DOG TALES: How to Solve the Most Troublesome Behavior Problems of Man's Best Friend

An upbeat and sound approach to solving dog behavioral problems. McSoley's expertise in these matters comes from years as a consultant to owners of obedience-school ""drop-outs."" Here, he offers straightforward advice on how to prevent and/or correct troublesome behavior, and how, in the process, to develop healthy human/canine communications and relationships. McSoley teaches owners to recognize their role in the creation of their dog's problems, and offers clear, step-by-step tips on how to solve them. Through case histories, he shows how an established leader/subordinate arrangement between owner and pet, along with a system of rewarding for positive behavior (and not punishing for negative), can be used to eliminate a host of unacceptable actions--from excessive barking to aggression, house soiling, phobias, fighting, and destruction. In addition, he offers basic obedience-training techniques for teaching a dog how to sit, stay, lie, and come when called. Though his general methods are far from harsh, McSoley does recommend, in some cases, the use of such ""reinforcement"" tools as electric collars and loud horns, which, in the wrong hands, might prove potentially dangerous. Otherwise, a useful and clear guide for contending with all-too-common doggy faux pas.