Reddit mentions of The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs

CARE for reactive dogs. Keep her under threshold. That (for most dogs) means increasing distance - you want her to notice them, but not be building to the reaction. At that point, you can do a couple of things - look at that (dog looks at the trigger, you mark and reward - you want to transition this very quickly where you mark the dog looking at the trigger, then you and marking for looking back at you, and then eventually just marking ignoring the trigger), look and dismiss (dog looks at the trigger and dismisses to do something else - sniff, play with you, etc), BAT 2.0, or any other protocol.

I like to also do mat work and then take the mat on the road. The mat acts as a high value, known source of confidence which can help with other training. I wouldn't let anyone touch her, be her advocate. Beyond that, it's just time and patience.

Books you may want to read:

• A Guide to Living with and Training a Fearful Dog
  
• The Cautious Canine-How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears
  
• Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training Crazy Dogs from Over the Top to Under Control
  
• BAT 2.0
  
• On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals
  
• The Other end of the Leash

I’d like to recommend the book The Other End of the Leash. It’s a well-written insightful look into dog behavior, communication- particularly between humans and dogs, as well as advice for dealing with the fearful and anxious ones.

I think it would give you a better understanding of your dog and give you some ideas on how to help him feel more comfortable around you.

Hahaha, thanks for the support. I get it though. Wanna make a dog owner mad? Tell them their dog doesn't feel guilt. Its been tested and proven but some owners absolutely refuse to believe it. My own SO and I almost got into a big argument over it!

Its a difficult concept for people. Emotional attachment and all that. It comes for a place of love and I try not to fault people for it unless the belief becomes harmful to the dog.

For anyone interested, I would highly recommend reading either of these books, especially the first. It really changed my view of my dogs and has made me and them so much happier! I'm reading the second right now and so far it's great too.

The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs


Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

Since you have trazadone I'm going to assume you have already talked to your veterinarian about your dog's anxiety. If that is not the case, please discuss it with your vet.

The behaviorists are pricy, but they're an excellent resource and worth the money. I'd definitely stick with either a Veterinary Behaviorist or an Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist over a regular trainer, anybody can call themselves a trainer while CAABs and VBs have tons of education and experience. They can tailor advice to your specific dog and your specific household in a way a book or video cannot.

I am by no means an expert (I'm a vet tech at a general-practice clinic) but my go-to recommendations for behavior books are Decoding Your Dog by the American College of Veterinary behaviorists, (it has a chapter on house training and a chapter on separation anxiety) and The Other End of the Leash (it's about understanding dogs and how they think rather than specific issues) by Patricia McConnell. Patricia McConnell also has books (booklets? they're short) about anxiety and separation anxiety. I've never read the booklets, but she's a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist with a Ph.D, so they're probably a better resource than random internet sites even if they're not as helpful as an in-person consultation with a behaviorist.

> One of the most frequent complaints of pet parents is that their dogs “just won’t listen.” But put yourself in your dog’s shoes for a moment. If someone was constantly chattering away in a foreign language that you’d never heard before, how long would you pay attention? Probably not for very long—because you simply wouldn’t be able to understand what the foreign speaker was trying to communicate.

> To communicate clearly and consistently with your dog, you need to understand how she learns. Dogs learn through the immediate consequences of their behavior. The nature of those consequences determines how they’ll behave in the future. Dogs, like other animals (people included), work to get good things and avoid bad things in life. If a behavior results in something rewarding—like food, a good belly rub, playtime with dog buddies or a game of fetch with her pet parent—your dog will do that behavior more often. On the other hand, if a behavior results in an unpleasant consequence—like being ignored or losing things she finds rewarding—she’ll do that behavior less often.

• Training Your Dog
  
  I highly recommend this book. It's a really fun and quick read, full of interesting stories to well presented science.
  
  
• The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell PhD
  
  > An applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell looks at humans as just another interesting species, and muses about why we behave the way we do around our dogs, how dogs might interpret our behavior, and how to interact with our dogs in ways that bring out the best in our four-legged friends.
  
  > After all, although humans and dogs share a remarkable relationship that is unique in the animal world, we are still two entirely different species, each shaped by our individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (like wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation.

I haven't found any. Anything in print is basically guaranteed to be full of outdated information.

What work are you looking to do with your GSD?

• Leerburg has a bad rap for their use of positive punishment, but if you go in with a critical eye there are lots of good resources on drive-building, IPO foundations, etc.
  
• Fenzi Dog Sports Academy is a positive-reinforcement equivalent. Don't write them off for being touchy-feely, Denise Fenzi and Shade Whitesel are both very accomplished IPO trainers.
  
• Train Per View is Ivan Balabanov's site...again more balanced training, but that guy knows his shit.
  
• Dave Kroyer is a big name in detection work/nosework. The Fenzi website is another place to go for nosework training, but they have a more recreational focus.
  
  Start there, talk to your breeder, and hopefully you'll find a lot of good info to work with.
  
  EDIT: As for actual books, there are some really solid reads with applicability to all breeds. GSDs are "spicier" than your average dog, but they're still just dogs at the end of the day.
  
  
• The Other End of the Leash as /u/my_dog_is_fetch mentioned, is an insightful read on how primates interact with canines, and how to bridge the gap.
  
• Control Unleashed is a good read for managing overarousal and nerviness.
  
• Train the Dog In Front of You is a thought-provoking little read, and might be a good process to go through as you get to know your new dog.

If you're starting from nothing, this and this are both great primers for getting you started. They're by the same author (Patricia McConnell) who is a behaviorist, and they're super readable and informative. They have little anecdotes about being a behavior professional, which will help give some insight into the field.

Culture Clash is also a great early read.

The Dog's Mind is a good reference book - it's more technical and less novel-y than the books I listed above.

Inside of a Dog is another good one. Similarly scientific, so perhaps a bit dry, but great information.

When you've worked your way up a bit, I do still highly recommend the book from my original post! :)

This is the correct answer. From Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash

"These body blocks are easy to learn, but they don't seeom to come naturally. What is natural to all primates, including us, is to push others away with our hands (or forepaws). But to a dog, a raised paw can signify submission or a request to play or the beginning of a dominance-related mount, but it never seems to mean "go away." So I've stopped pushing dogs away with my paws. Instead, I keep my hands tucked into my belly and push dogs away with my shoulder or hip, using body language that they understand."