises are provided with step-by-step instructions and high-quality photography to help resolve and correct problem behaviors in your dog. Also included are real-life case studies from dog owners detailing the extreme measures they've taken to manage their dogs' behavior around others, as well as interviews with top dog trainers, behaviorists, and veterinarians. With detailed sections covering an array of topics and how-to instruction — from the qualities of a good dog trainer and the top five ways to help your dog feel safe at home, to the must-have skills your dog needs to learn and the top methods used by professional trainers to change unwanted behaviors — this resource covers a ton of ground to help your dog develop and live a better life with you and your family. Author Leann Phenix is an industry-leading expert dog trainer, award-winning journalist, Fear Free Certified Professional, Graduate of a Schutzhund Dog Academy, member of The Pet Professional Guild, and author of The Midnight Dog Walkers , which was nominated as the best behavior book in 2016 by Dog Writers Association of America. She has personally fostered more than 400 dogs and is a lifetime advocate of training dogs without the need for fear, force, or pain, using compassion and science-backed methods. If you're seeking professional guidance to overcome problematic habits present in your dog, Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs is here to help! "A kinder and fairer way to communicate with reactive dogs, bring about long-lasting change, and build a beautiful relationship."—Shay Kelly, MSc, Behaviorist and Trainer & Canine Enrichment Expert
- GenresDogsNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published July 4, 2023
16 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 21, 2025
This book is NOT about training for aggressive and reactive dogs. The book is about basic methods for basic common problems with very basic troubleshooting. This is NOT a good book for anyone needing help with aggression or reactivity. It IS a good book for a clueless pet owner who thinks a dog growling during playing tug is cause for panic.
I would summarise this as: a book that didn't know what it wanted to be. It claims to be about techniques, but the content is basic high level problem solving and lots and lots of preaching to the choir. No techniques. No aggression. No fear or reactivity.
I am very frustrated and disappointed. This book gave me a headache from what a let down it is.
The best chapter was chapter four, where it introduced four new positive techniques that can help with fear and anxiety (Slow Thinking, ACE Freework, Dog LEGS, and management). This chapter was 24 pages long. It ONLY mentioned a total five "new positive techniques" in the whole book, despite the huge amount of positive techniques in development and that the cover specifically claimed the book was about new techniques.
Chapter six onwards was near exclusively basic pet problems, with basic solutions (and a disappointing dependence on negative reinforcement procedures). Quick and easy errorless solutions were not mentioned at all. Only a couple of times were the basic solution linked back to how they may help an anxious or over aroused dog. The book didn't start addressing aggressive and reactive training until CHAPTER 9, and this chapter was overly short and again just covered basic 101 skills and did not move into topics relevant to an owner handling an aggressive or fearful dog. There was more time spent on vaccination fearmongering than on how to use the environment to keep you and your dog safe, nothing about quality of life, personal safety....I could go on.
I appreciated there was a subchapter specifically about not terrorising dogs for social media clout.
The interviews were a nice touch.
I ended up counting the pages:
Chapter 1: 16 pages on causes of why dogs are so troubled - not a bad chapter and the book is starting out strong
Chapter 2: 12 pages on the types of aggression present - useful background
Chapter 3: 10 pages on the support networks available - useful information
Chapter 4: 24 pages on four new techniques, the main selling point of the book on the cover... (and these techniques are focused on anxiety prevention not on de-escalation or handling an aggressive dog). I'm a little excited for the rest of the book, hoping it will be in this encyclopedic format of summarising reference material of other techniques and methods.
Chapter 5: 30 pages on other intense behavioural problems such as OCD and separation anxiety. Not bad although baffling that the book is already moving onto "other problems" when we havent even addressed aggression and reactivity yet.
I though the book was building up to aggression and reactive/fearful techniques but it starts going downhill and ultimately useless from here.
Chapter 6: 18 pages on how to prevent aggression in puppies...presumably the audience of this book already has a dog and this information is entirely unhelpful but sure include it for the breeders I guess. The rescue section on decompression was useful at least, buried away in there.
