# Sticky  Links, books, blogs etc for reactive / leash aggressive dogs and similar



## Shell

I was at a group dog walk this morning and one of the new adopters has a leash aggressive dog. So I offered to email her a bunch of the various links and books and everything that I've found to be useful for reactive or barrier aggressive dogs or fear aggressive. For the books, I've mostly read online portions of them, but enough to recommend them, 

Since I've now typed them all up, I figured I'd share them here too and open it up to everyone's input for their favorite training sites or authors. I know for long time members here that many of these links are known or redundant, but putting them all together seemed helpful.

*Reactive dog training and management websites, articles, videos and actual books*

Behavioral Adjustment Training (BAT)- very good for fearful or aggressive dogs
Functional Rewards

Training and management tips for DINOS
Dogs in Need of Space

General dog walking and interaction blog
Notes from a Dog Walker

Article on calming signals 
Calming Signals

Sketches of dog body language signs
Body Language with photos

Very good general dog training site with a number of articles and free downloads. Dr. Ian Dunbar is a scientific based trainer with a great reputation. 
Dog Star Daily

Good book (yes, actual words on paper not a screen). May be available at the public library or interlibrary loan
Control Unleashed

Books and online articles (again, look for the books in the library to try them out) from a respected trainer; check out "The Other End of the Leash" and particularly "Fiesty Fido:Help for the Leash Reactive Dog" 
Patricia McConnell's site

A few good books, particularly Dogs Are From Neptune and The Culture Clash
Jean Donaldson's books

Youtube.com and search "kikopup" for training videos. Working on impulse control and a strong sit and stay can help a lot with the dog-dog reactions.

Clicker training blog
Success Just Clicks

Edits:

I am copying various links that were suggested in the thread below here for convenience. I still encourage reading the whole discussion to get more details on each.

Scaredy Dog! Understanding and Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog by Ali Brown
http://www.scaredydog.info/index.html

http://reactivechampion.blogspot.com/

Reactive Dog: Foundation Exercises for Your Leash-Reactive Dog

Reactive Dog: Moving Past Distractions on a Walk

Best Books For Treating Dog Reactivity[/QUOTE]

this video for a step by step on training "Look at That"

Care for Reactive Dogs

The Muzzle Up Project


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## cookieface

Thank you for sharing! (I think this should be a sticky.)


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## SydTheSpaniel

Can I add to this list? This book was really good, one of my co workers who's working on becoming a credentialed trainer recommended it to me.

*Scaredy Dog! Understanding and Rehabilitating Your Reactive Dog by Ali Brown*
http://www.scaredydog.info/index.html

Really helpful, thank you for sharing!


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## Shell

SydTheSpaniel said:


> Can I add to this list?


Please do!! The more resources the better, and I am always on the lookout for great dog training information.


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## sassafras

Reactive Champion: http://reactivechampion.blogspot.com/


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## successjustclicks

Here's an article I wrote (I'm also the author of Success Just Clicks Blog) that lists and reviews (briefly) some of the best books on reactivity.

Best Books For Treating Dog Reactivity


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## Shell

Adding these good links as posted in another thread


cookieface said:


> Reactive Dog: Foundation Exercises for Your Leash-Reactive Dog
> Reactive Dog: Moving Past Distractions on a Walk


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## goodgirl

Nice job, agree that it should be a sticky.


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## Shell

I liked this video for a step by step on training "Look at That"


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## Hector4

Counter conditioning

rewarding with play - german shepherd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FgbarVF3CY

barking and lunging at scooters - german shepherd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdFK5rGbjJ0

young pup - lack of confidence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24w-vPtb53c

fear of young males

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7kz3KrVMZE

lunging at cars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y55fiFfMZ28


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## gingerkid

cookieface said:


> Thank you for sharing! (I think this should be a sticky.)


I second this.


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## cookieface

This was posted on Facebook: Care for Reactive Dogs



> What is CARE?
> 
> CARE stands for Counterconditioning and Positive Reinforcement (R+) are Essential for reactive dogs
> 
> CARE condenses Counterconditioning, Desensitization and Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behavior into a user-friendly, 3-phase protocol
> 
> CARE reminds us to use this most effective, widely accepted and humane protocol, as well as the components of that protocol
> 
> CARE is a declaration- I CARE for my reactive dog!


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## gingerkid

cookieface said:


> This was posted on Facebook: Care for Reactive Dogs


Wow. That website is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing.


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## LittleFr0g

cookieface said:


> Thank you for sharing! (I think this should be a sticky.)


I agree.


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## Shell

cookieface said:


> This was posted on Facebook: Care for Reactive Dogs


I skimmed over this and I like it. 

The only thing I saw on my brief perusal that I didn't agree with per se was that "all" food should be towards training of the reactivity. I agree that a dog interested in treats or food is far easier to train by giving the treats when needed, but on days when people aren't likely to encounter an issue or for dogs that are raw fed etc, there is still a need to give meals. Just learn to balance the meals with the need for training treats.

I'm a big fan of "trail mix" where dry food is put in a baggie with cheese or hot dog bits or dried chicken bits etc so that the kibble gets all yummy smelling without adding a ton of fat and calories while allowing the human to grab at the better yummy bites when needed.



Kuma'sMom said:


> I agree.


Oh, and that's really cool.


There are a few links on my original post that are no longer active/valid. However, I will leave them in place for now because they do at least direct people to the trainers and such even if only by name. If I find better links, I will edit it.


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## cookieface

Kuma'sMom said:


> I agree.






