Sarah Hodgson & Stanley Coren 
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!

Inhoudsopgave

Introduction 1

Part I: The Fascinating World of Dogs 7

Chapter 1: A Dog for Life: Dog Psychology 101 9

Chapter 2: Understanding Your Dog 15

Chapter 3: Communicating with Your Dog 29

Chapter 4: Seeing Life from Your Dog’s Perspective 47

Part II: Embracing Your Dog’s Identity 61

Chapter 5: Identifying Your Dog’s Individuality 63

Chapter 6: Interpreting Your Dog’s Breed-Specific Traits 83

Chapter 7: Sensory Perceptions 95

Chapter 8: Meeting the Needs of Your Growing Puppy 107

Chapter 9: Reading and Communicating as Your Dog Ages 123

Part III: Doggie Delinquency 137

Chapter 10: Inspiring Behavior with Motivational Techniques 139

Chapter 11: Helping Your Dog Learn from Everyday Living 159

Chapter 12: Happy Training, Happy Tails 171

Part IV: Dogs Don’t Misbehave: Misperceptions and Solutions 185

Chapter 13: Addressing and Solving Problem Behavior 187

Chapter 14: Countering Anxiety-Based Behavior 205

Chapter 15: Understanding and Resolving Aggressive Behavior 221

Part V: The Part of Tens 241

Chapter 16: Ten Forms of Silent Communication 243

Chapter 17: Ten Common Misunderstandings 249

Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Become Your Dog’s Leader 255

Index 261

Over de auteur

Stanley Coren is best known to the public for his popular
books on dogs and on general psychological issues. However, within
the 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 the
behavior of dogs and people have made his books The Intelligence
of Dogs, Why We Love the Dogs We Do, What Do Dogs Know?, How
to Speak Dog, The Pawprints of History, How Dogs Think, Why Do Dogs
Have Wet Noses?, and Why Does My Dog Do That? all
bestsellers.

Roger Caras, President of the ASPCA, and himself a bestselling
author of dog books, noted ‘Stanley Coren has an incredible
gift — the ability to take the most complex matters and make
it all seem so simple and clear.’ Perhaps this is why Coren
was named Writer of the Year by the International Positive Dog
Training Association and is a sought-after contributor to a number
of national dog and pet magazines, including Pets Magazine,
Modern Dog, Animal Sense, Dog and Puppy Basics, and AKC
Gazette.

Many professional associations have recognized Coren’s
work with service dogs, and he’s received awards from several
major police dog organizations, including the California Canine
Narcotic Dog Association and the British Columbia Police Canine
Association. His work with and knowledge of dogs has often caught
the attention of the media, and he’s been the subject of
feature articles in People Magazine, USA Today, Time Magazine,
Maclean’s, US News & World Report, New York Times, Los
Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and
others. His affable manner has also made him a popular guest with
the broadcast media, and he’s been featured on numerous
television programs, including Oprah, Larry King Live, Dateline,
20/20, Maurie Povich, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, and
the 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, New
York, and Southern Connecticut for more than 20 years. She’s
the author of eight dog-training books, including Puppies For
Dummies, Dog Tricks For Dummies, Puppies Raising & Training
Diary For Dummies, Teach Yourself Visually Dog Training, You and
Your Puppy (co-authored with James De Bitetto),
Dog Perfect, 2nd Edition, Puppy Perfect, and Miss
Sarah’s Guide to Etiquette for Dogs & Their People.
In addition, Sarah has produced two videos, patented a dog training
leash (the Teaching Lead), and invented many other products to
simplify the shared lives of dogs and people.

Sarah is frequently featured as a dog training specialist on
network television, radio, and print media, including The New
York 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 TV
personality Katie Couric, actors Richard Gere, Glenn Close, Chazz
Palminteri, Chevy Chase, and Lucie Arnaz; business moguls George
Soros, Tommy Hilfiger, Tommy Mottola, and Michael Fuchs; and sport
greats Bobby Valentine and Alan Houston.

In addition, Sarah is a behavior consultant and education
facilitator at the Adopt-A-Dog shelter in Armonk, New York, where
she holds training and socialization programs, conditioning each of
the dogs within a fully decorated home environment before their
formal adoption.