(Part 2) Best dog training books according to redditors
We found 1,727 Reddit comments discussing the best dog training books. We ranked the 222 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
Growling is actually good. Growling is not your worst fear. Growling is a warning sign. You don't want a dog who doesn't give you a warning. Don't punish the growl, you're removing your early warning system.
Crawling is hard for pups! These babies are all unpredictable. It's scary for the dog.
No. 1 Recommendation: https://www.amazon.com/Please-Dont-Bite-Baby-Chase/dp/158005577X Book by a dog trainer about bringing her adoptive son home. Really, REALLY good advice. I can't recommend it enough.
Recommendations:
Victoria Stillwell is a good, positive methods trainer. Check out her website and Facebook page.
The book "The other end of the leash" is good and a really interesting read.
Watch for known issues - e.g. my dog is possessive of balls, and one specific toy. The baby is NOT ALLOWED THAT TOY. It's the dog's. It's our job to police that.
Oh also - very important, learn about dog body language. This is a good video from a trainer at a nearby place to us. https://www.facebook.com/ZoomRoom.Campbell/videos/858572274272659/ People soooo misread dogs. "Oh look, he's smiling!" OMG no, he's so uncomfortable and desperately needs his humans to remove him from that situation before he snaps. Learn what to look for: Rigid boy, whale eye, showing teeth. Those all come before the growl. Learn what to look for even before you get to the growl - which is still an early warning, more than a bite.
Good luck! It doesn't mean he/she is a bad dog. At all. Just needs a little more help managing fear of the baby.
Stop picking him up unnecessarily, stop taking him to places where he cant be on the floor because he hasn't had his shots, stop introducing him to random people. Bring him home, let him chill in his house.
Stop yelling at him and spraying him and messing with him when he eats.
I honestly don't know where to begin because so much of what you are doing appears to be stressing your dog out that it's impossible to tell what to be concerned about and what is simply him reacting to you and all of the stress in his environment. The good news is that there is so much going on that is not very good for the puppy that I expect that if you change those things it will go a long way towards improving his behavior.
I would find a trainer who has some educational background in training. There is no real certification process so anyone can call themselves a trainer, and that's the type of trainer it seems you have been going to.
Positive reinforcement is realistic, and is not going to create the kind of aggressive responses you are getting currently. I would also recommend picking up the book Puppy Start Right. It's an easy read with lots of good training exercies in it. If you find a trainer that isn't using the same basic techniques, find another trainer.
He's resource guarding, and it looks like he's far more concerned about his toys getting taken away than food. As inappropriate as the behavior is in our human world, please understand that resource guarding is quite natural for dogs. A predator that doesn't have a predisposition to guard its resources probably doesn't last long in the wild.
I second the recommendation for "Mine!" by Jean Donaldson. She explains the concept of resource guarding, the whys and the hows, and outlines some practical exercises that you can use to help your dog understand that you're not a threat to his precious resources.
I have two book suggestions.
The first is Perfect Puppy in Seven Days – it is geared more toward owners of young puppies, but for housetraining issues like what you describe, the solution IS to just treat the dog like a young puppy until they are house trained.
The second book is How to Behave so Your Dog Behave, by the same author. I think it’ll be a helpful read as you continue on your adventure in pet ownership!
Some people don’t seem to do this but I definitely did. We don’t allow our dog on the couch/bed anymore because we live in NYC and her paws are gross from walking around outside. I don’t want to have to worry about germs even more than I already do. I want the furniture to be safe places for my LO. Also he seems to get covered in dog hair so much even without being on the same level as the dog so I can’t imagine if they shared furniture.
Introducing the dog and the baby was more challenging than I expected. For the first two weeks every time the baby cried the dog cried and I was ready to pull out my hair. The dog is big and friendly and the baby is just too small. There’s a good book called Please Don't Bite the Baby (and Please Don't Chase the Dogs): Keeping Our Kids and Our Dogs Safe and Happy Together https://www.amazon.com/dp/158005577X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_ijFGcV9mUXn3I
I wish I had read BEFORE the baby came. By the time I got to it it was too late to enforce any of the rules.
Good luck!
Patricia McConnell wrote a great little pack leader guide filled with tips on how to lead your dog, but in a-non pushy, aggressive way. Even if you believe this thought to be debunked, it's likely to benefit your dog as it's similar to basic parenting techniques.
Honestly, doesn't sound like you'll have time for this dog. I read your other post. There was zero planning here. But you can still fix this if you decide to keep the dog:
The book Puppy Start Right will help answer a lot of your questions and more. You won't have to search through other sub reddits or wikis.
Check for puppy socials\playgroups in your area. You want to make sure it is socialized properly
Make sure he has toys to chew on. Find something he loves. Redirect him onto that when he goes for something he shouldn't.
Bring treats outside with you. Wait out there until he pees\poops whatever. When he does make it a big celebration and give him a handful of treats. Repeat the process.
If you haven't taken him to the vet yet please do that too
Seriously if you can't do any of these things you should seriously consider finding that dog a new home
Ok. Given the information I have right now, here's how I would handle it.
Think if there's somewhere you can go for a week or two. Best friend's house? Mom's house? If so, calmly let BF know that you are going to stay there for a while in order to give him a break from the dog and work on his behavior. If not, skip this step.
Second, you need to understand fear aggression. Both of you do, but I'll leave it to your judgment when to ask BF to read up. I'd recommend Click to Calm because it's fantastic at real-life solutions.
(we should also talk about management somewhere in here if he's reacting to things he sees/hears inside the house, or reactions are >50% of the time on walks).
Third, you need to work on teaching the basic principles of self control. This can include general training like suddenly settle and it will also include counterconditioning. For example, walking around potential "triggers" at a wide distance, and feeding him treats when he looks at them. (And feeding him ALL OF THE TREATS) when you see him willfully disengage from the "threat" or he can give you a sit. (Click to Calm will teach you much more.) It will be helpful to be able to show BF a gameplan and/or some changes.
Forth, boyfriend needs to learn to relate to Ares in a way that Ares won't find threatening. I'll include some specific suggestions:
If you read this and thought "there is no way in hell my boyfriend is going to do any of this," then, once again, I have to shove unsolicited relationship advice into a dog training thread. Behavior modification is work. It's going to be inconvenient. It's really, really hard to be successful if your partner isn't on your team. At that point, you have to be asking yourself how much you value your relationship with this man, and whether you believe his reaction to the situation to be reasonable or unreasonable.
If I can help any more, for example with developing a specific training plan, please feel free to reply or P.M. I'll want to know whether there's any reaction to things he sees/ hears from inside the house, whether he eats well, how often and intense the reactions are (two or three times on a half hour walk, or is he Kujo for half an hour straight?) and as much detail as you can give me about the interactions between Ares and your BF. I'd also be curious to know more about the trainer. There isn't a whole lot of formal training available for aggression. There are ADPT (general reward-based) trainers I would unhesitatingly, unreservedly trust with my aggressive dog. "I'm not really qualified" may mean that she's not really qualified, or that she identifies the lack of comprehensive training programs in the area and wants to be really honest. If she's got even casual experience treating aggression with reward-based training, she's overwhelmingly more qualified than the vast majority of people who hold themselves up as trainers for aggressive dogs, who often use things like pinch/prong collars and antiquated dominance theories that make the situation worse.
One source for that is this book which is written by Veterinary Behaviorists.
Basically they say the dog can tell when you are mad. For example, they pee on the floor, and they learn that when you enter a room and pee is on the floor you get angry. They act submissive because when they relate to other dogs, they are showing that they are no threat to the other dog, they are just trying to get them to stop being angry or aggressive so peace can happen.
But this causes issues when communicating with people because the dog is trying to say "ok I won't hurt you I'm not a threat please don't me mad at me" and the person sees "I know I did something wrong and I'm guilty" and if the dog is still getting punished it is suddenly in a very confusing and precarious position. Then maybe eventually it thinks well submission isn't working, do I need to defend myself? Or some other unwanted behavior.
It should be noted that the dog is not quite able to make the connection that he peed on the floor so it's his fault at that point. Unfortunately they don't think that abstractly about cause and effect unless you catch them right in the act. Once you find pee on the floor it's too late really, and the dog is only making the connection about people being upset and pee is on the floor at the same time.
But they definitely pick up on the body language and tense voice, even if they aren't being punished in any way, they can detect enough about your mood and are doing the thing they think will make it better between you two.
So it sounds like your dog might be barrier reactive or leash reactive. This is a pretty common thing - dogs get super worried if they feel like they're not free to move, but are perfectly fine off leash.
I also want to introduce you to the concept of "trigger stacking" - it's a concept I'm sure you're familiar with in your life all the time! Let's say you're late for work so you're stressed. And then once you get to work, you go to the bathroom and there's no toilet paper. And then Janice accuses you of not doing your job, and by the time you get to the end of the day, one of your nice coworkers comes by with an innocent question and you chew them out.
Trigger stacking - basically, when you get stressed, and another stressful thing happens on top of that, you act way more strongly, and continue to be super, super stressed.
I think this might be happening with your pup.
Here are a few things I might try. Note: not a professional
The class doesn't start until August 1st, but I've heard really good things!
Hopefully that gives you a few ideas on what to try - I think you need to start from a "lets get her calmed down" before you can really work on walks.
