Chill Out Fido!: How to Calm Your Dog by Nan Kene Arthur
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was recommended to me when I needed some tips on helping my dog to calm down and behave in a less hyperactive way.
The book is organized into two parts. The first talks about the causes of the unwanted behaviors, stress responses, and training basics. It is easy to read, and presents the ideas in a clear and concise manner. There is a section on feeding and its relation to behavior, as well as an introduction to positive, clicker based training techniques. The second half presents a series of exercises meant to help the dog and owner work on calm, interactive behavior. The exercises are broken down into steps that build on each other to achieve the desired results. Training schedules, treat management, and what to expect are clearly expressed and easy to understand. Later exercises use the early ones as stepping stones to better behaviors.
The real question, though, is does it work? I would have to say: yes. It’s not an instant fix for an excitable dog, but then, with all dog training, nothing really is. The owner has to be willing to put in the time and effort to work consistently with the dog to shape the desired behaviors. But if you are, then I can say that this book should help you and your dog. My dog, while not perfect (yet!) has learned a lot since we’ve been working on the exercises in this book. His behavior is better in many ways, and I think, as we continue to work, it will only get better.
If you are looking for a clear and understandable method for helping your dog learn to react in a less hyper manner, I would recommend you read and practice the methods and exercises in this book. If you take the time to work through them as outlined, you will see the good dog in yours begin to show.
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