Chapter 7: 29 pages on generic pet problems and doesn't even loop back into how these skills could be beneficial for aggressive or reactive dogs. Just very generic pet scenarios. It is not bad content by any means it is just not what the book advertised, so very frustrating to read. The solutions within were also skewing to outdated, so much negative reinforcement approaches to common problems and case studies on using negative reinforcement. MINIMAL MENTION of modern day positive reinforcement, errorless, or management-prevention methods. Of which there are so many, where was the unchase? where was the predation substitute training? where was the loopy training? where was the setting up for success? Incredibly disappointing chapter. Huge missed opportunity
Chapter 8: 12 pages of "don'ts" which, considering how heavy handed the book has been already about force free methods, was incredibly frustrating to read. Someone who has picked up a book called "positive training for aggressive and reactive dogs" has already stepped in. This is preaching to the choir and just a frustrating waste of pages. I book the book to learn now "how to" not get contant "don't do this". In much the same way we show dogs what to do, please just focus showing the owner what to do!
Chapter 9: FINALLY the book, in the third last chapter and on page 184, got to a topic on living with an aggressive reactive dog for 28 pages. Specifically in the home skills, although the section on vaccinations was downright bizarre and I half expected a rant about diets in there. Incredibly out of place and irrelevant to giving techniques on handling an aggressive or reactive or fearful dog. This chapter was also half interviews, so really it was more like 13 pages on living with an aggressive/reactive/fearful dog and then the rest was clutter. LOTS of pages waffling on about why to use positive methods and the human-dog bond, very very little on techniques.
Chapter 10: 4 pages on how to find a professional to help you because god knows this book wouldnt - but not particularly helpful advice, most people are not going to interrogate a dog trainer. Would have been better to have focussed on red flags/green flags.
Chapter 11: 9 pages on behavioual euthensias, which is an important topic to have, but it focussed on a case study and an interview. It would be useful for a struggling owner - nothing on importance of quality of life (dog and owner), safety, liability and outside factors. Nothing on how to decide or come to a decision. It did have a focus on empathy about behavioural euthanasia and resources for people coping with grief but I would have like to seen a chapter on the isolation and struggles an aggressive or reactive dog brings to life. Because this book was so high level and at no point delved deeply into what aggression and reactivity is, and how it impacts dogs and owners, the topic of safety, this chapter seemed to come out of nowhere.
Resources section: Absolutely useless. Does not recommend any other books for issues relating to aggression, reactivity or fearfulness. Another huge missed opportunity. Links a couple of podcast episodes (not podcasts, specific episodes). Lists a bunch of american generic training websites. Ridiculous amount of references for raw feeding, which has nothing to do with aggressive, reactivity or fearfulness.
All up in this 255 page book on "proven techniques to help your dog overcome fear and anxiety" we had about 40 pages of high-level summaries but no proven techniques.
The book itself is not bad, the content within would be helpful for a generic pet owner having generic pet problems and warrant a 3 star "eh its okay" rating. But it is NOT useful or insightful for anyone with an interest in, or owning, an aggressive or reactive dog. This entire book is better described as a missed opportunity and a letdown, with an incredibly misleading cover.
If you're reading this because you were after some help, here is some books I have found genuinely more helpful. Save your money on buying this book and find one or two that relates to your dog's issues:
For the aggressive, fearful or frustrated dog: Behavioural Adjustment Training 2.0 by Grisha Stewart
For safe lead walking in public: Behavioural Adjustment Training 2.0 by Grisha Stewart (yes again)
For aggression, liability and legality: Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions OR Fight!: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-Dog Aggression
For the fearful dog: Control Unleashed: Creating a Focused and Confident Dog OR Scaredy Dog!: Understanding & Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog
For the predatory dog: Hunting Together: Harnessing Predatory Chasing in Family Dogs through Motivation-Based Training OR Chase!: Managing Your Dog's Predatory Instincts
For resource guarding: Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs
For the overaroused high drive dog: Mission Control by Jane Arden
For the separation anxiety dog: Separation Anxiety in Dogs by Malenda de Martini OR Be Right Back by Julie Naismith
For the breeder/shelter: Stress Factor in Dogs OR Animal Behaviour for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff
For body language and calming signals: On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas OR Doggie Language: A Dog Lover's Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend
If you are in dire need of help regarding your aggressive dog I would also recommend https://aggressivedog.com/
I would summarise this as: a book that didn't know what it wanted to be. It claims to be about techniques, but the content is basic high level problem solving and lots and lots of preaching to the choir. No techniques. No aggression. No fear or reactivity.
