Description:
If your dog is displaying signs of aggressiveness, he's not the only one. Grrr!: The Complete Guide to Understanding and Preventing Aggressive Behavior in Dogs author and dog trainer Matthew Margolis says that more than 80 percent of his clients seek him out because of concern about their dog's aggressive behavior. The signs of an aggressive dog are obvious: one who growls, bites, jumps, barks, or nips without being provoked. Yet, as Siegal and coauthor Matthew Margolis explain, it's much more difficult to get dog owners to admit that there's a problem and that the owners may be contributing, even unintentionally, to the aggressive behavior. Margolis identifies the major characteristics of an aggressive dog and the 10 different sources of canine aggression, including fear aggression, dominant aggression, and territorial aggression. Because each type of aggression stems from a different source, each requires a special treatment. The next step, then, is identifying your dog's aggression type, which dog owners can do using the book's definitions and tests. Once you understand where your dog's behavior comes from, Siegal and Margolis theorize, you can then begin to properly train, socialize, and desensitize him, processes that are covered in subsequent chapters. By retraining your dog, you can once again assert the proper ways for your dog to behave. Along with helping aggressive-dog owners gain control over their animals, the book also advises prospective dog owners on what to look for when picking out a nonaggressive dog. Siegal and Margolis explain that aggressiveness sometimes stems from genetic behavior and can be identified as early in a pup's life as six or seven weeks. They outline several tests you can perform on a dog to pinpoint whether the animal has an aggressive tendency. Siegal and Margolis's love of dogs and respect for caring owners is evident in the tone of the book. Grrr!'s sensitive and informative approach to dog aggressiveness should help owners retrain their animals and hopefully prevent some unfortunate situations.--Kris Law
| 
