One on One: A Dog Trainer's Guide to Private Training [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Nicole Wilde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004

Have you always wanted to do private training, but didn't know how to go about it? This guide is like having a friend explain it all. You'll start with exercises to assess your current skills, learn about sales and scheduling, and view sample phone scripts. Then it's on to the ins and outs of taking a history: questionnaires are broken down into lifestyle, training and behavior issues, and include explanations of what your clients' answers might mean. You'll get pointers on designing lesson plans and protocols, tips on promoting client follow-through, and an entire chapter devoted to commonly asked questions. There's even a bonus section with ready-to-use forms, contracts and handouts!

- Pros and cons of selling single sessions vs. packages
- What to do if an owner cannot perform an exercise correctly
- Which exercises should never be done back to back
- Which questions are crucial to ask in aggression cases
- How to work with two dogs in a home
- Special considerations for working with elderly clients
- Whether to offer discounted rates to shelters or rescues
- How to handle a recommendation for euthanasia
- Where to get further training on behavior issues
...and much more!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must-read addition to every trainer's library. Nicole conveys this important material clearly and accessibly." -- Paul Owens, author The Dog Whisperer

About the Author

Nicole Wilde runs Gentle Guidance in southern California, training dogs and their people with positive methods. She has spent years working with shelters and rescue groups, socializing, training and placing dogs, and is considered an expert on wolf hybrids. Nicole is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, author, national conference speaker and radio talk show host.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Phantom Publishing; illustrated edition edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966772652
• ISBN-13: 978-0966772654
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,402 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

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for trainers!!!!!!!!!, June 15, 2005

By 

Juliet A. Wright "(Artist) Beloved/Director H... (Pownal, VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One on One: A Dog Trainer's Guide to Private Training (Paperback)

I was so glad to find this book! I started out doing group classes and had wanted to do in-home training for some time but couldn't find anyone to apprentice with. I didn't have the confidence to do private lessons because even though my training skills are good, I didn't know HOW to do private lessons. This book not only gives you tests to judge whether you really are ready to do one on one training, but gives an amazing amount of information. It talks about structuring your sales, how to do a lesson from start to finish, how to handle coaching owners, and covered a ton of questions that I had been wondering about like what to do if you have to recommend euthanasia, how do I work with more than one dog in the home, and what do to if an owner just isn't getting it. One of the things I liked best (other than the book being an easy read and being written in a friendly, supportive tone) was the sections at the back that had liability contracts I could use, great handouts I could copy and give my clients, and a lot of helpful resources. This book is definitely a great resource for any trainer who wants to start to do private training and even for those who have already been doing it a while, as Wilde has a lot of great ideas and tips.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read before knocking on a client's door!, July 29, 2005

By 

Stephen Mckay (Westchester, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One on One: A Dog Trainer's Guide to Private Training (Paperback)

So many books are geared towards training methods and theory. This one is written for trainers planning on venturing into the realm of private training. It's well written and full of useful information, much of which one might not consider prior to establishing a business and taking on that first client. Especially helpful were Nicole Wilde's chapters on phone skills and scripts. These chapters would benefit anyone who conducts dog-related interviews on the phone regardless of whether you do private training or not. Shelter staff, volunteers and anyone involved in dog rescue can improve their interview skills with this book. Also included are business resources, sample contracts and sample history questionaires. A great return on the investment spent reading this one. Highly recommended.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book for dog trainers, August 8, 2005

By 

Amy L. Flanigan - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One on One: A Dog Trainer's Guide to Private Training (Paperback)

I purchased this book when I'd already been in business as a professional dog trainer for almost 3 years; I found so much helpful information, especially regarding contracts, lesson packages, and history forms and why I needed them. There were many other miscellaneous tidbits that transformed how I run my business as a whole. This book should be on every dog trainer's book shelf.