Description
Price: $19.95 - $9.99
(as of Mar 03, 2025 12:47:32 UTC – Details)
When dogs growl at other dogs, lunge at people and bark at everything it’s often mislabeled as “aggression.” But behavior that looks like aggression is often fear-based and should be treated as such. The appropriate term for this constellation of behaviors is “reactivity.”
This book helps dog owners and trainers to understand the reactive dog and help him change for the better. The process is easy to grasp, and once the changes begin to take shape, owners become so encouraged that improving their dog’s behavior suddenly becomes fun and exciting!
If your dog can’t pay attention to you in public places, doesn’t behave like a good member of the family when guests visit, and loses control when other dogs are nearby, this book has a lot to offer.
All training methods and classroom techniques are non-force and based on developing a ‘working relationship’ with your dog. Easy to read and understand, 148 pages, with 68 photographs and graphics to help you improve behavior and solve problems. (See reviews and read sample pages below.)
About this edition. This updated version is a clarified version of the original. It includes more specific examples, and more and better photos to give you a better idea of what to look for and how to handle your reactive dog.
ASIN : B004HYHE54
Publisher : Tanacacia Press (December 15, 2010)
Publication date : December 15, 2010
Language : English
File size : 4.0 MB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Not Enabled
Word Wise : Not Enabled
Print length : 153 pages
Page numbers source ISBN : 0976641402
Customers say
Customers find the book helpful and informative for understanding their dogs’ behavior. They appreciate the clear, concise explanations and practical suggestions. The book provides useful information about handling a reactive dog and helps readers understand their pets better. Readers describe it as an excellent guide for anyone who owns a dog.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
JuliesMom –
Thank you, Ali
An excellent book for people whose dogs don’t behave like we want them to. I have spent a fortune on dog trainers who never told me my dog was “reactive” and couldn’t explain why he went nuts when my doorbell rang, someone walked by the house or he saw a person when we were out walking. He got so excited (happy) and could not contain himself, trying to jump up on everyone he met. I got to where I couldn’t have anyone come in my house. Then I got a puppy, who misinterpreted his excitement and quickly became a fear biter. I made an appointment with a certified Veterinary behaviorist, but the earliest appointment was 6 months out. I got this book, immediately started some of the exercises and noticed a huge difference in the younger dog. I did not realize that he was totally stressed out. I still won’t let a stranger pet him but he now sits patiently at my side when we stop to talk to someone The older dog is still very excitable and I am now working on him. This book has been a Godsend!
Canis bonus –
Treatment protocol for the easily frightened dog, or phobic dogs. For the layman.
REVIEW: The books somewhat lacked structure, and covered some subjects at surprising depth, considering the title and target audience (layman). But do you know what? Thankfully so! Because Ali Brownâs account of dog nutrition, de-sensitisation and counter-conditioning, are simply the best explanations Iâd ever read on the subject. She clearly masters the subjects, and has a way with vivid images and clear explanations.I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Her background in teaching clearly shows throughout the book, as she has a real talent for making abstract concepts tangible and clear. I have even borrowed her wording to explain some concepts to non-professionals.I suspect the book is self-published, or at least on a limited budget, so the presentation and design werenât all that. But it really didnât bother me.I thoroughly enjoyed reading that book and will look out for more by Ali Brown.
Rural ID.nurse –
Excellent information on a tough topic
Having worked with a really reactive dog from her puppyhood, the author, a dog trainer, got a lot of first hand experience in dealing with a reactive dog. Mine has never bitten as hers has nor is he fear based so much, but he is an enthusiastic barker who just won’t stop once he gets going. I also spent a lot of time and money to get to the point where he will walk nicely on a loose leash instead of pulling all the time. In all ways except his tremendous misguided enthusiasm when he shuts down some of his thinking and goes into pure doggie brain only, he is a wonderful dog. Just need him to keep his whole mind working all the time so he can see the bigger picture as he does with everything else except moving stimuli. The author gives the nuts and bolts, the frustrations and victories in training a dog the ability to utilize impulse control. I am making a written training plan for my beloved dog based on the information in this book so he can better keep himself in his full mind and I can get to understand and know him even better.
Suzy Kennedy –
A MUST HAVE book for understanding and rehabilitating problem dogs.
I have worked with so many trainers, behaviorists, etc. and this book is common sense, an extremely easy read and in my opinion, right on the money from what I have observed with my dog. He was abused as a pup and to this day he’s leery of men because of the man that abused him but with the help of many kind, knowledgeable people along the way, and now Ali’s book, we’re making excellent progress. I could not more highly recommend this book. IT MAKES SENSE. Her writing style is great, her approach is great. This is the book I have been looking for and the changes come about steadily. If you have a problem pooch, BUY this book now!!!!! Susan
K. Fi –
more about reactive than scared
I did get a lot out of ‘Scaredy Dog’ but the title was somewhat deceiving. My new (rescue) dog is very skittish but doesn’t bark or lunge at the things that scare her. She cowers & tries to run away. I was hoping ‘scaredy’ would apply more to that type of behavior. Regardless, her tips on how to help the dog when a stranger approaches was still helpful to me. And of all the dog-training books I’ve read to help me I found, in this one, the most inspirational advice of all. Author mentions how one may wonder, ‘Why does my dog have to be the one with this problem?’. Her answer is to just accept it for what it is & learn to deal with it. I have found this to be the most comforting & inspiring thing one could tell me 🙂
Linda F. Kurtz –
I needed this book a few years ago!
