Description
Price: $14.99 - $12.54
(as of Feb 20, 2025 16:26:25 UTC – Details)
“I’m loving it! Laura has managed not only to write a clear and incredibly important book, she’s really funny too! Her way of writing, the images in her language, and the diagrams make this book really stand out; there’s no way to misunderstand the concepts she’s presenting.”
—Emelie Johnson Vegh, co-author of Agility Right from the Start
Some dogs need a little help.
Some dogs are afraid, or excited, or reactive. Dogs that “don’t listen” and “go crazy” don’t live the lives we—or they—want.
Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out can change that. Simple steps and an accessible, conversational tone from award-winning, internationally-known trainer Laura VanArendonk Baugh CPDT-KA KPACTP make calming the agitated dog not only possible, but pleasant.
Inside you’ll learn how to:
Achieve change in short, simple training sessions of a minute or lessMaximize the effects of natural brain chemistryKnow when to call in medical help“Clean up” unreliable behaviors in both overexcited sport dogs and pets at homeRecognize how fear, aggression, and excitement are variants of the same root problem
The conversational tone is both informative and fun — very accessible, and it feels like the reader has a consulting trainer standing at her shoulder! Bring your dog from emotional to thoughtful, and enjoy a calmer, more enriched life with your best friend.
Publisher : Aeclipse Press; First Edition (January 5, 2013)
Language : English
Paperback : 177 pages
ISBN-10 : 0985934921
ISBN-13 : 978-0985934927
Item Weight : 8.8 ounces
Dimensions : 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
Customers say
Customers find the book helpful for training dogs. They find it easy to read and understand, with clear instructions and a detailed step-by-step guide. The book provides useful insights into canine behavior and habits. Readers appreciate the humor and lighthearted tone. Opinions vary on whether the book is worth the money or not.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Amanda –
Wonderful book!
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.
A. Mohan –
Great book for any dog owner
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.
Christopher Enlow –
The book gives a very detailed step-by-step guide for easing your dog’s anxiety and breaking your dog of bad habits. We have alr
The title of this book describes my dog to a ‘T’ and at the recommendation of our dog trainer I decided to give it a shot. This book is written in an entertaining and informative way. It provides a lot of insight into canine behavior and habits. It describes the principles at work in the training methods being employed. The book gives a very detailed step-by-step guide for easing your dog’s anxiety and breaking your dog of bad habits. We have already seen remarkable improvement in our dog through training sessions but is too early to tell if it has had much impact in ‘real life’ situations.
Anita Bucher –
Easy to understand
Great read perfect to understand for all beginners to experienced dog owners
TrailK9 –
Skip this book and train your dog!
I’m tired of all these gimmicks being sold to (almost entirely) female dog owners.to “fix” their so-called “reactive” dogs.What it all boils down to is obedience and desensitization. That is it. You have a dog that attacks other dogs? That’s not reactive- that is aggressive. Deal with it and control your dog. You have a dog that barks at other dogs that get it her face? That is reactive in a normal way. Make sure you can call your dog in those situations and that your dog isn’t being forwardly aggressive. Don’t bring her to a dog park. Dog barks at strangers at the door- well, you decide to what extent that is acceptable and either put the dog up or train her to go to place when you have guests. Not everyone wants a dog that is social with every stranger that comes to call.This book is fine for those owners who want to try yet another gimmick that is very hard to actually complete in real life because you don’t have access to multiple calm dogs to practice scenarios again and again. Most of us live busy lives and want to include our dogs, rather than have our live and activities revolve around the dogs.But if you actually want a dog who can work and live with you, go back to the basics. Starting with choosing the right dog for your situation. Don’t want a dog that is “reactive?”. Steer clear of border collies, cattle dogs, german shepherds. Go with the stoic go-lucky Labrador or Newfoundland. Want a dog that has a little more edge, be ready to train her. From day one.”Reactive” means that a dog is responsive to stimuli in her environment. But now it’s the go-to phrase for every dog owner whose dog isn’t completely social and friendly or has some character flaws (don’t they all). Many dogs are reactive – indeed, some dogs are bred with reactivity as a temperament trait- and it isn’t a flaw unless the dog is overly aggressive, overly hyper, or simply under socialized.People need to stop psycho- analyzing their dogs and start training and exercising and managing where needed. If you want an “easy” dog they are out there, but if you chose a working dog, especially a high-energy type with some inherent “reactivity” or a dog specifically bred for a certain level of aggression, you need to step up your game. Stop reading about BAT and “reactive rover” and LAT and Control Unleashed and start working with an understanding your dog.I finally realized this and I won’t be buying any more of this type of book. I hope this helps those who were thinking of spending their money and time on yet another feel-good, difficult-to-achieve, and almost never “finished” training pattern to do their research, and train their dogs.
M.Diaz –
I have read a dozen books this month. And this is the best by far! I highlighted so many passages
adriana –
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.
R Matheson –
I found this book very helpful. The writing covers some quite complex ideas in a very readable way and offers description of bot âhowâ and âwhyâ 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.
LaylaBird –
I’ve read quite a few books on dog behaviour, positive training approaches and clicker training, and have enjoyed most of them. I began my foray into clicker training as a skeptic with a more “old-school” mentality to training – but I had begun to realize that my outdated approaches were making my reactive dog worse, not better, because they were increasing her anxiety. Pretty darn counter-productive, for a dog who’s issues are rooted in anxiety. So the reading began.This book, specifically, was a fantastic resource and I absolutely recommend it. This is not a training program – but it lays a rock solid foundation to really help you understand the “why” and “how” behind clicker training exercises. It lays the foundation in the reader that Laura tells us we must ourselves instill in our dogs. Progress starts with a solid foundation.Laura makes outstanding arguments to support a real training PROGRAM rather than just randomly applying exercises, advancing too quickly, and hoping for the best. This book has inspired me to become far more strategic in my training and rehab with my wonderful (but reactive) rescue dog. No, I don’t have the program in place – that’s not what this book does for you. It does require the reader to take that next step – whether it’s by doing the research to design a real program or hiring someone to do it for you. But it’s a fantastic read, it’s enlightening and inspirational, and it has helped me realize that I’m on the right path with my pooch. Thank you Laura!
Canis bonus –
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-promptingCue 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 marathonOn 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.