Chill Out Fido!: How to Calm Your Dog (Dogwise Training Manual) [Paperback]

Nan Kene Arthur (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 189 pages
• Publisher: Dogwise Publishing (May 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929242638
• ISBN-13: 978-1929242634
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical dog training guide, August 17, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chill Out Fido!: How to Calm Your Dog (Dogwise Training Manual) (Paperback)

Dogs are not typically sedentary creatures, but they don't have to be hyperactive either. "Chill Out Fido! How to Calm Your Dog" is a guide for the dog owner who grows tired of their dog freaking out over daily things such as guests or the smell of meat. Advocating that these behaviors can be trained out of the dog, and offering tips to counteract or troubleshoot bad training, "Chill Out Fido!" is a practical dog training guide for any owner who wants to make their dog a more calm and lovable canine friend.

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CHILL OUT FIDO: hOW TO CALM YOUR DOG, July 30, 2009

By 

Teresa Salkin (LA JOLLA, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chill Out Fido!: How to Calm Your Dog (Dogwise Training Manual) (Paperback)

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK! I BELIEVE IN POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR TRAINING A DOG. BUT MY DOG IS A LITTLE TOO EXCITED ALL THE TIME, DOES NOT FOLLOW COMMANDS AND SEEMS TO HAVE A MIND OF HIS OWN WHEN I WANT HIM TO PAY ATTENTION TO ME. OFTEN I JUST FEEL LIKE YELLING AT HIM OR I TELL HIM TO DO THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. IT DOESN'T WORK.

MOST BOOKS I HAVE READ ARE GREAT BUT AFTER READING THEM I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START! EVERYTHING SEEMS SO COMPLICATED AND OVERWHELMING. EVEN DOG TRAINERS SEEM TO GET DOGS TO DO THINGS I CAN'T IMAGINE GETTING MY DOG TO DO.

THEN I FOUND NAN ARTHUR'S BOOK: CHILL OUT FIDO. AT LAST A CLEAR, CONCISE EASY TO FOLLOW BOOK THAT STARTS WITH PART ONE DESCRIBING PRINCIPLES AND TRAINING CONCEPTS AS A BASIS FOR HER TEACHING. PART TWO CONTAINS THE EXCERCISES AND PICTURES WHICH ARE SIMPLE,FUN TO READ AND CAN BE IMPLEMENTED RIGHT AWAY.

IN JUST A FEW DAYS FOLLOWING HER DIRECTIONS OUR DOG, WILLS, WAS SITTING WHEN ASKED (SLOWLY, BUT HE DID IT) BACKED OFF HIS JUMPING AND KNOWS A TREAT IS COMING IF HE'S CALM RATHER THAN JUMPING. HE SLOWLY WALKS OUT OF THE DOOR AFTER US AND LOOKS UP AT ME TO DECIDE WAS TO DO NEXT AND IS GETTING MY COMMANDS FASTER. AND WE'VE ONLY BEGUN.

LIFE HAS RADICALLY CHANGED IN ONE WEEK. CALMLY MAKE A CLICK AND GET THIS BOOK ~ IT WILL BE THE BEST TREAT YOU EVER DID FOR YOURSELF, YOUR DOG AND YOUR FAMILY.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book whose time has come., February 13, 2010

By 

Sara Scott "West Coast Pets" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chill Out Fido!: How to Calm Your Dog (Dogwise Training Manual) (Paperback)

As a professional trainer and groomer, I am either routinely asked about how to correct behavioral problems or I experience unpleasant behaviors directly when handling pets on the grooming table.

Most of the undesirable behaviors seem to arise out of a general problem of the dog not being able to cope in a stressful environment (contextual), unable to recover from stressors, or are, in general, unable to pull their energy in to calm down and listen/learn. Behavioral questions are usually not simple to answer in a short, over-the-counter conversation. A lot of questions must be asked by a skilled trainer and the learner must also be assessed as to whether they comprehend and/or are able to carry out a training plan.

A great big thank you to Nan Arthur for writing a book that I routinely recommend to clients. After they read the book and they still need help, at least we have a common ground to start from and to refine...and I know they are invested if they have made the effort to read the book. Without the book, training often takes much, much longer in expensive private lessons.

The title says it all. She includes information about getting started with a clicker? Fantastic, then I don't need to cover this ground or recommend a 2nd book to my clients. The best part is that Nan takes into account all of the things I would like my clients to be aware of: internal and external factors that affect behavior.

So many dogs end up in the shelter because their owners think they are beyond help and have likely expressed either neurotic/destructive behaviors or have possibly embarrassed their owners in public for the last time. They presume their dog is exceptionally "bad."

Nan makes my job easier. She lays the foundation for creating a sound, stable pet and an owner who is on the same philosophical page before I begin working with a new client. I can help clients help clients to either train new, fun behaviors or help them to refine what they have been exposed to in her book.

This book should be in the library of every dog trainer. I'll continue to recommend this book to clients who are serious about getting to the root of the problems so that they can discover humane and practical ways to re-shape their dog to be the dog that they cannot imagine living without.