Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training the Crazy Dog from Over the Top to Under Control (Training Great Dogs)

This is a really great book and I would highly recommend it! I adopted a dog from the humane society that came from an abusive background and he was very, very stressed for the for several months. He would constantly pace, become inconsolable if I so much as left the room to take a shower and jump at every little person or dog that walked by. The stress was really starting to take a toll on his health. In combination with a Thundershirt and T-touch, the techniques in this book have really helped him. He has transformed from this jittery, high-strung dog to a happy, relaxed dog in about six months. It does take a lot of dedicated work, but this book teaches you step-by-step. My dog loves his relaxation mat now, it has become kind of like a security blanket for him. I take it to the vet with us and when he sees it, he knows to lay down and self-calms at this point. Again, this type of work does take time and you can't push your dog too fast. I have seen such a positive difference in him that I would highly recommend this book to others. The techniques in this book are great, but the writing is also simple, conversational and easy to read. The book isn't too long-about 150 pages. My dog really responds well to clicker training and this book is clicker based, so be sure you have one. If you dog is not already clicker trained before you buy this book, the author gives you clear instructions on how to "load" the clicker so a click has meaning to the dog.

My dog has been attacked several times in the neighborhood and has become dog reactive to dogs he doesn't know. We are in intensive training and he is well trained at this point and will sit/ stay or lay down on command, but still freak out if other dogs bark at his or come at him wanting to say hi. So I was looking for a different training approach then what I had used so far. This book teaches the human to teach the dog how to "think for himself" and make the desired choice. Using treats and the clicker as rewards, the dog learns that every time he makes a good choice something good happens. I have used the clicker method for four weeks now and seen great improvement in my dog's behavior. I think it also has helped me to be more consistent and very clear in my expectations: It's a Yes/No kind of principle. He either did it or he didn't. So he either hears the click or he doesn't. The author uses great examples and lots of humor, so it is a very easy and quick read.

I think a beginner trainer would benefit greatly from having taken a local clicker class. Timing is everything when it comes to clickers and I think the beginning of the book is rather confusing even though I knew where she was headed. What I especially liked about the book and I wish she had talked more about it, is your dog doesn't have to be a snarling, aggressive dog to be freaked out. Mine, for instance, simply cannot contain himself when he sees people on the street or when they come to the house. He just has to jump all over them and let them know how glad he is to see them. It takes him about five minutes to do this and then he is fine. I'm planning to try her approach to see if I can get him to settle down.

What an amazing book - more than worth the purchase price. In fact, it was so good I'm going to buy the paperback copy as well - having it on kindle is not enough! I often hesitate to recommend even good training books, just because often, one or two things don't sit right (I'm picky!)- but this one had me happily agreeing with EVERYTHING - I'll be recommending it to every dog person I know. This book is right up there with Control Unleashed on the "absolutely must-have" list for people with reactive, aggressive, or overexcited dogs (or really, anyone who has anything to do with dogs - there is just so much good stuff in this book). While there are already many books on positive reinforcement (as the author herself points out) - I still feel this one somehow manages to fill a gap. I have helped others with their "fired-up, frantic and freaked-out" dogs, including my own in the past, but, despite my own experience and the wealth of good info out there, I had been despairing about one of my kelpies - reading this book gave me the simple, clear and structured plans I need to truly begin to help him.

It is a fantastic book. Very easy to read, to understand and to follow the exercises. It tells you how to calm agressive or stressed dogs.

