Can anyone reccomend any good books?
I've just adopted charlie, a rescue dog who has come with a couple of dominance problems.

What are these "dominance" problems?

Best overall book on dog behaviour EVER written, The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson, Dogs are from Neptue, also by her deals with particular issues, Mine! A guide to resource guarding in dogs by her is also very good.  All can be obtained from WTM publishing, Crosskeys books, etc around £7.99 each.

She tells it like it is with no "special dog language" or scientific terms.  Very funny, very effective if you are a total beginner or very experienced.

HTH

Agree that Jean Donaldson writes some interesting and helpful books, but forget the dominance thing, you are dominant because you control the most important thing, access to food followed by access to members of the opposite sex and comfort. So use your control of food/toys to shape the behaviour of your wayward rescue.

Probably more fear agression and insecurity than dominance.
If hes on the floor and you also sit on the floor he will growl and snap. He won't allow anyone near him apart from me when he's in his cage, growls and barks.
I stand next to him when he's eating and he's fine with this but nobody else.
He growls if anyone walks past his cage.
My other dog (18 month old bitch) is starting to back off him when he's barking and growling at her.
I have the Culture Clash and it has been my bedtime reading for the last couple of nights.
He has growled at me a couple of times when he has been in his cage with a bone but if I shout "No Charlie" he is quiet straight away.
I don't know how long he was a stray but was in kennels for a month.
I suppose I'm more concerned about the two dogs getting on together than the family and him as we are becoming aware of what situations to avoid and when to approach with caution.
This site is very informative but when you are lying in bed at 11.30p.m and think of something it would be nice to have a book to refer to.
I'm very pleased with how quickly he is settling (it's only his 5th day) but don't want to make any silly mistakes that will make him more insecure etc.

Think you are correct, the lad is very worried and will be better when he is more confident.

Just got to add, if he's very growly with bones that is a top priority IMO to be sorted - we have a 6yr old rescue rotti X dobie, we got her at 2-3 yrs old and she'd been in kennels since she was 6 months.  we never sorted the bone problem out, and a couple weeks ago my dobie went to take one of those filled sterilised bones you get from a pet store from her - she retaliated by slicing a 3/4" x 1/2" gash in his muzzle.  Flap of skin and everything - got infected as well, thankfully it is healing now.

I'm not saying you will have this problem - hopefully your bitch is smarter than my dobe with these things (he is a stubborn lad!) - but I do regret not sorting it out.

Try Gwen Bailey's Site