Ours love love loves being outside at any time. She does a perimeter patrol multiple times a day, she’s been out there in snow, rain, thunder, none of it phases her. Very few potty accidents with her, she also has a service bell she rings when she wants to go out, and abuses that power when it suits her.
She is also a hunter and has saved us from multiple bunnies, birds, garden snakes and a rat. She’s still hoping for an elusive squirrel one day. She’s a very good girl and wants to be a good listener but all bets are off if she’s hunting, she can never be off leash outside except in the securely fenced yard and at the dog park.
She howls when her feelings are hurt. It’s the cutest thing ever. Someone left and didn’t take her in the car? Other dog doesn’t feel like playing? Baby howls.
She is crate trained and sleeps in a cat cave in the crate so she can be cozy, it was a great alternative to a pile of blankets for her.
The book Good Owners, Great Dogs was a helpful training guide for me when I got my first dog.
CARE for reactive dogs. Keep her under threshold. That (for most dogs) means increasing distance - you want her to notice them, but not be building to the reaction. At that point, you can do a couple of things - look at that (dog looks at the trigger, you mark and reward - you want to transition this very quickly where you mark the dog looking at the trigger, then you and marking for looking back at you, and then eventually just marking ignoring the trigger), look and dismiss (dog looks at the trigger and dismisses to do something else - sniff, play with you, etc), BAT 2.0, or any other protocol.
I like to also do mat work and then take the mat on the road. The mat acts as a high value, known source of confidence which can help with other training. I wouldn't let anyone touch her, be her advocate. Beyond that, it's just time and patience.
Books you may want to read:
Contact a veterinary behaviorist. There's simply too much going on here for you to tackle without professional help.
If you would like a better understanding of what's going on with the dog aggression, I would recommend Jean Donaldson's book Fight!
they probably read the cheap book "how to housebreak your dog in 7 days" which works, though small puppies will have more "accidents"
not barking can be taught, but everyone needs to be consistent it training him/her. watch "it's me or the dog" victoria is pretty cool.
It's very common in young herding dogs. And odds are you can get it to go back a bit, and not be such a big deal in his life, but it will take a great deal of work, and he may never be comfortable when on a leash, interacting with other dogs.
Because of that, own it. Once you figure out what his threshold is, and work on it, and improve it as much as you can, don't wake up one day and think he'll be the best dog in the world on a leash. Odds are he won't be and that's ok. It means that when you are in a situation where he is on a leash, and there are other dogs around, you need to 100000% manage him. Teach him to check back with you, to focus on you, to look at the other dog and then to you for a reward.
[This is a pretty good book for dealing with dogs like this] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008510I5S/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1). You may get some good help from it, as well as a trainer.
But again, own his behavior, and don't decide one day that he's going to be a [one of these] (https://gund.com) when he's not. And again, that's fine.
>We adopted our handsome, loving, cuddly aussie 4 months ago from a breeder.
Small nit: you bought this dog I'm guessing? Money changed hands? And that's fine, that's how many of us here acquire our dogs, but you made a financial decision, getting this dog. That's fine: again, own it.
Aussies are great dogs, and I love them. But many of them are not fond of other dogs, especially when on a leash. And that's ok.
I’d like to recommend the book The Other End of the Leash. It’s a well-written insightful look into dog behavior, communication- particularly between humans and dogs, as well as advice for dealing with the fearful and anxious ones.
I think it would give you a better understanding of your dog and give you some ideas on how to help him feel more comfortable around you.
One that should be on your reading list if you haven't read it already: Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash.
I think Decoding Your Dog may be pretty useful, too.
Hahaha, thanks for the support. I get it though. Wanna make a dog owner mad? Tell them their dog doesn't feel guilt. Its been tested and proven but some owners absolutely refuse to believe it. My own SO and I almost got into a big argument over it!
Its a difficult concept for people. Emotional attachment and all that. It comes for a place of love and I try not to fault people for it unless the belief becomes harmful to the dog.
For anyone interested, I would highly recommend reading either of these books, especially the first. It really changed my view of my dogs and has made me and them so much happier! I'm reading the second right now and so far it's great too.
The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
Hey there!
First of all I'd recommend to schedule a session with a dog trainer who deals with reactive dogs on a regular basis. I went for an exercise walk with mine to analyze behavior, and she really was a huge help.
Also the /r/dogtraining wiki has a page about reactivity which I found quite helpful.
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I'll try to provide some input on your particular situation from my own personal experience with a reactive dog (taking care of a 4y old reactive Border Collie myself now since about a month):
>Then I tried distracting him with treats. But hes so focused on the other dogs that it doesn't matter.
When Opie is in his reactive state it's probably best to remove him from the situation (emergency u-turn, etc.). If he calms down after increasing distance, you can turn it into a learning opportunity by following the CARE protocol.
>So I guess I'm just asking for advice on how to handle him correctly in those situations where I cant avoid running into other dogs. And should I even be trying to avoid them? Or is exposure good with the right training from me? What training is the right training?
Try to avoid situations that trigger Opie, IMHO it's only stressful for the dog and he won't learn anything when he's spaced out barking. Exposure is good as long as he is not reactive and you're in control. For training sessions, you'll probably need an assistant and another dog that triggers Opie's behavior. Then follow the steps outlined in the CARE protocol, also explained in this video. You should (hopefully) slowly be able to gradually reduce the distance where Opie gets triggered by other dogs.
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Things that helped me get started:
Hope it helps! I'm just getting started with my own reactive dog journey so it would be great to hear what others have to say =)
Yep. Barrier reactivity. You're not alone! It's common with rescues especially because shelter environments tend to cause it. (I don't know if yours is a rescue or not but I'm guessing there's a chance based on his breed.) My rescue bully also has a bit of barrier reactivity that partially developed from the shelter environment he was in, partially developed because of the time we spent at the dog park. Yeah, unfortunately, a dog park can make it worse.
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Let me try to basically explain what's going on. Barrier reactivity happens a lot with dogs that LIKE to play with other dogs because they 1: see a dog they want to say hi to 2: don't get to say hi to dog because of the barrier 3: become frustrated they don't get to go say hi to the dog.
The frustration builds, and in many ways it can make the dog feel fearful because they feel out of control in that situation. And so their brain goes into overload and what started out as a friendly, "I want to go say hi!" turns into fence running, then barking, growling, snarling, snapping at the fence, as the frustration develops into something pretty ugly.
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TLDR: Doggo is frustrated.
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How to fix? Well, it's not an easy fix. Reactivity is HARD, because the dogs develop a pattern of behavior, and you have to retrain that pattern. The big thing with reactivity is being consistent and being patient. Remember the law of reactivity: "He's not giving me a hard time, he's having a hard time."
STEP 1: management. You cannot let this dog practice this behavior any more if you want to stop it. So that means for you, that every time doggy needs to go outside, you leash him and walk him in your backyard. You can't risk him getting that chance to see another dog, run to the fence, and practice that reaction. The more he practices it, the more ingrained the pattern becomes.
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STEP 2: Recondition. You need to recondition your dog's brain to react differently to the same triggers. So, if you're walking your dog in the backyard, and you see a dog at the fence, you back your dog up to the point where he still SEES the other dog, but he hasn't started freaking out yet. It'll be hard to find that sweet spot-- as close as possible but still not freaking out. Once you've learned where that is, you can practice the LAT game, where you give him treats for looking at the dog. That way you retrain his brain to think of the scary thing (the dog on the other side of the fence) as instead as a treat dispenser. "I see dog on other side of fence, I get treats!" With practice and time, he can definitely stop thinking of the fence as a battleground, and instead as a happy thing.
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I also recommend hiring a force free trainer to help you work through this, and reading my favorite book on dealing with dog reactivity, Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out.
I had a rescued shepherd that had major dog aggression issues. She wanted to grab other dogs by the neck. She was also leash reactive. Lovely with people, though.
Biggest piece of advice is don't push the new dog into too many new situations after adopting. Give them at least a month to just get to know your house, your backyard, your schedule. Then expose them to other dogs and people through a structured environment like an obedience class. I could have avoided a lot of problems if I didn't have the attitude of "Oh, I'll train her myself, I don't need a class, I know how to socialize a dog." It's not really about that, so much as they need gradual exposure around people and other dogs behaving predictably, which you cannot get at a public park or other venue. As an added bonus, this method works whether the dog has a great temperament or a bad temperament.
I highly reccomend The Ahimsa Dog Training Manual. Grish is great with reactive dogs and her methods work well with stressed dogs who will not take treats or toys. I couldn't rehab my shepherd well at first because as soon as I took her outside, she would start spitting out treats and she never did play with toys.
She turned out to be a wonderful dog. I could take her hiking on leash, I trialed her in Rally and she won blue ribbons, she was very good in the home and with house guests. If I had focused on her strengths instead of trying to force her to like other dogs, we would have had a much better relationship.
Please, for your dog's sake do NOT rely on Milan techniques. He uses extremely out-dated and sometimes even dangerous and damaging methods.
Here is a fairly well written website explaining a lot about why his methods are not scientifically accurate, and I believe also going into actual dog behavior.
Here's another very well written critique of Millan, with corrections and real dog behavior. More biased, but good information.