Shell said:


> I skimmed over this and I like it.
> 
> The only thing I saw on my brief perusal that I didn't agree with per se was that "all" food should be towards training of the reactivity. I agree that a dog interested in treats or food is far easier to train by giving the treats when needed, but on days when people aren't likely to encounter an issue or for dogs that are raw fed etc, there is still a need to give meals. Just learn to balance the meals with the need for training treats.


I agree with you. It would probably make the process move faster, but it's not practical for many (most?) people. Overall, though, it's a decent guide to what can seem like an overwhelming problem.


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## gingerkid

Shell said:


> There are a few links on my original post that are no longer active/valid. However, I will leave them in place for now because they do at least direct people to the trainers and such even if only by name. If I find better links, I will edit it.


What about this to replace "Sketches of dog body language signs"
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lilita/5652847156/sizes/l/


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## Maxim123

Just started getting into Behavioral Adjustment Training. Very helpful with aggressive dogs! 
Thank you all for the links!


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## Maxim123

one and only that worked the best for us is a Master Dog Training, guys are making a magic right in front of your eyes!!! here is the link http://www.masterdog-training.com/


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## Elsa R

Hi everybody,

I am new to this forum and I was checking all the info you shared. Very useful! Thanks for sharing!


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## StephanieE

Awesome! We are battling some leash issues so this is great! Thanks!


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## alvar099

I actually follow alot Zacs youtube channel  and this video training from Doggy Dan. i get it better on videos than on books!


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## lmartzke

I am brand new and am so happy to find you all! I never even heard the term "reactive dog" and boy is my new rescue one. I have been doing my best working with him daily but seeing almost no progress. I am excited to delve into the links today! Thank you!


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## Shell

Cookieface mentioned this link and I checked it out, looks like some good information on using a muzzle. I have limited experience using a muzzle, I have introduced it to a dog and used it in a few training sessions but nothing more. However, I do think it can be a useful safety and management tool and that conditioning even a very friendly dog to a muzzle is useful. A dog that is injured or in pain is one that might lash out with teeth and if a dog is not stressed by a muzzle, it can make a vet exam safe for the vet and less stressful for the dog. 

The Muzzle Up Project


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## Shell

QLG said:


> hello! We absolutely love using Cesar's training methods. His leash is very useful, not ot mention cheap without sacrificing quality, and has proven most useful when training dogs, good or bad. When this leash is used, it sits high up on the neck, and no it does not choke the dog, instead it is on the most sensitive part so a quick tug at the right moment is all that is needed when correcting a dog. After time and practice, your dog knows what to expect on walks. Here is a useful link/page you can visit that can tell you more!
> www.dogtrainingsantaclara.com/training-programs.html
> 
> or visit his website at https://www.cesarsway.com/shop/pack-leader-collar


Gee, that is interesting in the sense of kind of scary-disturbing. 

Corrections for reactive dogs are a very risky thing. When using physical punishment to correct a dog, the dog may easily associate the punishment with whatever he or she is reacting about. Which can lead to increased aggression. Basically, dog is stressed about something, dog gets a physical correction for vocalizing or acting out their stress, dog says "Whoa, that means this thing (whatever the thing they are reacting about) actually IS dangerous or bad. Better up the ante now."


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## Shell

QLG said:


> Youre right Shell, on certain dogs in certain situations we would never ever recommend that. Negative punishment has never proven fruitful so I'm with you there. We jus tmean if say, a dog is hyper-focused on a squirrel, they start to get excited. so in order to lower their excitment (with the goal of just going for a nice walk without a dog pulling you towards a squirrel) a quick correction on the leash is given just to divert their attention back to me. No harm done and only on certain dogs in certain situations =] The goal ultimately is to say "hey focus on me and our walk" instead of sprinting off after squirrels =D


Leash reactivity/ leash aggression in this context has nothing or little to do with squirrels. Prey drive is normal. The concern is reactivity/ barrier(or leash) aggression towards other dogs or towards humans. Negative punishment is the taking away of something desired, ex. is taking away a toy; which doesn't equate to a leash correction. A leash correction is positive punishment under operant conditioning terms


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## sonja_sadek

Helpful! Thank you


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## TGKvr

Bringing this thread back to life. Some good stuff here. I'm looking specifically for VIDEOS (free online) regarding counter-conditioning - even better if it's CC for territorial behavior. Suggestions? I've perused lots of kikopup's videos but I'm not really seeing anything that specific.


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## DaySleepers

I love Sophia Yin's video here: https://drsophiayin.com/videos/entry/counter-conditioning_a_dog_to_blowing_in_face/ though it's more about showing that CC isn't going to reward or reinforce aggression than a strict how-to. But it's a solid demonstration and the discussion about the theory behind it is valuable, imo.


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## TGKvr

Thank you! I'll check that out. I also found a few others I haven't had time to watch yet - I don't want to recommend any videos to anyone without seeing them first.


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## Shell

TGKvr said:


> Bringing this thread back to life. Some good stuff here. I'm looking specifically for VIDEOS (free online) regarding counter-conditioning - even better if it's CC for territorial behavior. Suggestions? I've perused lots of kikopup's videos but I'm not really seeing anything that specific.


I haven't had much luck in finding videos for CC on territorial or similar behavior that I can suggest. I found one video that was solid for territorial behavior CC but once I watched other videos by the same trainer, I don't feel comfortable suggesting it because the other vids delved off into dominance theory training. I can try to find it again and link it with a big old caveat of "this video ONLY" kinda disclaimer. I did find a good CC video for general handling (like nail trims, vet exam) that demonstrates the concept of what counter conditioning IS, but the actual physical movements and steps wouldn't really apply well to territorial type behavior.


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## doodlebliss

You have a lot of great sites here, what is your favorite training method?


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## Diagat

Good sharing which is very useful


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