Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 22
 Mixed feelings November 3, 2006
Ben Green (Scotia, NY USA)
16 out of 41 found this review helpful
Emma Parsons must be given credit for persistence. Yes, she showed that you can treat a fearful, aggressive dog by reinforcing incompatible behavior.
The trouble is that she took six months to begin to get any results, if I remember correctly. (I read the book a month ago.)
The movement to use only reinforcement to change the behavior of dogs is an example of purism. It takes a good thing to a questionable extreme. Dogs in the wild certainly control each other directly, but they never eliminate unadaptive behavior by positive reinforcement of incompatible behavior, and yet dogs have thrived on earth as long or longer than we have. They use punishment.
As long as punishment is only as strong as necessary and no stronger, it can eliminate behavior in a minute, not a year, without damaging side effects. The purists will argue that it may return later, but dogs only live a decade or so, and in the long term, we are all dead.
In the center of my house is a swimming pool, and every dog that I have owned and every dog that has visited me has tried to walk on the floating plastic solar cover and found himself in need of assistance to get out of the pool. None of these dogs has ever attempted this stunt again. I rest my case.
 Counter conditioning your dog March 15, 2006
J. Yasi (Portland Maine)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
I am a huge fan of Emma Parsons for promoting awareness of how pet owners can train a dog to behave with greater calm and self-control. This book is excellent for wholistically oriented, involved dog trainers. Very methodical and precise instructions for preventing and healing many problem behaviors. I am making it required reading for an adult ed class that I teach....Any trainer who wants insight into how clicker training can be used to shape emotions should buy this book. Enjoy!
 It works! October 9, 2005
J. BUGINAS (CA USA)
45 out of 46 found this review helpful
This book contains excellent descriptions of techniques that helped me make noticeable progress with my own difficult dog.
If you carefully apply techniques from this book, and have access to 'bomb proof' dogs you could have similar success. You must have patience and access to appropriate dogs for the techniques to work. The book is clear that things take time and must be taken in tiny increments. Don't rush things!
Some of the techniques are covered in other books, but the way this book is organized in 'Recipes', makes this book one of the more valuable in my collection. Also, Parsons really gets into the way things need to change on both ends of the leash.
Two years ago a difficult dog landed in my life. I have been working with her for two years and made noticeable progress using the techniques in this book; I wish I had found it earlier.
Very recently we graduated to using Parson's drills where you have your dog approach and touch a bomb-proof dog. We practiced this many, many times ... progress has been amazing. She now can approach many other dogs, touch, and returns to me.
She still has a long way to go and I doubt she'll be a dog-park diva, but I've started taking her to fun matches in rally and agility and both she (and I) can now cope with the crowds and make it through the events.
outstanding book if used properly August 10, 2005
Kim Fabian (san diego ca)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful
We use this book in service dog dog when some puppies never out grow their aggressiveness. Cick and treat is used in every phase of the dogs learning in school so it was not surprising it was being in healing aggression. It has helped my personal pet,a cocker spaniel, as well as dogs in service dog school as well.
Click to Calm August 9, 2005
R. Sanchez (California)
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
Easy to read. Easy to use. Professional knowledge of click and treat. Gives reasons, examples, and tries to make this fun for a serious problem if you have a dog that is agressive or fearful and reacts with lunging and growling. Gives hope to those owners who have this type of dog. The lessons are easy to understand. They are workable, and most important, they are working,
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