Finally, I highly HIGHLY suggest reading "Decoding Your Dog" which is a very in depth explanation of a lot of aspects of dog behaviors, all backed by science and written by veterinary behaviorists.
I hope this is the least bit helpful! I think you'll find you enjoy your dog once more when you let go of the untrue, macho idea that you must "dominate him" at all times. Be his best friend instead!
Frustrating, seems my comment just disappeared.
He's telling you he is uncomfortable. This is behavior to be encouraged - if you punish that next time he won't tell you, until he can't take it anymore and then he'll bite. Kiss on the face is threatening to many dogs, so there is that.
> Is it because his "#2" position in the pack is threatened by her?
No. Dogs don't have such a concept of hierarchy. They concern themself with which dog (NOT human) gets first dibs on the scrap of food on the floor, and the spot on the bed (which is often not the same dog - it carries no prestige nor title.)
He is uncomfortable in some way. If it's a sudden change you can ask a vet for a medical work up to make sure it's not pain or anything, but most likely he's warning you that he feels like his space is invaded.
You can work on this by respecting the growls, and looking for more subtle signs - calming signals and respecting those too. You can also pair touching with treats to change his emotional association.
Also I highly recommend The Ahimsa Dog Training Manual for getting started with non-dominance based techniques with a mind towards preventing aggression. If you make that switch and you still have issues I would look into a behaviorist. There are also more resources on the sidebar of /r/dogtraining.
I commend you for being so level-headed and objective about your situation. I completely agree that you do not want to punish aggression, as you can potentially make it worse.
Punishment includes the standard things you might expect like hitting, alpha rolls, grabbing by the scruff of the neck, but also includes even verbal punishment (like a stern "no"). Verbal or physical punishment is something to be particularly careful of in the case of growling, as it can further suppress warning signs (dog learns not to growl, and decides to escalate right to biting).
It's great that you have a vet appointment this week - definitely tell your vet exactly what has happened and any other behavior changes you've noticed. Aggression could be a sign of a health issue.
I also have a former street-dog "lab mix" that looks more like a lab, but with a mutt with unknown heritage who was found on the street, who knows what's in his genetic past? Similar to your dog, my dog shows very subtle warning signs, and can go from 0-60 in a blink of an eye.
I used to think he didn't give any warning signs at all, but I've since discovered there's a cornucopia of extremely subtle canine body language that can allow me to take action before he escalates to something overt. I'm no expert but I'm much better able to read his mood than I used to be, even if he can escalate through his subtle warning signs in just seconds.
It's possible that Jed was displaying extremely subtle signs of stress or anxiety while he was playing with your cousin, that if you learn to detect, could help prevent another incident before it occurs.
Along those lines, I found this book helpful (check your local library to see if they have a copy): https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B003URRK44/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g2609328962?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1&ie=UTF8
In addition, recording and re-watching his behavior, watching examples online, and working with our veterinary behaviorist also helped tremendously in reading his body language and managing him in general.
By the way, Jed doesn't look anything like most pits as far as I can see.
Looking at the pictures of Jed (who is very handsome, btw), I think the commentators who are blaming this on his possible pit heritage are painting with an overly broad brush.
Good luck, and please come back and give us an update after your vet appointment!
Sophia Yin has some good books:
Perfect Puppy
How to behave so your dog behaves
Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas
Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor
Subscribe to Kikopup (and her website dogmantics), and Tab289 on YouTube to cover a lot of clicker training basics and basic behavior modification exercises.
Sue Ailsby's training levels website for a puppy training to-do list.
Warning: very little good news ahead (sorry, going through some stuff right now which has me pretty fucking jaded on the subject, and while I do think my information is helpful, it is a bit more doomsdayish than really necessary--apolgies for that.)
Honestly a lot of shelter dogs will not show their problem behaviors right away. This is most likely not sudden, and probably the reason he was at the shelter. This behavior is not something that you caused, it is a behavior that he has learned a long time before you and is now displaying because of his level of comfort around you. It takes a LONG time to rehab a dog like that, considering his age, and sometimes it's not really successful, depending on the underlying causes of the aggression...so you must ask yourself are you really in this for the long haul or do you want to get a different dog that will be easier?
I would definitely recommend seeing a behaviorist not just a trainer for at least one or two sessions to get some practice under your belt for how to manage and treat this situation. The main techniques will be counter-conditioning to the presence of other dogs and redirection. Timing is KEY when doing this kind of training and if you do it yourself without being really shown how, you risk fucking the dog up more.
I rescued a dog from the shelter who seemed perfectly fine (although a bit unruly) at first. He started showing aggression to other dogs AND people after about 3 weeks. I took the DIY approach for about a year, decided I needed help, now 2 and a half years and roughly $15,000 in books, dvds, seminars, workshops, behaviorists, trainers, vet bills, training camp, training classes, etc I have decided to have him humanely euthanized for his own benefit, that of society at large, and also my own mental health. He is a super smart and amazing dog who I love dearly (hence why I have tried so hard), but to be honest he is dangerous.
I don't mean to scare you, and honestly, I ended up with a REALLY bad dog, way worse than most people would from a shelter. Dog aggression is quite manageable if you are willing to accept that you may not ever "cure" your dog, and make sure that he is kept away from other dogs at all times so as not to practice this behavior further. The fact that he has redirected at you is quite concerning, however, and should definitely be discussed with a professional if you do decide to keep this dog.
While you are looking for your behaviorist I would recommend the following books:
http://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustment-Training-Frustration-Aggression/dp/1617810509
http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Practical-Treatment-Dog-dog-Aggression/dp/0970562969
http://www.amazon.com/Control-Unleashed-Creating-Focused-Confident/dp/B000UCF53A
These are the books that helped me the most dealing with my problem dog.
Whew, ok, lots to unpack here.
First question: does your dad know you're about to give him a GSD puppy? You're signing him up for a pretty big 2 year commitment here (and that's just the puppy phase), so please make sure he's 100% on board with the idea of raising a landshark demon spawn before bringing it home.
Secondly, breed standard puts an adult GSD somewhere in the neighborhood of 24" tall and 60-80lb. This can vary widlly based on sex, line, and breeding quality. My poorly-bred GSD male is 29" tall and a scrawny 85lb. I've also seen some pretty petite females come through my rescue.
On the subject of lines, do you know what kind of GSD you're getting? There are various working and show lines, and the personality and structure of your GSD can come out all over the map. If you don't know the answer from talking to your breeder, run away, because you're not getting a well-bred dog. Poorly-bred GSDs are health and temperament nightmares.
Thirdly, the breed standard calls for a confident but aloof personality, but again, temperaments may vary depending on lines and breeding quality. GSDs need to be socialized thoroughly but carefully to lock in that confident-but-also-aloof sweet spot. Flooding your puppy with tons of new people and places will create a fearful adult, but so will keeping your dog locked up. I have seen lots of success using a puppy-led gentle exposure technique. Take your dog to lots of places, but don't make the novelty into a big deal. Don't force your puppy to interact with every person and dog you see, and call it a day if your puppy seems overwhelmed or scared. A puppy builds confidence by exploring on its own, you're just there to moderate the experience and make sure it's a positive one. I can't recommend a group obedience class enough for young GSDs...learning to focus in a controlled environment around other dogs is a valuable asset for future life skills. Consider finding a local trainer that does group positive reinforcement based training, or at least very positive-leaning balanced training. Avoid anyone who mentioned "alpha" or "pack leader" because that school of thought is outdated and disproven (but is holding on forever in GSD breed circles for some reason). Also avoid anyone who wants to put a prong or choke collar on your dog without evaluating their behavior first.
Honestly, if I were you I'd stop and do a little more research before bringing home a GSD. They're a little more of a "lifestyle breed" than your average family pet, and will find and exploit any weakness in your dog-owning abilities. Read some books (recommendations here: 1 2 3 4), talk to your dad, take a good look at your breeder, maybe find a local trainer with a good positive puppy class, and try again with a little more information under your belt.
Crate train the puggle. I used this book from Amazon: How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days
Basically: Crate train your dog. Put it on a feeding and watering schedule. Learn when it needs to go potty based on the feeding schedule. If the dog does not go potty within 15 minutes of being out of the crate and put in the "potty spot", put back into crate.
When dog goes potty in the right spot shower with praise and treats. Repeat.
Took our dog a couple of weeks to learn that (as a puppy, however). The book has some great examples of how to work their "method" in to different types of work schedules.
You must be disciplined. Good luck!
I took my classes outside Toronto about 9 years ago (last time I had a puppy). Can't remember the name of the program sadly but there were 2 levels and I recall the second level was fantastic. What I definitely can recommend is the book Good Owners Great Dogs.
http://www.amazon.ca/Good-Owners-Great-Brian-Kilcommons/dp/0446675385
Since you have trazadone I'm going to assume you have already talked to your veterinarian about your dog's anxiety. If that is not the case, please discuss it with your vet.
The behaviorists are pricy, but they're an excellent resource and worth the money. I'd definitely stick with either a Veterinary Behaviorist or an Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist over a regular trainer, anybody can call themselves a trainer while CAABs and VBs have tons of education and experience. They can tailor advice to your specific dog and your specific household in a way a book or video cannot.
