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khoar's review against another edition
5.0
This short guide is filled with great advice on how to help a fearful dog gain confidence. A great read from any dog owner or dog trainer.
ankhamun's review against another edition
5.0
Some good ideas I hope to be able to implement along with our obedience training.
fallona's review against another edition
5.0
A very short, straightforward book on how to countercondition fearful dogs. The booklet deals specifically with the example of a fearful dog that barks at strangers, but the method is intended to be used for any fearful behavior (mostly in dogs, but applicable to any species).
Most of it is fairly common sense if you are already familiar with this style of dog training, but it's a great reminder and a clear walk through of the process.
I do recommend reading it in tandem with other books on canine behavior and positive reinforcement training if you are not already reasonably well-versed in the topic, but I suspect most readers will come to it either by the recommendation of a trainer or through McConnell's other books (or those of other trainers with similar methods).
Most of it is fairly common sense if you are already familiar with this style of dog training, but it's a great reminder and a clear walk through of the process.
I do recommend reading it in tandem with other books on canine behavior and positive reinforcement training if you are not already reasonably well-versed in the topic, but I suspect most readers will come to it either by the recommendation of a trainer or through McConnell's other books (or those of other trainers with similar methods).
notunlikecheckers's review against another edition
5.0
Short and simple
This aligns with everything that our trainers have told us. We use the techniques in our big dog who is afraid of strangers and it's worked pretty well so far.
This aligns with everything that our trainers have told us. We use the techniques in our big dog who is afraid of strangers and it's worked pretty well so far.
julis's review
informative
slow-paced
2.0
(Reviewed with ‘I’ll be home soon’, same author)
These count as one book because they have a collective length of 60 pages and because they suffer from the same basic problem: McConnell is a generalist trainer writing pamphlets to provide immediate solutions to complex problems.
Which is to say, that both provide good approaches to their respective issues (stranger danger and separation anxiety) at the most basic level. The separation anxiety book in particular is far outdone by DeMartini-Price’s book to the point where I’d never recommend this one. It advises counter-conditioning and the use of crates, and there’s increasing evidence that neither one is helpful.
(Counterconditioning, even when paired with desensitization, is far, far too likely to result in accidentally ruining the positive thing you were pairing with your departures. Meanwhile many dogs with separation anxiety also have a degree of claustrophobia and will be happier with some free movement.)
Cautious Canine, despite the title, is almost entirely about stranger danger/human reactivity. It does a good job of laying out an introductory CC/DS protocol for that, but again: It’s 30 pages long. McConnell doesn’t have the space to go into the various causes (and therefore approaches to treatment) or all of the many, many variations you can make on the idea of pairing people with food. At the end she recommends a rank-establishing protocol (”Leader of the Pack”) which is radically out of place in 2021. I’m not sure I’m recommending this one either, but the majority of it is at least moderately helpful.
These count as one book because they have a collective length of 60 pages and because they suffer from the same basic problem: McConnell is a generalist trainer writing pamphlets to provide immediate solutions to complex problems.
Which is to say, that both provide good approaches to their respective issues (stranger danger and separation anxiety) at the most basic level. The separation anxiety book in particular is far outdone by DeMartini-Price’s book to the point where I’d never recommend this one. It advises counter-conditioning and the use of crates, and there’s increasing evidence that neither one is helpful.
(Counterconditioning, even when paired with desensitization, is far, far too likely to result in accidentally ruining the positive thing you were pairing with your departures. Meanwhile many dogs with separation anxiety also have a degree of claustrophobia and will be happier with some free movement.)
Cautious Canine, despite the title, is almost entirely about stranger danger/human reactivity. It does a good job of laying out an introductory CC/DS protocol for that, but again: It’s 30 pages long. McConnell doesn’t have the space to go into the various causes (and therefore approaches to treatment) or all of the many, many variations you can make on the idea of pairing people with food. At the end she recommends a rank-establishing protocol (”Leader of the Pack”) which is radically out of place in 2021. I’m not sure I’m recommending this one either, but the majority of it is at least moderately helpful.
corvus_corone's review against another edition
4.0
This short booklet by Patricia McConnell packs a lot of punch and is well worth the brief amount of time it will take you to read. The Cautious Canine specifically addresses the treatment of behaviors stemming from fear in your dog using a classical counter conditioning technique. The treatment she lays out is, nominally, to work with dogs that are afraid of people but it can easily be adapted to any fear based behavior.
McConnell addresses what does and does not work. The emphasis is on consistency and slow progress. You are encouraged to sit down and make lists as to what scares your dog, as specifically as possible, as well as what your dog has a passionate love for, be it tennis balls or hot dog pieces. Using this you can work on the dogs fears one step at a time, reconditioning them, slowly, to associate pleasant emotions and experiences with what scares them. I love McConnell's section on what to do when the unexpected happens, because it will happen.
McConnell addresses what does and does not work. The emphasis is on consistency and slow progress. You are encouraged to sit down and make lists as to what scares your dog, as specifically as possible, as well as what your dog has a passionate love for, be it tennis balls or hot dog pieces. Using this you can work on the dogs fears one step at a time, reconditioning them, slowly, to associate pleasant emotions and experiences with what scares them. I love McConnell's section on what to do when the unexpected happens, because it will happen.
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