People, Pooches and Problems

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 1. JAN. 1991

Hardened canine criminals meet their match in Evans ( The Evans Guide for Civilized City Canines ), who here outlines methods and philosophies likely to reform a rogue's gallery of aggressive, unresponsive, non-house-trained animals marauding as man's best friends. With his flexible and good-humored approach, Evans teaches how to develop proper leadership attitudes toward a dog as well as how to prevent or stamp out problems. The standout section here is the author's 20-step ``Radical Regimen for Recalcitrant Rovers,'' which has been privately making the rounds of the nation's top trainers with impressive results. Other piquant discussions include rebuttals of folk wisdom, as in an explanation of disciplining a dog after the fact, and clear directions for using set-ups to correct very specific infractions. Some self-help-style chatter invades the book (``I'll be publicly honest with you if you will be privately honest with yourself'') but does not detract from Evans's authority. Owners of even cherubic pets ought not pass up this thoroughly sound guide. Illustrations not seen by PW.