I am very frustrated and disappointed. This book gave me a headache from what a let down it is.
The best chapter was chapter four, where it introduced four new positive techniques that can help with fear and anxiety (Slow Thinking, ACE Freework, Dog LEGS, and management). This chapter was 24 pages long. It ONLY mentioned a total five "new positive techniques" in the whole book, despite the huge amount of positive techniques in development and that the cover specifically claimed the book was about new techniques.
Chapter six onwards was near exclusively basic pet problems, with basic solutions (and a disappointing dependence on negative reinforcement procedures). Quick and easy errorless solutions were not mentioned at all. Only a couple of times were the basic solution linked back to how they may help an anxious or over aroused dog. The book didn't start addressing aggressive and reactive training until CHAPTER 9, and this chapter was overly short and again just covered basic 101 skills and did not move into topics relevant to an owner handling an aggressive or fearful dog. There was more time spent on vaccination fearmongering than on how to use the environment to keep you and your dog safe, nothing about quality of life, personal safety....I could go on.
I appreciated there was a subchapter specifically about not terrorising dogs for social media clout.
The interviews were a nice touch.
I ended up counting the pages:
Chapter 1: 16 pages on causes of why dogs are so troubled - not a bad chapter and the book is starting out strong
Chapter 2: 12 pages on the types of aggression present - useful background
Chapter 3: 10 pages on the support networks available - useful information
Chapter 4: 24 pages on four new techniques, the main selling point of the book on the cover... (and these techniques are focused on anxiety prevention not on de-escalation or handling an aggressive dog). I'm a little excited for the rest of the book, hoping it will be in this encyclopedic format of summarising reference material of other techniques and methods.
Chapter 5: 30 pages on other intense behavioural problems such as OCD and separation anxiety. Not bad although baffling that the book is already moving onto "other problems" when we havent even addressed aggression and reactivity yet.
I though the book was building up to aggression and reactive/fearful techniques but it starts going downhill and ultimately useless from here.
Chapter 6: 18 pages on how to prevent aggression in puppies...presumably the audience of this book already has a dog and this information is entirely unhelpful but sure include it for the breeders I guess. The rescue section on decompression was useful at least, buried away in there.
Chapter 7: 29 pages on generic pet problems and doesn't even loop back into how these skills could be beneficial for aggressive or reactive dogs. Just very generic pet scenarios. It is not bad content by any means it is just not what the book advertised, so very frustrating to read. The solutions within were also skewing to outdated, so much negative reinforcement approaches to common problems and case studies on using negative reinforcement. MINIMAL MENTION of modern day positive reinforcement, errorless, or management-prevention methods. Of which there are so many, where was the unchase? where was the predation substitute training? where was the loopy training? where was the setting up for success? Incredibly disappointing chapter. Huge missed opportunity
Chapter 8: 12 pages of "don'ts" which, considering how heavy handed the book has been already about force free methods, was incredibly frustrating to read. Someone who has picked up a book called "positive training for aggressive and reactive dogs" has already stepped in. This is preaching to the choir and just a frustrating waste of pages. I book the book to learn now "how to" not get contant "don't do this". In much the same way we show dogs what to do, please just focus showing the owner what to do!
Chapter 9: FINALLY the book, in the third last chapter and on page 184, got to a topic on living with an aggressive reactive dog for 28 pages. Specifically in the home skills, although the section on vaccinations was downright bizarre and I half expected a rant about diets in there. Incredibly out of place and irrelevant to giving techniques on handling an aggressive or reactive or fearful dog. This chapter was also half interviews, so really it was more like 13 pages on living with an aggressive/reactive/fearful dog and then the rest was clutter. LOTS of pages waffling on about why to use positive methods and the human-dog bond, very very little on techniques.
Chapter 10: 4 pages on how to find a professional to help you because god knows this book wouldnt - but not particularly helpful advice, most people are not going to interrogate a dog trainer. Would have been better to have focussed on red flags/green flags.
Chapter 11: 9 pages on behavioual euthensias, which is an important topic to have, but it focussed on a case study and an interview. It would be useful for a struggling owner - nothing on importance of quality of life (dog and owner), safety, liability and outside factors. Nothing on how to decide or come to a decision. It did have a focus on empathy about behavioural euthanasia and resources for people coping with grief but I would have like to seen a chapter on the isolation and struggles an aggressive or reactive dog brings to life. Because this book was so high level and at no point delved deeply into what aggression and reactivity is, and how it impacts dogs and owners, the topic of safety, this chapter seemed to come out of nowhere.
