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!
Stanley Coren is best known to the public for his popularbooks on dogs and on general psychological issues. However, withinthe scientific world, he’s also a highly respected scientist,a Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia,and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
His engaging writing style and his broad knowledge about thebehavior of dogs and people have made his books
The Intelligenceof Dogs, Why We Love the Dogs We Do, What Do Dogs Know?,
Howto Speak Dog, The Pawprints of History, How Dogs Think, Why Do DogsHave Wet Noses?, and
Why Does My Dog Do That? allbestsellers.
Roger Caras, President of the ASPCA, and himself a bestsellingauthor of dog books, noted “Stanley Coren has an incrediblegift — the ability to take the most complex matters and makeit all seem so simple and clear.” Perhaps this is why Corenwas named Writer of the Year by the International Positive DogTraining Association and is a sought-after contributor to a numberof national dog and pet magazines, including
Pets Magazine,Modern Dog, AnimalSense, Dog and Puppy Basics, and
AKCGazette.
Many professional associations have recognized Coren’swork with service dogs, and he’s received awards from severalmajor police dog organizations, including the California CanineNarcotic Dog Association and the British Columbia Police CanineAssociation. His work with and knowledge of dogs has often caughtthe attention of the media, and he’s been the subject offeature articles in
People Magazine, USA Today, Time Magazine,Maclean’s, US News & World Report, New York Times, LosAngeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, andothers. His affable manner has also made him a popular guest withthe broadcast media, and he’s been featured on numeroustelevision programs, including
Oprah, Larry King Live, Dateline,20/20, Maurie Povich, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, andthe
Today Show. He currently hosts the national TV series
Good Dog! in Canada.
Sarah Hodgson, president of Simply Sarah Incorporated,has been a trainer of dogs and their people in Westchester, NewYork, and Southern Connecticut for more than 20 years. She’sthe author of eight dog-training books, including Puppies ForDummies, Dog Tricks For Dummies, Puppies Raising & TrainingDiary For Dummies, Teach Yourself Visually Dog Training, You andYour Puppy (co-authored with James DeBitetto),DogPerfect, 2nd Edition, PuppyPerfect, and MissSarah’s Guide to Etiquette for Dogs & Their People.In addition, Sarah has produced two videos, patented a dog trainingleash (the Teaching Lead), and invented many other products tosimplify the shared lives of dogs and people.
Sarah is frequently featured as a dog training specialist onnetwork television, radio, and print media, including The NewYork Times, NBC, CBS, Animal Planet (Disney syndicate), FOX,CNN, WOR, Hollywood Pets, Parenthood magazine, and others.She has worked with many famous persons’ dogs, including TVpersonality Katie Couric, actors Richard Gere, Glenn Close, ChazzPalminteri, Chevy Chase, and Lucie Arnaz; business moguls GeorgeSoros, Tommy Hilfiger, Tommy Mottola, and Michael Fuchs; and sportgreats Bobby Valentine and Alan Houston.
In addition, Sarah is a behavior consultant and educationfacilitator at the Adopt-A-Dog shelter in Armonk, New York, whereshe holds training and socialization programs, conditioning each ofthe dogs within a fully decorated home environment before theirformal adoption.