I am by no means an expert (I'm a vet tech at a general-practice clinic) but my go-to recommendations for behavior books are Decoding Your Dog by the American College of Veterinary behaviorists, (it has a chapter on house training and a chapter on separation anxiety) and The Other End of the Leash (it's about understanding dogs and how they think rather than specific issues) by Patricia McConnell. Patricia McConnell also has books (booklets? they're short) about anxiety and separation anxiety. I've never read the booklets, but she's a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist with a Ph.D, so they're probably a better resource than random internet sites even if they're not as helpful as an in-person consultation with a behaviorist.
There are some great suggestions already. I bought this bookto help with my lab mix's issues with nail care and baths and it has been a huge help, he is going from tolerating to liking these things. The author, deb jones, also has a blog with some great information if you can't get the book and she runs a Facebook page as well.
I also highly recommend muzzle training so while you work on building positive associations to grooming. I am in the process of muzzle training my dog, there are so many useful applications and I like knowing that if he ever needs to be muzzled, it won't stress him out further, because he'll be used to it.
I highly recommend the book Cooperative Care by Deb Jones for any body handling needs.
Replying to my own message to help you get started researching.
Good Owners, Great Dogs is a great first-time-dog-owner/looking-for-a-dog book. Costs a little more than ten bucks at amazon.
www.dogstardaily.com. Read ALL THE THINGS. They have great articles about introducing a dog into your life, playing games, training, tons of stuff. Absorb it all before going out to choose your companion.
www.dogfoodadvisor.com for help in choosing a good food for your new best friend.
Tip of the iceberg; there's plenty to take in. But I realized my original comment just said "hey, man, go do some research" and didn't point in a good direction. Those places will get you started.
And I am really hoping the comments thus far are helping re-shape your notions of adopting a canine and realizing what that really means.
We got a pamphlet by Patricia McConnell on leadership
http://amzn.com/189176702X
We were having a lot of similar issues with our 1yo bulldog/lab mix.
One of the things I've started doing is training our dog how great it is to sit quietly on his bed near the couch while we are in the living room. He gets all kinds of treats when he's there, but no attention if he gets up and starts destroying things.
That and general leadership work, paying attention to space, how we engage with the dog, etc, has REALLY helped. We used to crate him all the time when we were home just because we didn't know what to do with this crazy dog.
Also, its easier to tire a dog out mentally than physically, so I find that practicing training, or feeding him out of a toy that requires some work really helps.
Similarly, I'm planning to use baby gates to divide my house into 2 zones so that we have the option to separate baby and dog while still giving each of them access to a large area. I got a lot of good ideas from the book "Please don't bite the baby".
I actually don't think your concerns are outlandish. Many dog/baby injury stories start with "he was always so gentle!" A little bit of management with play pens and baby gates can provide a lot of protection against accidents.
I have read and highly recommend BAT 2.0 by Grisha Stewart. If you'd like more information about this training ideology, I can find some free sources online!
> Can an adopted adult dog be successfully socialized if he isn’t already?
Depends on what level of social deprivation the dog has encountered, and what you mean by 'successfully'. Can the dog learn to be fully accepting and relaxed around all of the things that it did not encounter in its early months (the sensitive period)? Probably not. Can it learn to be sufficiently accepting and relaxed around the things that it NEEDS to encounter in the course of its life in a human world? Depends a lot on the temperament of the individual dog and the expectations / commitment of the owner.
Taking on an dog with lack of general socialisation is not something I would attempt personally, because I need my dog to be able to go outside to toilet, travel in a car, walk down the street to exercise, and encounter other dogs. I could perhaps help a dog work through one of these fears if it was well socialised to humans and showed a willingness to trust me and work for treats. But not more than one: it would just be too hard on the dog (and on me). I would also worry about separation anxiety once the dog was bonded to me.
> On adoption applications they ask for a recommendation from a veterinarian. What if you do not currently have a pet or a veterinarian?
Speak to a local vet. Ask intelligent questions about vaccinations, healthchecks, and other routine health care you would need to undertake - and be prepared to answer questions about your home and lifestyle and listen to their opinion about whether you are well set up to be a dog parent.
> What resources should I be looking at either to find a dog or learn more about having a dog?
Finding a rescue dog: https://www.petfinder.com
Dog training: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/index
Getting a puppy:
Sophia Yin's books, such as How to behave so your dog behaves :https://www.amazon.com/Behave-Behaves-Revised-Updated-Editon-ebook/dp/B004GUSDK4/
Patricia McConnell's The other end of the leash https://www.amazon.com/Other-End-Leash-What-Around/dp/034544678X
> Does it confuse a dog to be trained to go outside and on puppy pads
Yes. But if the dog has a fear of going outside, grass based pet loos can be a good substitute.
> For nyc adopters- without a car how do you get your new pet home
In our city, I would call for a taxi which accepts dogs (they are more expensive than a regular taxi). I'm not sure if this is possible with e.g. uber, though.
> What sort of questions should I expect?
Questions about your home, lifestyle, daily routine, how you will care for/ exercise the dog, finances for care and emergencies, future plans (travel, study, children) people who live in or visit your home etc. https://www.aspca.org/adopt-pet/adoption-tips
See also the questions in this survey: http://survey.bark.science/
> I would like a smooth coat miniature dachshund of either gender, ideally with a black and tan coat, but I’m open to all colors and patterns.
This seems very specific if you are looking for a rescue dog. What is the main reason you want a miniature dachshund? There are many factors which are FAR more important than cuteness and your preferred 'look' of dog: think about what you want to do with the dog, what your dog needs to be able to do to be happy living with you, preferred energy levels, how much time you will put into your dog, etc. Additionally, there is a lot of variety within breeds, so one dachshund which meets your needs might be very different from the next which does not. If you are happy to adopt a small mixed breed dog then you will find it much easer to find a dog that suits your needs.
I love the freedom harness.
Part of the job is to get him to "look at me" to heel by staying next to your knee. With a puppy, food is a reward, so as you are walking treat pouch on right hip, dog on the left. Have a treat ready and when he looks at you, INSTANTLY offer the treat. Takes effort, but being consistant is key. One he has that down, treat and YESS, is all that is needed, eventually going to just a verbal YESS.
Excellent book:
Family Friendly Dog Training: A Six Week Program for You and Your Dog
Awesome, thanks! I'm going to try this for sure!
In the meantime, if I'm not particularly doing this 'exercise' but going for regular walks, how should I react to the triggers?
Because I am going to encounter joggers or kids while doing a regular walk on a short leash. Yesterday I tried to stay calm and assertive myself and before she started barking I tried to divert her attention to a treat and moving a bit away from the trigger, but to no avail. I know I should avoid giving the treat AFTER she barks at all costs, because then I'm basically telling her I love it when she barks at the triggers lol...
I wish I posted here first before buying the Cesar Millan book lol... Oh well, it was only €10.
I found this one in the sidebar instead: https://www.amazon.com/The-Official-Ahimsa-Training-Manual/dp/1478176415/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360963013&sr=8-1&keywords=ahimsa+dog+training+manual
Anyone has any experience with this one?
I'm very interested in dog psychology to be honest.
Dog aggressive... Right off the top of my head I would suggest taking a look at BAT 2.0. Jean Donaldson has Fight!
/u/mysled is right that a good behaviorist will be able to help you. Check the wiki and sidebars of /r/dogs and /r/dogtraining for links like this one, and feel free to ask. Lots of folks deal with reactive dogs, and I think there's a support thread that floats around on /r/dogs.
I wish you luck with this; I know loving and dealing with a reactive dog is a difficult path.
Hi and thanks for replying. Your information is offering me good insight into what I need. I was looking at these two books: http://www.amazon.com/Leader-Pack-And-have-Your-Love/dp/189176702X/ref=la_B001ILMAOY_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1341528918&sr=1-3 and http://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Getting-Your-Puppy/dp/1577314557/ref=la_B001K83EFO_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341528963&sr=1-1
The puppy and my dog have established their pack order today it seems like. For the most part he was limping or had a cone on the entire week, so my dog was avoiding him. Now that he's had the cone off for a day, she has established dominance with him and they are hunting in my back yard, running in patterns already Lol.
It sounds as if the strategy you employed to teach the bulldog to leave the cats alone worked very well, without the use of anything adversive except some minor shunning which is a great teaching tool IMO that takes advantage of the dog's great desire to be social without causing any pain or fear. You shouldn't be 2nd guessing yourself about it if it worked well. Don't lose your confidence; you're doing great.
While the alpha theory has been debunked, I think some people have gone too far and are erring in the opposite direction. Dogs do recognize leadership, dominance and submission. While your foster pup is most likely not trying to steal food from children out of a desire to dominate them, your training strategy is sound and effective all the same and your instincts seem to be very good.
Please check out Patricia O'Connell's book How to be the Leader of the Pack...And have Your Dog Love You For It. O'Connell is recognized as one of the best dog trainers today. While she doesn't support the alpha theory as put forth by trainers like Cesar Milan, she does believe that dogs need to have their human be the unambiguous leader of the pack and she demonstrates some simple ways to accomplish this. I think you'll find that she supports much of what you're doing.
If you've accomplished something as difficult as teaching an adult dog to be polite to cats, you have a lot going for you as a dog trainer. It's good to listen to new ideas and criticism, but don't deny the evidence of your own experience. You're doing it right.