Resources section: Absolutely useless. Does not recommend any other books for issues relating to aggression, reactivity or fearfulness. Another huge missed opportunity. Links a couple of podcast episodes (not podcasts, specific episodes). Lists a bunch of american generic training websites. Ridiculous amount of references for raw feeding, which has nothing to do with aggressive, reactivity or fearfulness.
All up in this 255 page book on "proven techniques to help your dog overcome fear and anxiety" we had about 40 pages of high-level summaries but no proven techniques.
The book itself is not bad, the content within would be helpful for a generic pet owner having generic pet problems and warrant a 3 star "eh its okay" rating. But it is NOT useful or insightful for anyone with an interest in, or owning, an aggressive or reactive dog. This entire book is better described as a missed opportunity and a letdown, with an incredibly misleading cover.
If you're reading this because you were after some help, here is some books I have found genuinely more helpful. Save your money on buying this book and find one or two that relates to your dog's issues:
For the aggressive, fearful or frustrated dog: Behavioural Adjustment Training 2.0 by Grisha Stewart
For safe lead walking in public: Behavioural Adjustment Training 2.0 by Grisha Stewart (yes again)
For aggression, liability and legality: Dog Bites: Problems and Solutions OR Fight!: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-Dog Aggression
For the fearful dog: Control Unleashed: Creating a Focused and Confident Dog OR Scaredy Dog!: Understanding & Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog
For the predatory dog: Hunting Together: Harnessing Predatory Chasing in Family Dogs through Motivation-Based Training OR Chase!: Managing Your Dog's Predatory Instincts
For resource guarding: Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs
For the overaroused high drive dog: Mission Control by Jane Arden
For the separation anxiety dog: Separation Anxiety in Dogs by Malenda de Martini OR Be Right Back by Julie Naismith
For the breeder/shelter: Stress Factor in Dogs OR Animal Behaviour for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff
For body language and calming signals: On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas OR Doggie Language: A Dog Lover's Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend
If you are in dire need of help regarding your aggressive dog I would also recommend https://aggressivedog.com/
November 4, 2025
DNF, positive-only beginners book with some recognizably wrong info, generalizing all dogs, not about aggression and reactivity. Another 1 star review tells me this comes up in chapter 9 but I didn't make it there
January 22, 2025
I feel like the title is misleading. The title should be more like “making a case for positive dog training.” The book is very surface level, it doesn’t deep dive into methods suggested. There is a lot of repetition. I didn’t feel like the interviews with experts were very helpful, very similar questions were asked of each person. However, it did give some simple training tips that could be fun for enrichment and basic ways to help your dog feel safe/comfortable.It was an ok book and I did take a few things away from it.
Simply, this was not what I was hoping for. I would have liked more of ways to better read body language, how to help or what to do when triggers are confronted unexpectedly, a deeper dive into dog psychology, etc.
Simply, this was not what I was hoping for. I would have liked more of ways to better read body language, how to help or what to do when triggers are confronted unexpectedly, a deeper dive into dog psychology, etc.
Read
February 2, 2024It was okay.
A book full of good intentions. I think my issue with this book is that it talks about a lot of things at a very high level instead of really digging into working with reactive dogs (really one chapter solely focused on it).
Still, I got some takeaways from it that were useful.
A book full of good intentions. I think my issue with this book is that it talks about a lot of things at a very high level instead of really digging into working with reactive dogs (really one chapter solely focused on it).
Still, I got some takeaways from it that were useful.
August 10, 2023
Around 3'5*
Vid review will be published on August 16, 2023 here: https://youtu.be/gWW9iktLYeo
Vid review will be published on August 16, 2023 here: https://youtu.be/gWW9iktLYeo
October 30, 2024
I felt like this was not helpful at all. I didn't finish it because I just could tell it was not going to give me any useful information. All the author was doing was ragging on everyone who uses ANY aversive training methods and how horrible it is, etc, etc. Keeping your training positive and calm is important, of course, especially in situations where your dog is already stressed and anxious; but there IS a time and place when a dog needs to understand reasonably that an action is not okay. And this book just reeks of an author who believes dogs should be the ones in charge of the home. Being a confident, fair, yet kind leader to your dog will do much more for their anxiety and reactivity than hoping that they will stop barking if you beg them sweetly enough. Your own anxiety and lack of confidence/leadership is a big reason why your dog continues to be reactive, because either you lead them or they will lead you. ("If you already have your ideas on how to combat reactivity, why did you pick up this book?" you ask. Well, because I was curious about reading through a book that claims to solve all your reactivity woes with "proven techniques." Unfortunately that claim was very misleading.)
