Shy, Fearful, and Aggressive Dogs

The title of this entry may seem contradictory unless we remember that we are talking about dogs, whose behavior is sometimes difficult to classify. Specifically, we're talking about Cairns, and those adopted from puppy mills where they were not socialized or taught appropriate behavior. So when they come to their forever homes, they may exhibit shy, fearful or aggressive behaviors.


This is the Post-Adoption Team's biggest challenge - helping families help their cairn kids adjust to their loving homes. So I am always looking for supportive surces to share with these wonderfully patient families.


Dogwise http://www.dogwise.com/ is a wonderful resource for "all things dogs" - great book reviews and discussions.


There is a lot of great information on shy/fearful dogs for "you and your dog" at: http://www.fearfuldogs.com/

Also there is a Yahoo list for Click to Calm.

Book recommendations from those who have worked with these problems include:

The Cautious Canine (short, sensible, not a ton of detail) by Patricia McConnell.

Help for Your Fearful Dog (long, detailed, thorough, mostly very accurate info) by Nicole Wilde.

Scaredy Dog by Ali Brown.

Click For Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog by Emma Parsons http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB825

Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt http://www.controlunleashed.net/book.html

How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong by Pamela S. Dennison Just recently she released an addendum specifically for the 'city dog'. Both these books also have detailed training & management strategies for helping a dog or people aggressive dog. http://www.alpinepub.com/product_info.php?ref=9&products_id=36&affiliate_banner_id=24

Also Pam's book Bringing Light to Shadow consists of extracts of her journal written while rehabbing a people-aggressive border collie, Shadow, who was a known anxiety/fear biter. It's an inspiring read but not a 'how to'. All her books are here http://www.positivedogs.com/pamsbooksndvds.html

When Pigs Fly - Training Success with Impossible Dogs byJane Killion's http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=1359

Focus, Not Fear, also by Ali Brown, the companion to Scardey Dog.Clearly written and very engaging, it follows her fear agressive dogclass through a period of time. Read Scardey Dog first. This is agreat follow-up to that.