Turid Rugaas' "On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals" was especially helpful to me!
If you're hiring a behavior consultant, please take a look here - ccpdt.org. The trainers and consultants here have taken a test and signed an oathe to do no harm and only ever use fear or force as a last resort.
In the meantime, here are some of my favorite resources:
1.) (Free) CARE for Reactive Dogs - careforreactivedogs.com
2.) Grisha Stewart's Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) - https://www.amazon.com/Behavior\-Adjustment\-Training\-2\-0\-Frustration\-ebook/dp/B01BG05UAW/ref=tmm\_kin\_swatch\_0?\_encoding=UTF8&qid=1525694710&sr=8\-1
3.) (free) Relaxation Protocol - http://championofmyheart.com/relaxation\-protocol\-mp3\-files/
4.) Karen Pryor's Click to Calm - https://www.amazon.com/Click\-Calm\-Healing\-Aggressive\-Dog\-ebook/dp/B008510I5S/ref=pd\_sim\_351\_1?\_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TYTV68ZND5W25S0ZH1XH
Cheesy looking, but it works...get this book and follow it exactly.
This book is super helpful.
Is it possible to scale it back and just focus on your guys relationship with her first? It sounds like you are working really hard to socialize her in all aspects, but it may be overwhelming.
Kudos on the work you've done. Going from food possessive to being able to handle her food is huge! It sounds like you were very patient and respectful to get that sort of a result with her. That's what she needs right now.
Can you scale your socialization back for a bit? Maybe eliminate etra stress from other dogs and men until she feels bonded to you guys? She needs to be comfortable with you first before she can trust you enough to work on those issues.
An eample would be, if you are walking and see a man or another dog, turn away from them before she becomes nervous (starts staring). Don't wait for her to raise her hackles, cower, growl, whine, etc.
By moving her away from what she is fearing, she gains trust in your ability to protect her. It also teaches her to move away rather than feel the need to defend herself.
I highly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustment-Training-Frustration-Aggression/dp/1617810509
Also, talk to a trainer. Just like u/edgepatrol said. These are difficult issues, especially for new dog owners. Yikes.
>Is there any guideline to what extent a dog should be allowed to "use" the same stuff
Behaviorist Patricia McConnell wrote a short book called How to Be the Leader of the Pack and Have Your Dog Love You for It. She outlines all the typical pack leader advice except physical punishment stuff like scruffing and alpha rolls. In the Intro chapter, she says:
>The suggestions below are NOT practices that you must follow every second of every day, no matter how your dog behaves... How strictly you follow the program below depends on your dog's behavior. If your pup seems perfect, you can follow some of these steps some of the time (being aware of them might help keep her that way!) If Ginger gave you a dirty look over her rawhide, then react by following some of these guidelines for leadership over the next couple of hours. If, on the other hand, Spot just bit you, follow the ideas below to the letter for at least a month. (And totally ignore him for the first two days-don't speak to or look at him, even while feeding or letting him out.) Great trainers act like thermostats-easing up when a dog is being polite, becoming a little more "hard to get" when the dog begins to be demanding or too focused on pack hierarchy.
and,
>Keep status-seeking dogs (dogs that have shown status-seeking aggression) on the floor-not up on the furniture (especially if you are in the room). If you want to cuddle, you get down on the floor, ask for some obedience and then pet. If your dog isn't status-seeking and you've never had any trouble, then go ahead and invite him up to cuddle.
I would recommend BAT (Behavior Adjustment Training) 2.0. There's a book on it by Grisha Stewart. Basically, it involves identifying a dogs "triggers" and allows the dog to explore them in their own way and on their own time, thereby building confidence. It focuses less on rewarding with food, which has been challenging for my dog. It's not a quick fix, but it has worked for many dogs. It's on Amazon and you can read online.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BG05UAW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
If you don't want to buy the book (but it's a really great book, I promise) then you can check out some youtube videos on that topic instead.
Wherever you go, I suggest you buy this book.
It completely changed my approach to owning and training a dog. My wife and I followed it to the letter and our Golden was the most obedient dog any of my family or friends had ever seen.
I found this blog post and this book incredibly helpful!
The advice to consistently give time outs to settle when he gets too rough is good start. Check out Jean Donaldson's pamphlet/book Fight!: A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-dog Aggression. I wouldn't call your dog's behavior "aggression" at this point but it does align closely with Donaldson's "Tarzan" type dogs that get overexcited and play wildly without ability or desire to self-regulate.
I'm going to give the inconvenient advice others have skipped over. Stop going to public dog parks where and when he encounters these crazy players. Dog parks have bad role models who will exacerbate his social over-arousal. They'll teach him to disregard cutoff signals, to jump into rowdy play without any polite negotiation, and encourage rough contact-based play. Instead, give him more low-key structured social exposure like group walks, group classes, and one-on-one hangout playdates so he gets more practice being polite and calm around other dogs. If you have good daycares nearby that strictly regulate play and don't allow wild play, they may be good resources too. Daycares that allow free wild play all day would make things worse, so choose very carefully if you go that route. Do not socially isolate him, but do choose his encounters very carefully.
If you continue to go to dog parks, it may help to go at carefully selected times of day, like early in the morning when the regulars are there but not in the evening when there are crowds.
If you use a muzzle for more than a couple of minutes at a time, use a basket muzzle that lets him pant and drink for safety's sake.
A referral to a veterinary dermatologist would be the next step to take.
Deb Jones has a book on Cooperative Care: Seven Steps to Stress-Free Husbandry and also teaches an online class at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy on cooperative care.
There's actually no evidence to support the old wives tale that dogs try and form interspecific dominance hierarchies. At least not with humans.
Source: literature by veterinary behaviourists include this book which I recommend if you ever get a dog or puppy.
Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
I also got a whippet puppy in Jan with -30C weather. It was a challenge at the beginning because she was used to using newspaper at the breeder's indoors. We got a piece of sod initially but she was more consistent when we took her into our backyard. A warm jacket is a must. They'll learn quickly to just do their business quickly to get back inside. You could also use a shower stall/tub if in the middle of the night and freezing.
I'd suggest finding a puppy socialization class initially. Puppy Start Right was recommended (https://www.amazon.ca/Puppy-Start-Right-Foundation-Companion/dp/1890948446/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517626807&sr=8-1&keywords=start+right+puppy) and I'd suggest you watch some youtube videos (I'd suggest Zak George).
Crate train is a good idea for your own sanity (and property), and you'll learn to discern the usual whining from "i need to go potty" whining. There are videos on crate training as well.
Good luck and enjoy the "good" moments! He will definitely try your patience!
I've been looking through Puppy Start Right sand I dig it so far. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1890948446/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pxvgzbH2X29EE
It has information on all sorts of puppiness, but mostly behavior related.
You may want to check out and try the exercises in this book: Fired Up Frantic and Freaked Out. I've had some success with it (and I'm still actively working on using the technique to improve Maizy's behavior), but it hasn't been as fast as I'd have hoped. More than the barking, this has given me a tool to take Maizy from super crazy and freaking out to, if not calm, feigning calm. According to the book being in a relaxed/calm position and body posture will eventually turn into true calm down the road. I'm crossing my fingers ;).
Okay so, I have tons of dog books to recommend. Obviously it isn't an apples to apples translation for horses, but they will help you get a solid understanding of clicker theory, and a lot of the exercises could be applied to horses, with some creative tweaking. You can usually find some inexpensive used options on Amazon that may make it more practical to buy these books, since with the exception of the Karen Pryor book they only cover dogs. If you have questions or want more recommendations let me know!
When Pigs Fly!: Training Success with Impossible Dogs https://www.amazon.com/dp/1929242441/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_41JXBbXWEPN78 This is a good basics of training books that will give you a solid introduction to actually applying clicker training.
Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743297776/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_J4JXBb9X374P5 This will get you really in the weeds on the theory and development of clicker training, plus a lot of examples of how Karen has used the methods. It is very readable, not dry and overly academic. I found it light on giving you step by step application instructions for a variety of situations though.
The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual: A Practical, Force-Free Guide to Problem Solving and Manners https://www.amazon.com/dp/1478176415/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_G6KXBb7XTZPB3 this one is another really good basics book. The author has another book called Behavior Adjustment Training that uses positive methods to deal with hyper-reactive and problem behavior. It might be a good one just so you can see some of the creative ways that they use positive training to overcome things like food aggression, fear of strangers, etc.
Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding & Correcting Common Dog Problems
Set up as many positive experiences with strangers and other dogs as you possibly can. Puppy socialization classes are your best friend. Everything else can come later.
Puppy Start Right is my favorite puppy book.
What exactly did you do when you "reacted wrongly and aggressively"? If you beat him or otherwise punished him physically, it might be that his conclusion was that if provoked he needed to disable you so you couldn't do that again.
Seeing a behaviourist is really your best bet. On top of that, so not as an alternative, try to read as much as you can on dog literature, for instance this extremely helpful book : "Behavior Adjustment Training: BAT for Fear, Frustration, and Aggression in DogsBehavior Adjustment Training: BAT for Fear, Frustration, and Aggression in Dogs" by Grisha Stewart, see here.
