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A review by corvus_corone
The Cautious Canine: How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears by Patricia B. McConnell
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.