Product Description

Fifteen to twenty percent of dogs are born with a tendency towards introversion and fearfulness, leading to behaviors like uncontrolled submissive urination, fear-aggression, and inability to bond with humans. With understanding and the right training, fearful dogs need not be condemned as bad pets; rather, they can become some of the happiest and most deeply bonded dogs around—the epitome of great pets.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29164 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-28
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Front and Finish, October 1999,
I recently got a copy of [this] super new book by Deborah Wood which deserves some attention. *** This book is a breath of fresh air for anyone who has lived with a shy dog and been subjected to lots of questionable advice on how to "cure" their pet of its hangups. *** {Wood] makes some great points about handlers who are unknowingly "enablers" to their shy dogs and encourages reading canine body language, understanding pack structure and the benefits of basic training as ways to help your dog overcome its fears. ***This would be a beneficial addition to club libraries and should probably be required reading for anyone teaching classes for the public. How many of us are really comfortable dealing with the dog who spends the entire class trying to hide under a chair?

Front and Finish, November 1999, book review by Sandy Mowery
At last! Here is a book that gets serious about the myriad problems that come with owning a shy dog and offers sensible and knowledgeable solutions.***I can vouch for a lot of Wood's advice, some of which flies in the face of conventional wisdom. For example, I've noticed that many people respond to my dog's shyness by kneeling down. I suppose they think the timid dog will feel less threatened by a human with reduced stature. In fact, all my shy dogs have been terrified when confronted with a crouching stranger.***I've had to devote a lot of training time to this little understood fact, so I was sold on Wood's book the moment I came upon the heading, "Don't necessarily Squat."***This is a highly readable, useful, thorough and encouraging book. I'm grateful to have a book like this to recomment to every trainer and teacher, because shy dogs are everywhere. Get copies for yourself, your friends and for your students!

Front and Finish, October 1999,
[This book] is a must for anyone instructing dog training classes and a valuable source of sound advice for all other trainers who may now, or some day, have a shy dog." Author Deborah Wood, with delightful illustrations by Amy Aitken, provides the experienced and inexperienced dog owner with advice on recognizing fear in a dog followed by step-by-step guide through training and socialization, which will lead to a dog an owner can enjoy.

Customer Reviews

This Book is a Total Waste of Your Money and Time
I just recently acquired a somewhat shy mini-dachshund and needed instruction on how to assist him in overcoming his apprehensions. Various sources on line recommended this book. I bought it, as well "Help for Your Shy Dog" by Nicole Wilde. This Deborah Wood book was a complete waste of time - no details were included on how I should proceed with my dog on anything, only just what amounted to a bunch of cheerleading (e.g., "with patience even you can do it!"). The Nicole Wilde Book, however, contains all the protocols you need to follow for virtually any kind of fear a dog might have. I highly recommend "Help for Your Shy Dog" for anyone with a shy dog, or any kind of dog for that matter. After reading Nicole Wilde's book, I am now making huge progress with my dog's apprehensions, and feel well equipped to deal with any fear that may come up in the future. The Deborah Wood book is going in the trash.

ok book
Okay book, a litlle disappointed since she stresses over and over training since I did that with my Ted already....many of the ideas in her book are really common sense

Help for your shy dog
A lot of good ideas for helping a shy dog to become a great member of your pack. It helped me to realize that my rescued shy dog will get better with time and there are actions I can take to help her adjust to her new family. Thanks for the encouragement in helping me deal with my timid dog. I would reccomend this book to people who have a shy dog.