Euthanizing your dog is absolutely not the greatest solution at the moment, though it does seem to me like you've so far allowed your dog to sort of do anything he pleases. Of course he's upset now that he doesn't get his way, so the way to teach him is with kindness. See a behaviourist and read that book. Also show it to your mum if you can, she will be glad to know there IS a way to handle any kind of aggression. That said, don't think you can do it by yourselves. Biting is a really slippery slope for a dog, and it takes expert advice to know how to handle it.
https://www.amazon.com/Cooperative-Care-Seven-Stress-Free-Husbandry/dp/0578423138
This book by Deb Jones is a good resource. If you have Facebook check out the Nail Maintenance for Dogs group.
I'm new to this thread. Smelly is a 50lb mixed breed whom I adopted as a young adult one year ago. His main reason for reactivity is fear and he will bark, growl and lunge at unfamiliar dogs and people.
His trainer introduced us to behavior adjustment training. This book was a great resource for me. His reactivity is much improved. I can walk him 90% of the time without an episode.
Currently he still will lunge and growl if an unfamiliar dog gets within his comfort zone(~12 feet radius). His other triggers are people in narrow hallways and people who are not in motion. His hallway/elevator lunging has improved with clicker-training with ultra high-value treats.
My dream would be for him to have good dog manners and be comfortable in unfamiliar settings. It would be so wonderful to watch him romp in the dog park like I used to with my previous dogs. I would love to do some sort of dog sport with him.. but I can't imagine if he ever would be comfortable with all that!
If I go with puppy pads, do you think that I can tape them together on the bottom so that they don't shift/expose the floor? I've already looked into that book, as well as Good Owners, Great Dogs, and I'm probably going to purchase both.
What you said sounds good for a basic intro - you can go into the specifics of your planned exercise and work schedule and preferences once you make initial contact.
Hope you like the book! It's a good concise but broad roadmap to adopting an adult dog. After you read it, if you find yourself wanting more detail about the nitty-gritty of training, I found her Family-Friendly Dog Training also really helpful - a lot of training books focus on puppies, but this one is written with new-to-you dogs of any age in mind, and gives you a nice six-week plan.
It sounds to me like she is guarding those places. You should try reading Mine and check out the wiki for information on Resource Guarding. In the meantime, she should not have access to these things until she is polite about it. That said, you should not ignore your dog's growling. Growling is important communication and you don't want to dissuade her from doing it as dogs that are trained to stop growling as a warning go straight to biting. I would also refrain from picking her up. Dog's don't really like getting picked up anyway, but you can give them a better sense of control by teach limits or the 'off' command.
I would also recommend the book Mine:A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs
https://www.amazon.com/Mine-Pratical-Guide-Resource-Guarding-ebook/dp/B06Y2GXSX3/ref=nodl_
I'm sorry that this happened. It's very scary, and while it seemed unexpected, dogs will behave inappropriately if they are not trained to behave appropriately.
Do not "put him down".
If you've noticed him being protective over objects (even at all) you should recognize that while you've thought it was a small problem, he thinks it's very serious. This is absolutely your family not taking manners training seriously. Every single puppy needs to be trained as to how to live appropriately with humans. Not every dog needs tons of training on every single possible thing, but every dog needs training on lots of things.
Your family should absolutely read books like Sophia Yin's How to Behave so Your Dog Behaves and call a local trainer to begin to learn how to teach your dog proper manners.
Also, unless you are professional dog breeders, have your puppy neutered.
So, the answer is both training and neutering.
If your family can't commit to training him properly, again...don't put him to sleep. At least take him to a proper no-kill shelter to be rehomed to a family who is more interested in training.
Fight! by Jean Donaldson is also a helpful book in a case like this.
Source ahead of time: work at a vet clinic and have taken my dog to our state's veterinary school's behaviorist department.
Probably late to the party but okay. Like everyone said: positive reinforcement positive reinforcement positive reinforcement, and a lot of redirection and avoidance of problem. Every time your dog has the opportunity to misbehave, he is reinforced with the idea that this is an acceptable and functional way to go through life.
So for example, my dog has fear-based aggression issues. This means we do not under any circumstances give him the opportunity to be approached by strangers, or to approach a stranger in a circumstance in which he might feel threatened or cornered (and might, thus, make the decision to bite or otherwise behave aggressively). Ninja edit: and we do not discipline or rebuke him, because this only heightens the anxiety and thus the aggression, and can sometimes result in misdirected aggression towards you, the owner, instead.
As others have said, again, you want to give the dog a good behavior to replace the bad. Teach them to sit instead of jump, if they bark remove them to a separate room with a peanut-butter filled kong toy (but be careful about peanut butters, as some have an artificial sweetener that can be harmful to your pup! so ninja-edit two: squeeze/canned cheese is also a great low-cost option!), explore local resources for clicker training or puppy schools (but avoid shock collar trainers IMO), and always be aware of what behaviors you are rewarding either intentionally or accidentally!
(So for example, if the dog is barking, don't throw him a treat; wait until he has stopped barking for ~1-2 seconds and then treat him. This may seem counter-intuitive, but as far as canine cognition goes, he will understand this as a reward for silence, I promise!)
I highly recommend Decoding Your Dog for a lot of great resources on training and otherwise understanding the why of canine behavior. It's not a be-all end-all source, but it's a really great first step towards how to address behavioral issues and combat them in a healthy manner!
Try a BAT training program! BAT, in combination with a clicker training class, should help you get your dog to be more friendly with other dogs. I recommend the class because you should always have a trainer to guide you! You can find classes in your area through the Association of Pet Dog Trainer's website:http://www.apdt.com/
BAT's website is here:http://functionalrewards.com/
Also, a great book on dog aggression here:http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Practical-Treatment-Dog-dog-Aggression/dp/0970562969
Licki mats work great for one-person treat dispensing/distracting while you work.
An unrelated option is to train your dog to use a scratch board (usually a piece of wood with sand paper attached) which will address their front nails but not back or dew claws. I am in the process of going through the Cooperative Care Book to desensitize my dog to dremeling but the scratch board is great for keeping her front nails short (which are the ones that grow the most) while she gets comfortable with the dremel.
Keep educating yourself. You're doing a good thing already by not giving up on this dog. Tell yourself that every day, especially when it gets frustrating. Focus on the successes and progress you are making, however small. Don't feel obligated to put yourself or your dog in situations that make him feel uncomfortable. If you don't feel like he (or you!) is ready to be introduced to new people yet, don't. Keep practicing the stuff you are comfortable with instead.
I don't know a lot about muzzles but in my opinion, if you are in a situation where you feel you need to muzzle your dog (and it's not a necessary situation like vet treatment, etc), then your dog isn't ready to be there yet. Adding a muzzle to the mix could just confuse your dog even further and make him more uncomfortable and fearful. If you do decide to go that route, though, make sure to desensitize him to it and have him associate it with good things (treats, etc) before you put it on him in new, scary situations.
Medication, in my opinion, is a last resort. Unless your dog is constantly irrationally fearful and anxious of a wide variety of things, you probably don't need to medicate him. If he is just wary of strangers and people in new situations, that can be worked on with behavior modification. Again, educate yourself! If you feel confused by or uncomfortable with a suggestion that your behaviorist makes, get a second opinion. Google is your friend. (Just please don't use corrections or punishment on a dog with fear aggression issues.)
This article has been very useful and informative to me in the past.
Dr. Sophia Yin's website is a great place to find information on behavior.
This book is an excellent resource, and so is this one if you're into clicker training.
You are your dog's advocate and guardian. The most important thing you can do is give yourself the information and tools to help guide your dog through the world and help him learn that he doesn't have to be scared of things. Good luck <3
Puppy school (eg, at Petsmart) to teach him to "come" on command, etc. No puppy pads. cuz they encourage peeing indoors. Ours will potty outside, in any weather. NEVER punish for potty mistakes, but quickly whisk them outside to SHOW him where he should go, and then offer High-Value-Treat (meat, cheese, etc) the MILLI-SECOND they do it correctly. Praise at the right instant teaches them what behaviors you want them to repeat. Crate training is very important. It's a den, make it a happy place, not a prison. Read Dachshunds for Dummies, and other training books such as this excellent book. Watch Kikopup on youtube for training tips. Learn how to read dog body language, also known as calming signals. Learn the many benefits of raw feeding. Above all, give him love, and he will give you joy.
Edit: if you can, adopt another. Dachsies do better in pairs.
It sounds like this dog has separation anxiety. That can lead to destructive behaviors, sometimes leading to dogs being re-homed. A personal trainer would be the best solution for the dog, but reading this book is a good place to start: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Owners-Great-Brian-Kilcommons/dp/0446675385
Sure! Decoding Your Dog:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E78ICDS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1523300558&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=decoding+your+dog#nav-search-keywords
The most common way, at least in my experience (please chime in with other ways/paths that you've taken) is exposure and mentoring.
Exposure is just work with as many dogs as you possible can. For me, I worked at a dog daycare/boarding/training/grooming place as a dog handler (officially Animal Care Technician but whatever.) I thought I knew a lot about dogs before going in. My close family had had several growing up, I'd helped raise for service puppy organizations, etc. I did not. I did not know nearly enough about dogs in general. There's nothing like being in a playroom with 30 dogs every day to rapidly teach you about dog body language, communication, habits, warning signs, the works. I worked there for a couple years and I was constantly learning. The biggest hurdle in getting to be a dog trainer is just exposure to lots and lots of different dogs, different breeds, different temperaments, different learning styles, different stimulus, different everything.
