Colleen Paige - The Good Behavior Book for Dogs: The Most Annoying Dog Behaviors... Solved!

The Most Annoying Dog Behaviors Solved!

Colleen Paige
Photography by J. Nichole Smith

2007 by Quarry Books

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by the producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.

First published in the United States of America by
Quarry Books, a member of
Quayside Publishing Group
100 Cummings Center
Suite 406-L
Beverly, Massachusetts 01915-6101
Telephone: (978) 282-9590
Fax: (978) 283-2742
www.quarrybooks.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Paige, Colleen.

The good behavior book for dogs: the most annoying dog behaviors solved! / Colleen

Paige; photography by J. Nichole Smith.

p. cm.

Includes index.

Digital edition: 978-1-61673-508-1
Hardcover edition: 978-1-59253-335-0

1. Dogs--Behavior. 2. DogsTraining. I. Title. SF433.P34 2007

636.70887dc22

2006100320

ISBN-13: 978-1-59253-335-0
ISBN-10: 1-59253-335-3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

The Good Behavior Book for Dogs contains a variety of training recommendations for your dog. While caution was taken to give safe recommendations, it is impossible to predict an individual dogs reaction to the recommended handling or training. Neither the author, Colleen Paige, nor the Publisher, Quayside Publishing Group, accepts liability for any mental, financial, or physical harm that arises from following the advice, techniques, or procedures in this book. Readers should use personal judgment when applying the recommendations of this text.

Design: Dutton & Sherman
Illustrations by Colleen Hanlon

Printed in Singapore

This book is dedicated to my amazing husband and son, my angels, who lovingly supported me and catered to all my needs as I lived in front of my computer for months to create it.

To my mother and father, who were there to help me rescue my first soul in need, and who taught me about compassion for all living things.

It is also dedicated to the memory of Spike, the dog who loved me unconditionallydespite my horrible shortcomings and ignoranceand whos cheering me on every time I rescue another soul. When one crosses the rainbow bridge, hes there to lead them home.

A special dedication to the memory of Steve Irwin, a man who gave great hugs, loved his family like no other, and changed the planet for animals. He will be greatly missed.

I have no fear of losing my lifeif I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it.

Steve Irwin

Artist, writer, singer, and dog trainer Colleen Paige, has been delighting Fido Friendly magazine readers for years with her compassionate and humorous approach to coaching dogs in proper canine behavior. With her many years as a dog-lifestyle trainer, Colleens unique style is something we can all mirror in our day-to-day lives when training our dogs.

In The Good Behavior Book for Dogs, Colleen uses typical examples that we, as dog guardians, face when training our furry companions, and she encourages us to have fun when working with our dogs and to put ourselves in the canine role as much as possible. By doing so, we can more easily see our dogs perspective. Youll learn, thanks to Colleens guidance, that although it seems like at times our dogs may not be listening, they are listeningwe are just not speaking their language.

Colleen starts us off on the right footor pawby discussing proper nutrition for Fido and how to determine the right kind of exercise based on your dogs age and breed. As a guardian of two active labs, I can tell you from personal experience that exercise and diet have made all the difference in the behavior and health of my two fur children. As Directors of Barketing for Fido Friendly magazine, Zoey and Mattie have to have their best paws forward at all times. They are always staying at Fido-friendly hotels and mingling with people and their dogs. Colleens advice has been invaluable in helping us train Zoey and Mattie to maintain a sense of decorum and to pay attention to what I am telling them. They may not understand what I am saying, but they know what I mean.

Each subsequent chapter deals with a specific behavioral problem, and offers tips and case studies along with Colleens remedy. By reading The Good Behavior Book for Dogs and following Colleens common sense and humorous approach to training dogs, you will have no other option than to be successful in helping your dog put his or her best paw forward. The reward for your consistent and hard work will be a faithful and loving companion who you will be able to enjoy for his or her lifetime.

Susan Sims, Publisher, Fido Friendly magazine

Co-founder and publisher of seven-year-old Fido Friendly magazine, the travel magazine for you and your dog. Susan and her husband, along with their two Directors of Barketing, Zoey and Mattie, travel across the United States to sniff out hotels for purpose of review.

I DIDNT PLAN TO BECOME A DOG TRAINER. I was a singer, fully engaged in a successful career and recording an album. But my life changed one day when I went through a windshield and almost died. To help me recover, I adopted a dog named Spike, whose lifeand tragic deathmade me vow to change the lives of dogs everywhere. It became my obsession.

I was a young woman, living alone and recovering slowly, when I decided I needed a healing and protective companion. I was hoping for someone like Clark Gable (well a girl can dream, cant she?), but when the opportunity arose to share my digs with a homeless two-year-old German shepherd named Spikeeven though he had extreme halitosis, pointy ears, and a hairy bellyI felt it was kismet.

I wasnt really in a position to have a canine roommate in my small apartment, but my heart sheared in half at the thought of him being euthanized at the shelter. I imagined Spike sitting, watching the parade of people, hoping that some love-struck girl would catch the glimmer of magic in his eyes as she approached, but who would be led away by a parent who spotted a more appropriate dog. Many dogs escape this sad place, not into the arms of a new loving family but to a cold, damp room, for their final breath and a trip to the rainbow bridge.