Recommended Readings
By Pamela Reid
Explains in plain English how dogs learn and how best to teach them!
Contents: Motivation, stages of learning, why study learning, science
of behaviorism, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, single-event
learning, factors that affect learning (timing, schedules of reinforcement),
stimulus (signal) control, aversive control of behavior, negative punishment,
the application of learning principles to changing behavior, social
learning, and more.
By Jean Donaldson
It's easy to fall into
the trap of attributing human behavior and emotions to dogs, but
dogs are NOT humans. Dogs ARE clever and complex creatures that
humans need to take the time to understand in order to live together
successfully. This book examines the relationship between humans
and dogs, and teaches us how to improve that relationship. You must
read this book because your dog cannot!
FIGHT! A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE TREATMENT OF DOG-DOG AGGRESSION
By Jean Donaldson
A practical guide to the treatment of dog-dog aggression, this down-to-earth
manual will teach you how to use behavior modification to retrain a dog that bullies other dogs, or becomes fearful when approached by other dogs.
MINE! A GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS
By Jean Donaldson
A practical how-to guide on resource guarding/aggression - food bowl, object, bed, crate, owner, etc. - in dogs.
By Karen Pryor
Not exclusively a dog training book - author is famous as an early dolphin trainer. Outlines 8 methods for putting an end to all kinds of undesirable behavior
without yelling, threats, force, punishment, guilt trips - or shooting
the dog; the 10 laws of shaping behavior through affection training;
how to combat your own addictions to alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, overeating
or whatever; how to deal with such difficult problems as a moody spouse,
an impossible teen, or an aged parent; PLUS housetraining the dog,
improving your tennis game, keeping the cat off the table, and much,
much more! This latest edition has additional chapter, "Clicker Training,
A New Technique." This covers the use of clickers in dog training,
why it works, and how it has caught on. There is little or no practical
application here, so we recommend Karen's Clicker Training Start-up
Kit or DTB622 Clicker Training for Dogs. This book is the theory!
Karen Pryor's "Don't Shoot the Dog" revolutionized dog training and turned trainers on to Clicker Training. Now you can learn how to use operant conditioning to shape behavior in all creatures-humans, dogs, cats, other creatures. Karen's Getting Started Kit, is a great introduction to clicker training. The kit includes Clicker Training for Dogs booklet
which explains how dolphin training and dog training use the same scientific
principles, an i-Click clicker, a small packet of treats, and "click-a-trick" cards,
each with a behavior your can teach your dog!