Next usually comes mentoring with an experienced trainer. I lucked out in that the trainer who started working at the daycare facility about year after I did was awesome. Totally positive and we clicked. We became really good friends fast. I officially mentored with her for just over a year. I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I can't really speak on more arduous methods of finding a mentor.
Read. Find groups like this one and find their recommended literature. Training is important both in theory and practice. My first books were Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out, Ahimsa, and When Pigs Fly and they were the beginning of my positive-only approach as well as my drive to become a trainer. But there are tons and tons of books to really dive into.
Check out the sidebar for info on APDT, and look into getting your CPDT-KA. The training industry isn't really regulated, but this is kind of The Certification.
As far as career, both myself and my training mentor left that facility. We started our own training business together. She works that full time, though her SO has a nice cushy job to fall back on in times of famine, so the two of them do alright. While I might do alright working it fulltime, I am crazy stupid anxious about being totally on commission. I have another full time job (night shift manufacturing. Cog-in-a-machine type work, but it isn't mentally taxing leaving me mostly focused mentally on training. Also benefits are awesome.)
While starting your own business isn't common or uncommon, there's other routes too. You can work in a big box store (think petsmart, petco, etc) as a trainer. Though you'll see on this sub we kind of have a hesitant view on them. It's either hit or miss. You end up with an awesome trainer who is working there on the path to bigger and better things, or.... you don't. You could work at a facility like the dog daycare place I worked. From my experience pay is meh but not terrible. The biggest problem was ideology differences and goal differences (what's best for the dog vs what's best for the business.) Though I tend to have a negative bias about it so take that with a grain of salt. You could work at a training facility that brings together a bunch of trainers. You could work at a humane society. There's a lot of options, some commission, some hourly, some a mix. It all kind of depends on your experience, your connections, and honestly, your luck.
This... kind of rambles on a bit, but feel free to ask away! A lot of my career came just from being in the right place at the right time so I realize that's not much help, but I can try.
Happy to help ! If you want some really good reading material on really effective and great ways to understand, train, and happily live with your dogs, read this
He really is amazing at what he does.
> One of the most frequent complaints of pet parents is that their dogs “just won’t listen.” But put yourself in your dog’s shoes for a moment. If someone was constantly chattering away in a foreign language that you’d never heard before, how long would you pay attention? Probably not for very long—because you simply wouldn’t be able to understand what the foreign speaker was trying to communicate.
> To communicate clearly and consistently with your dog, you need to understand how she learns. Dogs learn through the immediate consequences of their behavior. The nature of those consequences determines how they’ll behave in the future. Dogs, like other animals (people included), work to get good things and avoid bad things in life. If a behavior results in something rewarding—like food, a good belly rub, playtime with dog buddies or a game of fetch with her pet parent—your dog will do that behavior more often. On the other hand, if a behavior results in an unpleasant consequence—like being ignored or losing things she finds rewarding—she’ll do that behavior less often.
I highly recommend this book. It's a really fun and quick read, full of interesting stories to well presented science.
> An applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell looks at humans as just another interesting species, and muses about why we behave the way we do around our dogs, how dogs might interpret our behavior, and how to interact with our dogs in ways that bring out the best in our four-legged friends.
> After all, although humans and dogs share a remarkable relationship that is unique in the animal world, we are still two entirely different species, each shaped by our individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (like wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation.
We have two pitbull type dogs that will be around when our little one gets here. Our old guy (we think he's 8 or 9) has been around babies of all sizes and is very good about being gentle and patient with them. Our younger dog (4 1/2) is a ACD/pitbull cross and he's veryyyyyyy high energy and loves to chase small creatures like cats and squirrels and what not. We were worried about him thinking that a tiny human would be a fun squeaky toy so we got in touch with a trainer and worked on his basic commands so that we would be able to work with him for the next nine months. I didn't think he was poorly trained before but even just working with him for 10-20 minutes a day has really made a difference in him.
We also have been getting our dogs accustomed to being sequestered in the kitchen with baby gates so that if they do get too excited they have a safe place to settle down away from baby.
The biggest thing that we plan to do though is just make sure that the dogs and the baby are never left alone in the same room together even if it's just for a few moments. Way too many horror stories have happened from situations like this and we want to do everything we can to prevent anything tragic from happening.
I ordered this book to give me some ideas on how to manage all the changes coming and I found it to be incredibly helpful especially when it came to easing my own nerves about being a first time mom with a newborn and two big dogs. Baby girl gets here in a few short weeks and then we'll know for sure if any of our training has made a difference! Fingers crossed that our boys fall in love with her because I would be heartbroken if we had to give them up.
https://www.amazon.com/Please-Dont-Bite-Baby-Chase/dp/158005577X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1483987219&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=please+don%27t+bite+the+baby
You can tell when by learning more about dog body language. Each dog is a bit different in signs, but they are all similar.
There are almost certainly subtle warning signs your dog is giving you before she guards an item. They can be fast and hard to see, or plain as day.
Understanding Dog Body Language
A great book that can help you learn signs a dog is potentially uncomfortable is Understanding Dog Body Language
More info here
Studying dog body language is not something that will come quickly. It will take practice. The more you learn and then watch and observe the faster you will get it.
Chart showning common dog body postures
Another good article
A common misconception is that dogs will figure it out. While many dogs are good at communicating with other dogs not all dogs are. It is a great idea to help dogs have space in dog dog interactions as well as dog human interactions.
If you are at all uncertain if your dog is unconformable you can always step back an error on the side of giving them space. If your dog seems unconformable when you are giving them pets you can always ask them if they would like more. To do so, simply disengage and see if they come solicit more pets. If they don't then they would rather not have more of whatever you were doing right then.
Few things are cut and dry in dog body language. Reading it is an art as much as a science.
IMO the key to the best relationship with your dog is to try and understand what they are telling you. You can help build communication with your dog by positive training sessions. I highly recommend Kikopup and Zak George on youtube for training videos.
This is the correct answer. From Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash
"These body blocks are easy to learn, but they don't seeom to come naturally. What is natural to all primates, including us, is to push others away with our hands (or forepaws). But to a dog, a raised paw can signify submission or a request to play or the beginning of a dominance-related mount, but it never seems to mean "go away." So I've stopped pushing dogs away with my paws. Instead, I keep my hands tucked into my belly and push dogs away with my shoulder or hip, using body language that they understand."
No problem!
Dropped or pinned ears can mean a few things - it really depends on the rest of her body language. Is she wagging her tail, does her posture look comfortable and welcoming otherwise? Sometimes dropped ears can simply be a way to appear friendly and non-threatening in a social situation. Other times it can indicate nervousness and discomfort. Sometimes a dog can be friendly, nervous and uncomfortable!
Physical affection can be tricky. Tolerance for/enjoyment of physical affection varies by breed, and can also increase/decrease with age. Are we talking about petting? Hugs? What parts of her body are you touching? Lots of people instinctively reach over the top of a dog's head for pets, which most breeds will find fairly intrusive, and they may instinctively duck away. Hugs are also not in a dog's vocabulary - they might tolerate them, but will most likely feel uncomfortable. Obviously, there are exceptions to this, usually in the form of some ridiculously affectionate golden retriever.
My pup grew into enjoying physical affection, but there are still certain things that he doesn't like, so I try to work with him. I offer my hand for pets, or make room on the couch to cuddle, and he can take it or leave it. I try to always give him a heads up before I go in for a scratch, and I do a lot of body handling work where I reinforce physical contact with treats so he's more excited than annoyed when I'm poking his ears or checking his toes. He's 10 months now and his enjoyment of physical affection has skyrocketed in the last 3 months.
Hope that helps! There's also this really awesome little booklet about dog body language that you might like, On Talking Terms With Dogs by Turid Rugaas. I found it incredibly informative and it's really improved how I work with my guy.
http://www.amazon.com/Behavior-Adjustment-Training-Frustration-ebook/dp/B005NIL5MQ
Get a trainer. Folow the book above with his or her's help. There is hope.
Consider muzzling, the kind that allow water consumption but not biting, until you have a very high confidence in your dog's behavior.
Edit: this is also an excellent book: http://www.amazon.com/Click-Calm-Healing-Aggressive-ebook/dp/B008510I5S/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3
Both books are available in paperback, just cost a little more.
Double edit: Have a vet rule out any health concerns. Dogs in pain are often aggressive.
Have you looked into Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT)? I only started reading it but it seems like it might help. From what I gather, you figure out what the threshold is for your dog's reactivity and work from there. Like I said, I'm only about halfway through it but it seems like it would be helpful, plus it was a recommendation in the wiki.
We got our 7/almost 8 month Yorkie about 9ish days ago. Luckily, he came to us used to the crate at night—not so much during the day (he was on an apartment balcony for 8+ hours a day, with water and a grass pad/yoga mat for pottying. We just decided to start from scratch.)
