Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

When I buy a book, attend a seminar or take an obedience class I do so in order to find some new gems of wisdom to add to my collective dog training toolbox. Unfortunately I must report that if you have any current clicker training skills this book will be of little to no use to you. However, if you have never used a clicker before you might want to have a private lesson with a good trainer and then use this book as workbook, in which case it is very simple and easy to follow. As far a "chilling out" I found no special exercises in this book that would actually accomplish that sometime monumental feat. These are just common training exercises any owner/trainer would do to give their dog a basic education with some manners. So I feel the title is somewhat misleading.

I've had this book since it came out and I can't believe I haven't reviewed it yet. As a dog trainer, I recommend it all the time to expectant parents who attend my "Dogs and Babies" classes. The class is not geared towards detailed problem-solving and I don't give a hard sell on having to do private lessons so I end up holding this book like I'm on the home shopping network or something.

So many of the common concerns -- dog jumps on visitors, dog is threatening towards visitors, dog barks and will wake up the baby, dog pulls on the leash and will be a disaster with the stroller, dog has no self-control around food, how will I manage my dog pestering me when I'm busy with the baby and so forth -- are ably addressed with the step-by-step exercises in this book.

It's a great foundation for pet owners to understand what might be going on with their dogs and it's written with clear instructions for the do-it-yourselfer. Even if you have a difficult situation, this book will help you get started and save you money if you end up getting some help down the road from a professional trainer because you won't have to pay top dollar to go over the basics.

There are so many good exercises in here, especially "Relax on a Mat" and the whole section on doorbell/visitor issues. It's amazing to me that you can get such pertinent information and guidance for less than $15. I think this book covers just what regular pet owners need to know to solve the most annoying problems with their pets. I love the whole message of, "You don't have to live that way!" and the glimpse of a more peaceful life with your best friend.

This book was recommended by our dog trainer and it is the one method she adopts in her classes.
Highly recommend for those who want to train on their own. It's easy to follow instructions and, the best of it, it really works!.

While our dog is not a wild and crazy German Shorthair, he does have some leash aggression issues and the "Auto Eye Contact", "Relaxing on the Mat", "Name Recognition" and "Walking on a Loose Leash" are key to keep him from escalating. Great book - I'd recommend it!

If your a clicker trainer, don't bother. The information is basic and to put into a small book all about calming canine behaviors would be impossible so I feel the title is misleading. This covers the basics. Some good tips, but mostly common sense. I thought there would be a more in depth explanations. Good for beginners though.
Not worth $10, maybe $5

This is a good book for reading to understand your dog's behavior and is very well written.