Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

No single training technique is appropriate for all dogs, and that is especially true with dogs exhibiting aggression, but I can say categorically that following Grisha Stewart's training protocol made my reactive dog MORE reactive rather than less. What was once a mild reactivity to dogs became, in my dog, a worrisome reactivity to strangers and all sudden movement over the course of several weeks. I am now faced with the task of undoing the harm. I read this book in preparation for a BAT class series in which I was handling my own dog during set ups with other dogs. I viewed Grisha Stewart's DVD as well, and after completing my classes I read the book again. I approached all of this with an open mind, but I have cocluded that Stewart's training approach is wrong-headed. BAT is a trademarked adaptation of operant conditioning techniques, with a general goal of replacing reactivity with incompatible, calming behaviors. Good in theory. In practice, though, Stewart's approach-and-retreat set ups are very like the way people bait dogs bred for fighting. With BAT you do your best to stay under threshold, of course, but how do you know where that threshold is? Realistically, it's by miscalculating and having your dog get over-aroused a few times. In the case of my smart, chase-crazy, shy-temperament herding dog, repeatedly approaching a dog across the field -- then retreating-- was boring and frustrating, and it fed the obsessiveness that is part of his breed makeup. The entire procedure became imbued with stress, and the same was true for the other dogs in the class. The instructor resorted, after a few classes, to the tried-and-true counter-conditioning technique of plugging the dogs with treats, or raining treats from the sky, when they saw a trigger. So much for BAT, which uses retreat from triggers as the primary reward because, as Stewart pioints out in her book, treats interfere with true learning. Ah. One of BAT's biggest shortcomings is that it does not translate to the real world. Stewart even admits this in the book, suggesting that when handlers of reactive dogs are on walks they shower their dogs with food whenever they encounter triggers (simple counter conditioning), spray oncoming off-leash dogs with a citronella repellent (potentially dangerous), or just beat it the heck out of there (thanks loads). After a couple weeks of BAT-class set ups, my dog had a melt-down on a walk, in a place where he had walked before without incident. I had him on the harness Stewart recommends, too. You be the judge. Taking all of this into account, along with Stewart's product recommendations -- many of which are inappropriate -- I cannot recommend this book or the technique. The one good takeaway I have from reading this and doing the classes is an increased awareness of my dog's arousal signals, as Stewart does provide some useful behavioral information. That's not enough to make up for the damage this did to my dog's training. Since the class concluded, I have been working with him using straight counter conditioning techniques (and a pheromone collar, which I highly recommend) and we have made great strides.