If you want a fantastic example of a dog trainer, look into Dog Bone Hunter on YouTube. He does focus on training hunting dogs, but pushes the importance of a strong and steady foundation; we have used his foundation methods to obedience train our Border-Aussie pup, and have had great success with her. He is fair and kind and a confident leader to his dogs.
All that being said, I wish the best of luck to everyone who is struggling with a reactive dog. It is easier said than done to not ooze anxiety when you come face to face with your dog's triggers, simply because you are dreading the inevitable reaction. We have to learn to control ourselves before we can hope to get our dogs under control, which is not an easy task for many of us- myself very much included. You are not alone and it is not hopeless. Your dog's behavior CAN improve with patience and persistence. I hope this reaches the right people.
If you want a fantastic example of a dog trainer, look into Dog Bone Hunter on YouTube. He does focus on training hunting dogs, but pushes the importance of a strong and steady foundation; we have used his foundation methods to obedience train our Border-Aussie pup, and have had great success with her. He is fair and kind and a confident leader to his dogs.
All that being said, I wish the best of luck to everyone who is struggling with a reactive dog. It is easier said than done to not ooze anxiety when you come face to face with your dog's triggers, simply because you are dreading the inevitable reaction. We have to learn to control ourselves before we can hope to get our dogs under control, which is not an easy task for many of us- myself very much included. You are not alone and it is not hopeless. Your dog's behavior CAN improve with patience and persistence. I hope this reaches the right people.
August 4, 2023
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC to read and review. Pub date: 20 Sept 2023
This seems quite well-researched; the resources section at the end is substantial. There are many interviews included with dog specialists which added to the knowledge available when added with the author's own teachings & information. This starts with history & psychology of dogs which was a good base knowledge to have. Personally I liked the behavior "issues" discussed each in their own section. There are a plethora of items addressed my personal favorites were jumping, pulling on leash, excessive barking. These sections each have step-by-step actionable items. Further, I loved the section on "Must-Have Skills for Your Dog" which again: is broken out into particular skills each with their own list of recommended steps to reach those goals with one's own doggo. Some of these skills seem impossible to me at first glance: the "check in" and complete recall. However, when broken down into steps seems much easier to work on with the dog. There are info/ tips on working with puppies as well as rescue animals.
Admittedly I didn't read the chapter about behavioral euthanasia as I know I couldn't handle it. It is, I'm sure, a great resource for those that need to explore that option.
This seems quite well-researched; the resources section at the end is substantial. There are many interviews included with dog specialists which added to the knowledge available when added with the author's own teachings & information. This starts with history & psychology of dogs which was a good base knowledge to have. Personally I liked the behavior "issues" discussed each in their own section. There are a plethora of items addressed my personal favorites were jumping, pulling on leash, excessive barking. These sections each have step-by-step actionable items. Further, I loved the section on "Must-Have Skills for Your Dog" which again: is broken out into particular skills each with their own list of recommended steps to reach those goals with one's own doggo. Some of these skills seem impossible to me at first glance: the "check in" and complete recall. However, when broken down into steps seems much easier to work on with the dog. There are info/ tips on working with puppies as well as rescue animals.
Admittedly I didn't read the chapter about behavioral euthanasia as I know I couldn't handle it. It is, I'm sure, a great resource for those that need to explore that option.
August 5, 2023
Licensed trainer Annie Phenix espouses a positive approach to dog training that eschews negative techniques. Throughout this book she educates on possible reasons for unwanted behavior, differentiating between what is “normal” for a dog and what is not, and what impacts behavior. Many full-length articles interviewing dog behaviorists are included, as well as hyperlinks to referenced scientific studies and other articles.
