Help for Your Fearful Dog: A Step-by-Step Guide to Helping Your Dog Conquer His Fears [Paperback]

Nicole Wilde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2006

Is your dog afraid of strangers? Would he rather hide than play with other dogs? Does he take cover at the sound of thunder, or cringe when you pick up a brush or nail clippers? Never fear! Whatever your dog is afraid of, this comprehensive guide to the treatment of canine anxiety, fears and phobias can help. Topics include learning how to read your dog's stress signals; how your attitude affects your dog's behavior; how to set up a Firm Foundation program at home; how to establish leadership so your dog will feel more secure; the influence of good nutrition and regular exercise on your dog's fear issues; four essential skills to teach, and how to apply them in everyday life; and much more. Written by a professional trainer/behavior consultant of over 20 years who specializes in fear issues, the book includes easy-to-follow, step-by-step behavior modification programs that really work. 15 specific fears are addressed, including those of people, other dogs, sounds, touch, nail-clipping, riding in the car, and being left alone. Get advice on products and cutting-edge complementary therapies that can help to calm your cautious canine. Filled with photographs, illustrations, and over 400 pages of specific, immediately useful advice, written in a down-to-earth and humorous style.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A comprehensive, compassionate guide...conversational, often humorous style, highlighted by amusing illustrations and graphics...indispensable reading for dog guardians. --Animal Wellness Magazine

Thorough, well-organized, information-packed...I love reading a book with Yes! moments on every page. This is such a book. --The BARK Magazine

Easy to follow, often humorous, and incredibly helpful! A MUST-READ for any owner or trainer of fearful dogs. --Paul Owens, author The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Non-Violent Approach to Training

Review

Thorough, well-organized, information-packed...I love reading a book with "Yes!" moments on every page. This is such a book."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Phantom Publishing; 1st edition (August 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966772679
• ISBN-13: 978-0966772678
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nicole Wilde is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) who specializes in behavior issues. She is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), the recipient of the prestigious Ian Dunbar Member of the Year Award for 2006, and a popular speaker at the organization's national and international conferences. Nicole is also an Instructor and on the Advisory Board for the Companion Animal Sciences Institute, the educational branch for the International Institute for Applied Companion Animal Behavior, and sits on the Board of the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals.

Nicole is an internationally recognized author and lecturer. Her books include Living with Wolfdogs Wolfdogs A-Z, So You Want to be a Dog Trainer, It's Not the Dogs, It's the People!, One on One: A Dog Trainer's Guide to Private Training, Help for Your Fearful Dog, Getting a Grip on Aggression Cases, Energy Healing for Dogs, and Don't Leave Me! Step-by-Step Help for Your Dog's Separation Anxiety (www.phantompub.com). She presents seminars both domestically and internationally for conferences, training clubs, and other groups.

Nicole writes training and behavior articles for various newspapers and magazines, including an ongoing Ask the Expert column for Modern Dog Magazine. She blogs for the Dog Star Daily and Victoria Stilwell's Positively site, as well as her own blog, Wilde About Dogs. Nicole co-stars in the DVD 'Train Your Dog: The Positive Gentle Method,' co-hosted the 'Dog Talk' radio show, and was featured in the Paul Owens DVD 'The Dog Whisperer.'

Nicole's background includes serving as Volunteer Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles' Animal Services, and Executive Director for Villalobos Rescue Center, a sanctuary for rescued wolves/wolfdogs, pit bulls and exotic animals.

Nicole owns and operates Gentle Guidance Dog Training in southern California (www.gentleguidance4dogs.com). With warmth, humor and positive techniques, she trains owner to train their dogs. Nicole continues to teach seminars domestically and internationally for professional dog trainers, rescue and shelter workers, veterinary groups and others, and to educate the public on canine behavior issues.

You can find Nicole on Facebook at https://facebook.com/NicoleWildeAuthor, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NicoleWilde and on her Wilde About Dogs blog at http://wildewmn.wordpress.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE book to buy for help with those fearful/shy dogs!, September 6, 2006

By 

Janice Mitchell (Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

I highly recommend this book! I've been involved with Sheltie Rescue for 12 years, and we rehabilitate puppy mill dogs and unsocialized dogs which are always afraid of anythng and everything. Also, I co-teach a class for shy/fearful dogs at our local Humane Society. This is the first book I have found that covers EVERYTHING needed to know to work with or help these dogs! Plus, it's an easy read and humorous!

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Advice for Owners of Fearful Dogs, September 5, 2006

By 

Mychelle Blake (Henderson, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

There are few books out there that assist owners with shy or fearful dogs, which can be one of the most frustrating and heartrenching behaviors for dog owners to deal with. This new book provides a wealth of information - from detailed tips on how to work with a variety of fear issues (noise, objects, thunder, etc.) to suggestions on "alternative" therapies such as using Dog Appeasing Pheramone, homeopathic remedies, Anxiety Wraps, pharmaceutical intervention, and much more. I highly recommend this book to owners of fearful dogs and to dog trainers/shelter workers/rescuers who regularly deal with shy and fearful dogs.

50 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It seems ok..., October 9, 2008

By 

RarelyReviews (NV, USA) - See all my reviews

The other reviews gave me such high hopes about this book and maybe my expectations were too high to be honest but I'm not overly impressed so far. There's nothing really wrong with the book but it covers so many subjects that I felt details were skipped that should have been included and still I'm going to struggle to help my dog. The chapters that refer to particular fears are too short and are less about helping to correct the problem than they are about the background to the problem itself. Also the book says it can be read cover to cover or simply used as a reference book by users skipping to relevant chapters. That is not so. Really you need to properly read the first few sections before you skip to the section about your particular problem. Really it's no trouble to read around the subject but why does the book claim to be able to be used in this way??

On the other hand I think her advice is solid and there is certainly useful information in there, particularly if this is the first time you've even thought about trying to help your dog in this way!! I'm absolutely going to give it a go but I wish I had a little more guidance from the book that i purposely bought to offer myself guidance. In this review I want to point out the bad things about the book rather than list all the good things and there are already so many excellent reviews!!

On a side note, I was unimpressed with the author's habit of subtly (you probably won't notice it unless you've read the books by the authors that's she's doubting) belittling other noted dog experts within the book. This was unnecessary and a little petty. Surely most of the people she indirectly belittled are doing good work too and so if Wilde and the other authors are all striving for the same goals, only doing so in different ways, then surely mocking their theories only serves to taint the industry a little bit more.