I have read a dozen books this month. And this is the best by far! I highlighted so many passages

Habe mir das Buch auf Empfehlung einer Hundetrainerin gekauft und ich bin begeistert. Es ist gut zu lesen und der Aufbau der Kapitel ist auch sehr klar und gut strukturiert. Mein Hund neigt zum "Austicken" durch Stress, den er sich selber macht und ist dann so gut wie durch nichts mehr ab zu lenken und nicht ansprechbar. Er reagiert sehr stark auch "Gefühle anderer", dass heißt wenn ich genervt bin nimmt er mein Verhalten an. Wenn andere Hunde aufgeregt sind (auch in etlichen Metern Entfernung) nimmt er dieses Verhalten an. Wenn Besuch kommt und wir uns freudig Begrüßen, tickt er vor Freude aus... etc. Mit diesem Buch habe ich eine tolle Methodik kennen gelernt ihm Ruhe und Gelassenheit zu trainieren und auch selber ruhiger und gelassener zu werden. Ich bin begeistert wie gut es funktioniert. Es wird kurz und prägnant beschrieben wie man durch shaping und clickern, so wie durch splitting (aufteilen einer Übung in viele kleine Schritte) seine Ziele erreichen kann. Die Methodik lässt sich auf jegliches weitere Training anwenden und auch wenn es auf den ersten Blick länger dauert, sind die Erfolge um so nachhaltiger. Das Buch ist zugleich auch ein Plädoyer für die Erziehung des Hundes mit rein positivem Bestärken ohne viel auf den Hund einzureden. Der Hundehalter lernt seinem Hund eigenständiges Denken, welches zum Erfolg für beide führt. Nicht nur für "Problemhundehalter" zu empfehlen, aber besonders für jene unter uns die ab und an denken: "Meinen Hund springen manchmal alle Sicherungen raus!"

SUMMARY: The ins-and-outs of teaching a solid settle to serial canine over-reacters. AUDIENCE: The author primarily wrote this book for owners, but the protocols may be too demanding for that readership without the encouragement of a professional. REVIEW: In a nutshell: Another book in the recent trend of reducing prompting, and letting the dog work it out more. This one focuses on mat work, or how to teach your dog to relax at the mere sight of your training mat. There is also a great chapter on puppy socialization - possibly one of the best chapters I've ever read on the topic (pragmatically concise, responsibly thorough, and surprisingly original). Style: The book meets the big three's of non-fiction: it flows, it entertains, and it educates. The author has this knack for illustrating abstract concepts with great analogies. It turns out she is a professional writer (fiction and non fiction) in addition to her dog work. She certainly raises the bar for the rest of us on the style front. Technique: She not only writes well, but she clearly masters the underlying theory. I have not face-palmed once. Not - one - single - time. Coming from this painfully pedantic theory nerd (i.e. me), it means a lot. Her reasoning and facts were as good as water-tight. She also produces references for the facts she presents, which is a nice touch in a book written for the layman. The book also got me to pause and think about some of the finer stuff: Downside of prompting: a full-length discussion reviewing the dangers of over-prompting Cue as tertiary reinforcer, when the cue itself becomes motivating. Delivering the reward by throwing it away for the dog to chase, to allow him to shed tension. Technique meets style: Her grasp of technique and style made for insightful imagery. Some extracts: Dogs asking questions: A dog making a mistake is asking you a question. You have failed to answer it if he makes the same mistake twice. Combat pay: That extra yummy piece of cheese for the really tough situation. Poisoned cue: A cue with a history of unpleasant, or unclear, consequences. Splitting, not lumping: About the importance to taking solid baby steps before running a marathon On the minus front: The demands on owner compliance seem utopic. The need to keep records, and the micro-nano-mini-splitting (i.e. if the dog gets stuck, split the next step into five tiny steps) will discourage many 'civilian' readers, I fear. I would love to see one chapter dedicated to training school settings. I am considering using it for our school, but I need additional guidance before I do that. The verdict: I absolutely loved it. It read like a breeze, it was accurate, it added original points to old theories, and it was chock-full of analogies (always a plus for client communication). And, it gave me new things to add to my toolbox as a trainer. Consider me a happy customer.

I found this book very helpful. The writing covers some quite complex ideas in a very readable way and offers description of bot ‘how’ and ‘why’ techniques are used. It is an excellent book for anyone who is training a less than confident dog through to full-blown fear and anxiety.