What I would recommend is the book ‘How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days’. Honestly, the 7 days is a bit of a misnomer but this book has great, easy to follow adaptable steps. (No worries if it’s not done in 7 ACTUAL DAYS). It does involve having to crate for longer periods but I’ve seen it work really well so far with our dog, especially getting him to take enforced naps. We do crate him in a separate room when we’re at home just because he can’t relax/settle well if he sees us. We also purposefully watch him like a hawk when he’s out and about on his own as we’ve still had a few accidents.
Crating feels super confined but as long as you entertain them/exercise them well outside of the crate, we don’t are issues. Gradually, we’ll try an expen with him at home alone but we’re nowhere near that stage yet.
Edit: also, for the record, we’re still having accidents every few days. But, the book I recommended as been a god send, especially with the sample schedules that are included.
I strongly recommend reading the book Cooperative Care by Deborah Jones and following along with it.
Awesome, looking it up on Amazon now!
Edit: [Here is the link to the book.](How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves, Revised and Updated 2nd Editon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GUSDK4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rbOmDb803BQ8A). If anyone reads this and wants to check it out, here it is. It’s pretty good so far!
Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
Read this book. It is very regimented but very effective. Though Jacks are always harder to train than others.
If you have a Kindle I should be able to loan it you...though I don't know how just yet :D
I'm worried about my dogs' behavior when our baby comes, so I started reading Please Don't Bite the Baby (and Please Don't Chase the Dogs): Keeping Our Kids and Our Dogs Safe and Happy Together yesterday. It's easy to read and helps you understand your dog's body language with some tips help everyone get along. I highly recommend it!
book
So, a couple of things I'm seeing here:
First of all, I think the "she's being stubborn" mentality is detrimental to your relationship. More likely, she's confused about the rules and/or doesn't feel comfortable going outside when you aren't home. IMO it's better to consider your dog's shortcomings as a gap in the way you're explaining something so that the onus is on you – otherwise you run the risk of anthropomorphizing the dog's actions and resenting them down the line, which isn't good for anybody.
Finding the pee / punishing after the fact is not effective. For
"punishments" to be effective, they must happen almost simultaneously with the action – in this case, you would need to interrupt the action of peeing to get them to associate "peeing inside" = "unpleasant thing" (which, in the case of potty accidents usually means a loud "Eh Eh Eh" and getting picked up/whisked outside mid-pee. Not traumatic, but not a very enjoyable pee, either.) There is a book called Decoding your Dog has an awesome explanation of this concept that is well worth a read!
If I were you I would probably try to orchestrate a way to watch her from another room (webcam?) Then I would pretend I was leaving and wait for her to pee inside, at which point I would interrupt the behavior, take her outside, and reward for finishing outside. This should help if she's confused about the rules, but if she is uncomfortable being outside when you guys aren't home, then that is a harder challenge. Maybe find ways that you can spoof being home, like leaving on a radio or tv in another room? Let us know how it goes!
Does she have a bite history? If so, you may have a harder time getting her into Italy.
If all she's done so far is get up in other dogs' faces barking, you can probably make this work if you're diligent and patient. First thing I would do is stop taking her to the dog park. Forcing her to socialize with dogs isn't going to fix the issue, and it's really stressful for other dogs and owners when there's a bully in the dog park. Do you know where in Italy you'll be living? If you're in a rural area you may be able to find spots to exercise your dogs without having to deal with other dogs. I'd do most of my exercise in these spots while you work on training the reactive behavior.
Second thing I would do is step waaaay back to basics in your training. Does she work well for treats or toys in your house? Take her out and figure out how much can be going on in the environment before she stops taking treats. Can she still focus if a dog is 100ft away? 50ft away? Once you've got a handle on her reactive threshold, try and slowly (like over months, not over days) work that threshold closer.
There are many methods to go about reducing that threshold distance. Lots of people like BAT 2.0 and CARE for Reactive Dogs. They're all somewhat similar at a basic level (see dog outside threshold, reward for calm behavior, walk away), but there are nuances to each.
Be careful with muzzles. They can be very constricting and harmful to the dog.
Patricia McConnell's books are really pretty great (short, to the point, reward-based). Here's one that may be what you're looking for.
I rescued a pooch who was very timid about six months ago, and he has really come out of his shell. Any advice I could give would be plagiarized straight from here.
I don't want to sound like a shill, but I really recommend reading this.
Edit: He writes a great deal about walking your dog twice a day, and says that the dog should never be allowed to walk in front of you. I didn't strictly follow the last part, since I allow my dog off leash for most of the walk. Obedience training at PetSmart did help to teach him to walk without pulling on the leash.
Based on reading your other comments in this thread ,you're not being consistent enough, and you're not being patient. Training is about consistency, especially with a puppy.
Training doesn't happen overnight. It takes months and months to reinforce these behaviors. You need to be patient and realize that your dog isn't doing ANY of these things 'on purpose' or to purposefully disobey you.
I highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Family-Friendly-Dog-Training-Program/dp/1891767119/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453856024&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=patricia+mcconnell
Patricia Mcconnell is an excellent, positive-reinforcement dog traininer and this will help your pup get started off on the right paw.
Start working on clicker training. A good book to use is Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training for the Companion Dog (Karen Pryor Clicker Book) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1890948446/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_gc0UDb5Y1RQB5
Also here are some links to videos that can help:
https://journeydogtraining.com/13-dog-training-games/
KikoPup has a lot of videos, here's a starter: https://youtu.be/YF7boyICV7M
I don't use corrections either. I would rather show the dog what to do rather than what not to do. My dog isn't perfect, but he is a great dog and I am very happy with the results I have gotten from using only positive reinforcement training. My dog and I do agility, rally, nose-work, parkour, and a ton of trick training. Positive reinforcement works it just takes effort and time from the trainer. The best example I can give for what positive reinforcement is to look up Sara Carson and her Super Collies. She only uses positive reinforcement and all of her dogs are amazing and she has a reactive/aggressive dog as well.
My dog has both fear and frustration based reactivity, although they start out looking different, they end in the same result of barking, lunging, etc.
I would refrain from using punishment/corrections to modify a dogs frustration based reactive dogs behavior because you don't want it to turn into fear. Your dog might not make the association that they are getting the punishment because of their behavior and may associate the punishment to seeing other dogs and this can turn into them thinking dogs=punishment so keep away from me!
Look into B.A.T and L.A.T training if you haven't already.
BAT training book by Grisha Stewart is a really good read for BAT training and she has some really good diagrams.
I think the vet is the right route to go. My girl hasn't bitten me, but she definitely gives a warning when she's had enough or the cotton ball touched something painful. She is prone to ear infections so it is always a give and take. I guess I'm not immediately thinking this is unbridled aggression off the bat, I'm thinking something medically is wrong. In any case a visit to the vet should let you know. If nothing underlying then maybe a behaviorist can help you out.
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Also, maybe give this a go? Cooperative Husbandry
If you've never trained a dog before, go ahead and get this book. It's our bible of dog training. Powerful methods you will use with every interaction.
Check out 7 Day Dog Training. My border collie puppy was housebroken in less than a week doing this. It's a method that uses the crate.
Your poor dog for being crated 24/7 at the puppy mill. Crates should be their comfort zone and happy place. :(
Also, if you want to read more about this technique, consider picking up this book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1891767119
Patricia McConnell really knows her stuff.
I've decided to wait a bit and see if a book helps at all: Fired Up, Frantic and Freaked out by Laura VanArendonk Baugh. I picked it up yesterday and I'll give it a week to see how it goes.... $7 is a little nicer on the wallet than a bronze course and has the same amount of input lol.
It starts off with touch targeting (which she could do asleep) and shaping mat work. Since we didn't have any luck with the Fenzi shaping course.... well we'll see.
Pretty excited about it though... because of this book, I at least have a good way to explain why my dog turns her brain off if nothing else!
Check out these two books and your done:
How to raise the perfect dog
How to housebreak you dog in 7 days
Hi,
I have a leash reactive dog, some would recommend neutering and it can work, as long as you don't let the behaviour go on long enough that it becomes part of his personality. Personally, I'm not sure the evidence for behavioural alteration is rock solid, but if you're going to neuter anyway, it's worth a shot. Considering it started a few months ago, I'd say if you're going to get him snipped, do it soon.
Secondly, engage with a veterinary behaviourist. One that uses force free methods and is accredited. If you can't afford one, start with the book "BAT 2.0" or "When pigs fly!". In fact, while he's still entire start with those.
EDIT: added links and corrections.
I can send you a pdf of Dr Sophia Yin's "how to behave so your dog behaves"
A few great books to start with:
Weekend Dog by Myrna Milani
http://www.amazon.com/Weekend-Dog-Myrna-M-Milani/dp/0451157311
AKC's Citizen Canine
http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Canine-American-Kennel-Club/dp/1593786441/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1310420524&amp;sr=1-5
Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan
http://www.amazon.com/Cesars-Way-Everyday-Understanding-Correcting/dp/0307337979/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1310420551&amp;sr=1-2
Upvotes for crate training. IMHO, if you don't crate train your dog, you haven't started training your dog. Dogs should be crated when left home alone and overnight, and this helps establish dominance and reduces stress. Dogs are decended from wolves, and they by default will feel compelled to control and dominate their territory, and when you crate train you are teaching them that their domain is the crate, and the rest belongs to you, and they are happier for it.