As a professional trainer and groomer, I am either routinely asked about how to correct behavioral problems or I experience unpleasant behaviors directly when handling pets on the grooming table.
Most of the undesirable behaviors seem to arise out of a general problem of the dog not being able to cope in a stressful environment (contextual), unable to recover from stressors, or are, in general, unable to pull their energy in to calm down and listen/learn. Behavioral questions are usually not simple to answer in a short, over-the-counter conversation. A lot of questions must be asked by a skilled trainer and the learner must also be assessed as to whether they comprehend and/or are able to carry out a training plan.
A great big thank you to Nan Arthur for writing a book that I routinely recommend to clients. After they read the book and they still need help, at least we have a common ground to start from and to refine...and I know they are invested if they have made the effort to read the book. Without the book, training often takes much, much longer in expensive private lessons.
The title says it all. She includes information about getting started with a clicker? Fantastic, then I don't need to cover this ground or recommend a 2nd book to my clients. The best part is that Nan takes into account all of the things I would like my clients to be aware of: internal and external factors that affect behavior.
So many dogs end up in the shelter because their owners think they are beyond help and have likely expressed either neurotic/destructive behaviors or have possibly embarrassed their owners in public for the last time. They presume their dog is exceptionally "bad."
Nan makes my job easier. She lays the foundation for creating a sound, stable pet and an owner who is on the same philosophical page before I begin working with a new client. I can help clients help clients to either train new, fun behaviors or help them to refine what they have been exposed to in her book.
This book should be in the library of every dog trainer. I'll continue to recommend this book to clients who are serious about getting to the root of the problems so that they can discover humane and practical ways to re-shape their dog to be the dog that they cannot imagine living without.