Phenix educates the dog owner on how to create a home environment that is calming to their dog and that helps meet their natural behavioral needs. The different types of aggression and reactive responses are defined and analyzed, along with helpful insights on how to modify them through environmental control, exercise, and training methods.
Four stars is my rating. This book will be very helpful to both the new dog owner and those who have unwanted behaviors to deal with. My thanks to Fox Chapel Publishing/CompanionHouse Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are strictly my own and offered without recompense.
Phenix educates the dog owner on how to create a home environment that is calming to their dog and that helps meet their natural behavioral needs. The different types of aggression and reactive responses are defined and analyzed, along with helpful insights on how to modify them through environmental control, exercise, and training methods.
Four stars is my rating. This book will be very helpful to both the new dog owner and those who have unwanted behaviors to deal with. My thanks to Fox Chapel Publishing/CompanionHouse Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are strictly my own and offered without recompense.
October 12, 2023
Check out my blog for the full review and consider subscribing.
Author Phenix uses the positive training approach to help people like me address unwanted behaviours in the dogs we love, from inappropriate lunging to leash pulling as well as more serious issues. For each problem behaviour, she explains what it is and its root causes, then clearly outlines the steps owners can take to address them, including ruling out physical health causes, as well as when to turn to an expert. Case studies, interviews with experts and pictures break up the text and give readers lots of entry points. There’s a good list of resources, for the UK as well as Canada and the US, plus a decent index. My thanks to Fox Chapel Publishing for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Author Phenix uses the positive training approach to help people like me address unwanted behaviours in the dogs we love, from inappropriate lunging to leash pulling as well as more serious issues. For each problem behaviour, she explains what it is and its root causes, then clearly outlines the steps owners can take to address them, including ruling out physical health causes, as well as when to turn to an expert. Case studies, interviews with experts and pictures break up the text and give readers lots of entry points. There’s a good list of resources, for the UK as well as Canada and the US, plus a decent index. My thanks to Fox Chapel Publishing for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
October 27, 2025
I’m actually surprised this is getting poor reviews. After spending 6k+ on training my reactive dog I felt very lost. We tried two trainers and nothing worked. The top trainer in our area was constantly telling us to nail our dog with the shock collar to get him to stop reactively barking at other dogs, he couldn’t regulate at all and would yelp and cry at the collar. His reactivity got much worse! This helped me realize we needed to rethink our strategy. It was hurting him physically and emotionally. This gave me the overview of what is not a good strategy and what ideas and methods to try that might help. In the past two weeks we have actually seen progress and more regulation. I think the audio book or book is worth reading to understand dog psychology.
November 18, 2023
Enjoyed the book and I learned a few things from it that I have been using with my rescue. However, I am not a fan of fear free. I think some things can be incorporated with using a prong collar or e collar; especially if you have a large younger dog. But then again it depends upon the dog. My dog is a rescue but he is not aggressor reactive; I read this book because someone at a doggie daycare said he was, and the real reason is that I tried putting him in daycare too soon.
November 27, 2023
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book would have been really helpful 11 years ago when I got my German Shepherd. As a restricted dog breed, it was really hard to find places to socialise her. So while she is a gentle soul with people, shes not great with other dogs until she gets to know them. The tips and tricks in the book would have saved me so many nerves and sleepless nights.
This book would have been really helpful 11 years ago when I got my German Shepherd. As a restricted dog breed, it was really hard to find places to socialise her. So while she is a gentle soul with people, shes not great with other dogs until she gets to know them. The tips and tricks in the book would have saved me so many nerves and sleepless nights.
October 2, 2025
Excellent resource for any dog owner. So much dog behavior is misinterpreted through a human understanding of human behavior. I particularly liked the practical options they describe and list of resources at the end. The last chapter on behavioral euthanasia was also a tearful experience but helpful I’m sure if you end up in that terrible decision.
September 15, 2025
Another free audio book listen, and yet another book that has disappointed me by primarily going over the same basic behavior and training information that is commonly found in training books aimed at pet owners that know nothing about dog training or behavior.
August 26, 2023
My dog is more timid than aggressive but this did give a few useful tips in correcting her barking problems.
April 16, 2024
Very helpful. Going to try a lot of this and then maybe I’ll update my review.
May 1, 2024
Absolute must-read not just for owners of reactive dogs, but really just about any dog owner wanting to improve their dog's life.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews