Table of Contents
Turning Fierce Dogs Friendly:
Replacing Aggression With Affiliation
by
Kellie Snider, MS
Foreword
The Constructional Aggression Treatment was based on research conducted by Israel Goldiamond, PhD in the 1970s and by Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, PhD and the author in the 2000s. The foreword will discuss the experimental question we asked and the successes we had.
Chapter One: Aggression and the Constructional Aggression Treatment
Overview of the program the owner is about to embark on, and what it can be expected to accomplish with Riley’s success story.
Chapter Two: Change Is in Your Hands: Be Proactive
In order to safely change your dogs aggression you have to be awake and aware of your dog’s behavior and your own. This chapter will help owners work through the question of whether they can or should conduct their dog’s aggression treatment.
Chapter Three: Be Present
As the owner of an aggressive dog, developing good observation skills, and staying on task are essential. Advice for building and honing these skills is explained.
Chapter Four: Know Your Dog
Understanding the normal behaviors of dogs in general, of specific breeds, and of your individual dog are required for doing this work with your dog. In this important chapter we will identify the specific behaviors your dog performs, and in which situations he performs them as we prepare to do the work of changing them.
Chapter Five: Be Persistent and Consistent
In this chapter we will discuss the issues that can make or break successful aggression treatment: Consistency, safety, and follow-through.
Chapter Six: Where To Begin
It is helpful to start this process in the situation that is the most troublesome for you as the owner so that you can experience success quickly, but sometimes it helps to start in a more straightforward situation to begin to show you and your dog how to succeed.
Chapter Seven: Discovering Your Dog’s Worthwhile Reinforcement
Your dog behaves aggressively because it gets a worthwhile outcome for him. For some dogs this could be to gain access to something desirable, like playing too roughly using his teeth and barking in order to get his owner’s attention, or killing rabbits in order to kill or eat them. But for most, the problematic aggression has to do with chasing people or animals they are afraid of or don’t like away or stopping them from doing something they find annoying by driving them away. There is a different kind of reinforcement already taking place for each of these kinds of aggression and you will learn how to harness the power of that reinforcement to build safe, friendly behaviors.
Chapter Eight: Safety and Management
Nearly any dog can physically harm people, whether it’s an 8 pound Yorkie or a 200 pound Old English Mastiff. Safety and management techniques and concepts will be explained. We will discuss equipment, handling procedures, preventing opportunities to practice undesirable behavior, and when to call in a professional.
Chapter Nine: Training Team, Tools, and Location
Each training situation will require a crew of people, animals, or objects. You will identify the things you need based on your own dog’s behavior and the conditions in which it occurs.
Chapter Ten: The Constructional Aggression Treatment Procedure
Step-by-step instructions for performing CAT with dogs that want aversive things, people, and dogs to go away.
Chapter Eleven: Conclusion: There’s No Magic Wand, But There is Good Science
Treating aggressive behavior in dogs isn’t easy, and there are no guarantees. But the Constructional Aggression Treatment, as described in Turning Fierce Dogs Friendly, has proven successful for many pet owners and trainers in countries around the world.
