How to Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication | Training Guide for Pet Owners | Perfect for Dog Training, Bonding & Behavior Understanding

This is a very useful book that will, I promise, help you make positive changes in the way that you interact with your dog, even if you already have a great relationship. Author Stanley Coren writes clearly and compellingly and provides a wealth of specific and helpful information in a modest number of pages. I read the Kindle version on my iPhone and sometimes missed stops on the train because I was so deep into the text.Coren not only describes typical situations where people misconstrue a dog's behavior (growling, barking, etc.) but offers up a lot of interesting tidbits about the co-evolution of dogs and humans and the probable reasons that motivate dogs to do what they do. It's all very interesting and at times quite surprising.I searched out this book because I have a rescue dog who is sometimes aggressive and I couldn't figure out how to deal with his behavior, nor could I determine what was causing it. Coren explains a good deal about the things dogs see as threats and how they communicate their feelings to us. And he also explains how we, in turn, can respond to our dogs so as to defuse negative situations.Many canine behaviors stem from a dog's understanding of dominance within his family, a substitute pack. And these behaviors are often misinterpreted by people. One example that Coren gives is of a dog that consistently leans against a person. While the person may think the dog is signaling affection, in truth the dog is attempting to make the person shift position, which is a sign that the dog is dominant. This amazed me because my dog does that very thing. I thought he was loving me up, but it turns out he is merely trying to make me give him my place on the sofa!Similarly, when my dog stared at me while I was eating, I thought he was just being cute, trying to gain my sympathy. In fact, his stare is a challenge and if I give him some of my food he interprets that gesture as me being submissive. This is a slippery slope because it seems that in being generous I have been telling my dog that he is in charge of our household. This only furthers his aggressive tendencies. Now that I am armed with the information from this terrific book, things will be changing around my house.