Understanding Your Dog For Dummies

If you re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of getting a dog or nervous about caring for the one you ve already brought home, now you can relax. Understanding Your Dog for Dummies helps you recognize not only why your dog behaves the way she does, but in a way that enables you to parlay that into a well-behaved companion who listens (and sits, and speaks, and comes, etc.). Whether your pooch is a mixed breed or purebred, she has a distinct identity that makes her unique. The first step in understanding your dog is to respect the honorable task she was originally bred for and to identify how these inbred impulses influence her personality and behavior. In essence, you need to speak her language if you expect her to learn to understand yours. Understanding Your Dog for Dummies gives you everything you need to learn to understand your pooch s unique dialect of Doglish and shows you how to take on the role as pack leader to give your dog the cues, guidance, and consistency she needs to shape and develop good behaviors. Inside you ll discover how to: Read your dog s body language Communicate with your dog Interpret your dog s breed-specific traits Correct dog-behavior-gone-bad Counter anxiety-based behavior Understand and resolve aggressive behavior And so much more! Think of this book as Doglish 101 a prerequisite for every human member of your dog s family. Now, let the training begin!

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of getting adog or nervous about caring for the one you've alreadybrought home, now you can relax. Understanding Your Dog forDummies helps you recognize not only why your dog behaves theway she does, but in a way that enables you to parlay that into awell-behaved companion who listens (and sits, and speaks, andcomes, etc.).Whether your pooch is a mixed breed or purebred, she has adistinct identity that makes her unique. The first step inunderstanding your dog is to respect the honorable task she wasoriginally bred for and to identify how these inbred impulsesinfluence her personality and behavior. In essence, you need tospeak her language if you expect her to learn to understandyours.Understanding Your Dog for Dummies gives you everythingyou need to learn to understand your pooch's unique dialectof "Doglish"--and shows you how to take on therole as pack leader to give your dog the cues, guidance, andconsistency she needs to shape and develop good behaviors. Insideyou'll discover how to:* Read your dog's body language* Communicate with your dog* Interpret your dog's breed-specific traits* Correct dog-behavior-gone-bad* Counter anxiety-based behavior* Understand and resolve aggressive behavior* And so much more!Think of this book as Doglish 101--a prerequisite for everyhuman member of your dog's family. Now, let the trainingbegin!

Introduction 1Part I: The Fascinating World of Dogs 7Chapter 1: A Dog for Life: Dog Psychology 101 9Chapter 2: Understanding Your Dog 15Chapter 3: Communicating with Your Dog 29Chapter 4: Seeing Life from Your Dog's Perspective 47Part II: Embracing Your Dog's Identity 61Chapter 5: Identifying Your Dog's Individuality 63Chapter 6: Interpreting Your Dog's Breed-Specific Traits 83Chapter 7: Sensory Perceptions 95Chapter 8: Meeting the Needs of Your Growing Puppy 107Chapter 9: Reading and Communicating as Your Dog Ages 123Part III: Doggie Delinquency 137Chapter 10: Inspiring Behavior with Motivational Techniques 139Chapter 11: Helping Your Dog Learn from Everyday Living 159Chapter 12: Happy Training, Happy Tails 171Part IV: Dogs Don't Misbehave: Misperceptions and Solutions 185Chapter 13: Addressing and Solving Problem Behavior 187Chapter 14: Countering Anxiety-Based Behavior 205Chapter 15: Understanding and Resolving Aggressive Behavior 221Part V: The Part of Tens 241Chapter 16: Ten Forms of Silent Communication 243Chapter 17: Ten Common Misunderstandings 249Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Become Your Dog's Leader 255Index 261