So many of us adopt a dog and then find out that he/she is aggressive toward other dogs while out walking. I appreciated learning the word “reactive” because it was so apt. This book should be in the hands of everyone who adopts a dog, particularly an adult dog from a shelter. I figured out how to manage without the book but loved reading Brown’s book as a check on how well I handled my dog’s spontaneous eruptions whenever he spotted another canine anywhere near. I wish I had read this book at the time I most needed it. My 50 pound ruffian still erupts when another dog gets in his face, but now I know what to do. This is a slim easy-to-read manual that gets right to the heart of the problem, explains it, and tells you what to do. And it works.
Kaitie –
Short helpful intro, but promotes misinformation and distrust of veterinary professionals.
It was a short introduction to dealing with a reactive dog–nothing I haven’t already read, but a nice guide with game ideas.She advocates for grain free and raw diets as well as homeopathy, which is why I had to give it 3 stars! She recommended turning toward support groups or owners that currently feed raw diets because most vets aren’t a fan of the concept. (No references were cited by the way).The misinformation and inciting mistrust of veterinarians is problematic and made me question other claims she made.
Amazon Customer –
My dog is very frightened of people, and was considering having to put him down in fear that he may attack and seriously hurt someone. I was at my wits end with him and always walking around on eggshells. I’ve watched every video I could on the internet and just got more frustrated. I had him in obedience training and completed 3/5 of the class and had to stop because he was becoming more and more aggressive, realizing it wasn’t an obedience problem, and that he needed something more. I ordered a couple of books but this one seems to be the best. This book describes my dog to a T as it would for any dog, that is fearful of anything. This book gives you lots of useful tools to work with, and with a lot of work I know he will get there.
Graham Elliott –
This book has helped us understand why our dog acts the way it does and how we must, and more importantly not, try to deal with it. We bought this book when we had serious behavioral problems with one of our GSDs, which with a big dog like this can be very dangerous. This book has given us a superb insight into why he acts the way he does. He is not totally cured of the problem but we are aware of the triggers and how to counteract them thanks to this book.
Clare Lusher –
Having had a scare with my dog and a child she had bitten, there was obviously a very strong need for me to read more about why my dog has what has always previously been referred to as ‘fear aggression’, and for me to try and train her out of her aggressive behaviours. She was attacked as a pup by a man in the park with the working end of a retractible lead, and had grown more and more afraid of anyone she didn’t know and other dogs she didn’t know, ever since. This book described my dog perfectly (i.e. she has a pirhanna bite, over reacts to everything, is hyperactive/hyper responsive to any stimulus, barks at strangers, lunges, and yes she has bitten a few times). Imagine my relief to realise that a) these are researched and understood behaviours in dogs and there are good reasons why they behave this way and b) there are very simple and practical ways for me to ‘train’ those behaviours out of my dog. More importantly, the training methods offered in this book by the author are ALL positive, kind, solid and good methods. The book also explains why the training methods employed by the likes of Cesar Milan et al (she doesn’t name him – she doesn’t have to) are so damaging and potentially lethal to both dogs and people (and to our relationship with our dogs). Furthermore, this book explains why the half-arsed and old-fashioned training methods to stop dogs lunging, barking, etc. that I had picked up along the way were actually having the reverse effect to the one I wanted – I have been teaching her to bark more and react more all along, by shouting at her and becoming stressed and angry myself. Stupid, stupid. Now I know to remain calm, firm, walk my dog away from a potentially bad situation (or minimise a bad situation by removing ourselves quickly and calmly), praise her when she’s calm and ONLY when she’s calm when other people are about, and so on. I’m still reading the book, after skimming it, and now writing up notes as I work with my dog using all of the author’s training directions. My dog is definitely calmer and quieter already, and we are both more confident. We seem to have a better bond now, too; my dog seems to know that I fully understand her behaviour problems now. I know I’m becoming a much better dog owner as a result of reading this book. 10/10 to Ali Brown, the author of ‘Scaredy Dog’, who clearly understands reactive dogs inside out, and has written such an easy to read and easy to follow book. This book comes highly recommended by me.
LB –
Very informative
jo fitzgerald –
A very good supplement to all the other things you are trying to calm your anxious dog down. There are some good tips and the book is also reassuring that unwanted behaviour can be changed and managed if the advice is followed.